The involvement of Buddhism in social movements has long been recognized and appreciated by all communities. The voices of Buddhist activists always have a certain weight in making the final decision on any social issue. Buddhism believes it has a duty to engage with the government and society to reduce the harm and destruction of forests. In the most creative and respectful way, Buddhists are proving their irreplaceable influence when it comes to forest protection.
The Meaning of Trees in Buddhist Beliefs
Throughout the history of Buddhism, many important Buddhist events involve the presence of trees. From the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama to his enlightenment as “The Awakened One”, all these events took place under a close connection with trees. This makes the image of trees in the real and spiritual life of Buddhists very sacred and noble.
The role of trees is also clearly emphasized in ancient Buddhist documents such as the Dhammapada or Naropa Sutta. Human life depends greatly on nature, therefore living in harmony with nature is the key factor for us to receive protection from Mother Nature.
Buddha Shakyamuni understood that well, as he once said: “A tree is a wonderful living organism which gives shelter, food, warmth, and protection to all living things. It even gives shade to those who wield an axe to cut it down.” He also mentioned a lot in his sermons about the merits of those who planted trees and built parks, saying that such righteous, virtuous people will enter nirvana.
Buddhists believe that all trees are living beings with souls of their own, so they could also feel pain or bleed just like humans. In Buddhism, the very first and foremost rule of the Five Precepts of Buddhism is not to take the life of any living being. Breaking this or any other rule will interrupt your progress on the path to enlightenment.
One of the important practice principles of Buddhism is not to harm trees unless it is imperative to cut them down. According to the Vinaya Pitaka (the Book of the Discipline), when we protect trees, we are not only protecting the trees’ lives, but also the lives of many other dependent species. This is a way for both Buddhists and ordinary people to nurture compassion and empathy for all living beings.
Since its early days, Buddhism recognized that the preciousness of human life is linked to interdependence with nature. All Buddhists live and practice with the principle of respecting the precious lives of all sentient beings, and trees are no exception. This is what Buddhism is trying to make everyone understand, for the lasting well-being of the planet.
The approach of Buddhists to Tree Protection
Living and practicing according to the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, Buddhist monks and activists have started many environmental awareness activities. Among them, we have the tree ordination ceremony – a sacred Buddhist ritual that has been around for over 50 years.
This ritual was first started as a creative effort against commercial logging and construction. However, with an extremely important spiritual and practical meaning, it later received official recognition and support from many countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The essence of the Tree Ordination Ceremony is the act of sanctifying or representing the trees as Arhats by tieing or wrapping them in familiar saffron-colored monks’ robes. This is how Buddhist monks and activists incorporate traditional religious and Buddhist concepts and rituals into forest protection, highlighting the importance and sacredness of trees to the existence of humans.
Tree ordination doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with forest protection, but in fact, it does. Buddhism is a large religion, and any act of disrespect towards it will be severely criticized. By symbolizing the trees with the Arhats, it gives the locals or loggers a feeling of disrespect and guilt if they cut down the trees, thereby hesitating to do so.
Not only does it contribute to reducing illegal logging, but tree ordination also acts as an incentive for governments and organizations to take part in the forest protection process. Governments of Buddhist countries such as Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Thailand, etc. highly appreciate the participation of Buddhism in tackling environmental issues. The first tree ordination ceremony in Sri Lanka is a good example. This massive ceremony has welcomed the arrival of many local officials, environmental organizations, and Muslim religious leaders, showing their concern for the current rapid deforestation.
This is not one’s responsibility. The success of forest protection is based on community support, and Buddhist practices, especially the tree ordination ceremony, are sending urgent messages to communities around the world.
Great Values Worthy of Respect
We are living in a pure crisis, as we are sacrificing nature in order to satisfy our need for material wealth. Destroying forests for cultivation and illegal logging are worsening the harmony between human life and the natural world. Overexploitation of forests is causing negative impacts not only on biodiversity, but also on Buddhist spiritual practices.
Trees provide fruit, shade, and habitat for wildlife. Trees help heal the planet, improve human living conditions. Despite all these values, all people see is construction land and timber. Trees are selfless creatures, and we need to give them the respect that they deserve.
The tree ordination ceremony aims to emphasize the true values of trees in general and highlight the selfishness and greed of the modern economy. The sanctity of forests must be protected to ensure the continued growth of trees as well as the harmony between man and nature, and Buddhists are one of the key forces in promoting this.
At Tenere, we know that when we plant and protect trees, we’re not only protecting the environment, but also the cultures and nuances of religions. That’s why Tenere is helping our users to plant trees around the world, because we all desire peace of mind, and peace with nature. Whoever enjoys the shade of a tree and destroys it, is the most sinful and ungrateful person.
