His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Top Scholars Discuss Ecology, Ethics and Interdependence

Monday, October 17, 2011

Tibet.net

DHARAMSHALA, India-- The XXIII Mind and Life conference which began today in Dharamsala has brought together His Holiness the Dalai Lama, contemplative scholars, activists and ecological scientists to discuss the interconnection between individual choices and environmental consequences.

"The slow meltdown of Earth’s capacity to sustain much of life, as we know it, poses an urgent challenge for both spiritual traditions and science. These two ways of knowing have developed distinctive responses, which are potentially synergistic," the conference organisers said in a statement on its website.

"The goal of the meeting is to provide an opportunity to articulate an engaged environmental ethics. This would include the understanding of interdependence through an examination of the most recent data on the scientific case for effective ecological action," the statement noted.

"Furthermore, it will be a unique opportunity to meet with other faith traditions that have arrived at a religious basis for motivating environmental activism."

"A dialogue between contemplative scholars, activists and ecological scientists could enrich the response to our planetary crisis. Insights from the new thrust in ecological science evoke the deep interconnections between individual choice and planetary consequence as well as through cross-fertilization of ideas and meaningful action among activists working within their own spiritual framework."

"We will explore many dimensions, from the human-caused deterioration in the global systems that sustain life, and the role each of us plays as seen through the lens of industrial ecology, to a view from Buddhist philosophy and other faith traditions, to the on-the-ground realities faced by ecological activists. Our hope is that this conference will be a significant catalyst for the formulation of new research ideas in these fields and solutions to our planetary crisis," the organisers said.

A galaxy of professors, researchers and scholars from Emory University, Rutgers University, Vancouver School of Theology in British Columbia, Canada, the Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas, Texas A&M University, Global Environmental Health at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and Columbia University among others are participating in the five-day meeting from 17-21 October.

Live webcast can be viewed here.