ABSTRACT
When examining an ancient tradition, such as Hinduism, for material that
speaks to our contemporary concern for ecology and the environment, one
must begin with an awareness that this concern, along with its particular
conceptual construction of “the environment,” is quite new, dating perhaps
from the mid-twentieth century when events fi rst triggered awareness of
an impending environmental crisis. This means that, as Rosemary Ruether
has pointed out, “there is no ready-made ecological spirituality and ethic in
past traditions” (1992: 206). The Hindu tradition has only fairly recently
begun to address the environmental question directly. So when asking, as
of any of the great religions, “What does it say about ecology?,” we must
perforce look for indirect rather than direct evidence, for ideas and practices
that can now be reinterpreted by the living tradition itself to help meet the
current crisis. This chapter surveys Hindu attitudes toward the natural world
and the role of human beings therein, as expressed in theology, symbol,
law, and practice. Contemporary developments are considered to the extent
permitted within the limits of a short article.
