ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces a number of Buddhist principles practiced implicitly by many Buddhist cultures. The circularity of human existence is a basic presupposition of Buddhist philosophy. The consequence of this realization is to treat food, fuel, and the earth with great care: to receive each item with awe and respect. It includes recognition that human life itself is inescapably predicated upon the consumption of resources and the taking of life. Conversely, Buddhist and Taoist philosophies tend to see causes, not as singular, unique, or operating in vacua, but rather as multifold, interlinked, and dependent on a wide range or causal conditions. A more Buddhist perspective suggests that nothing could fail to affect others, that our existence itself is inextricably relational and interdependent. If the human project is to are maintained more than a few generations into the future, considerations of population control, biological diversity, sustainable technologies, and responsibility to future generations become unavoidable.
