Ecology Questions & Answers

Department of Buddhist Studies

International bachelor program in Buddhist studies

Mahachula Buddhist University, Wang Noi Campus

Academic years 2012

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Exam-              Final examination answer-sheets

Semester-         First semester (11/102012)

Course no-       Buddhism and ecology

Lecturer –        Dr.Montra Leoseng

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VAMSAPALA

ID;5301201125

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1.     How could you apply after graduated from this university this environmental preservation?.

I really like our rector, the most Ven.Prof. Dr. Dhammakosajarn, because the way of his explanation is so easy to understand also very clear what does meaning of environmental preservation basic on four Cakka his give general information to embrace our environment.

There are two paths that I will introduce to my local people about our nature environmental preservation firstly,  I like to introduce natural environment .  it is very important to our life before we know exactly what are really idea of preservation of our environment that we need to understand clearly about Patirupdesavasosa –living in a suitable region. Some people are idiots in the country side they know what to do for their nature environment but we need taking time to understand more about these theory of natural environment. According to Rector, Dhammacasajam ,  we become aware that buddha birth place and death place surrounding by nature environment . That is mean example to introduce people because traditionally people believe in Buddhism in our local area. Some local people have no much knowledge but Buddhism because they just following by traditional belief that is why I can introduce about environmental preservation easily way in our state but one thing I have to very careful that is very essential because people living in local area without electricity at night most of area no light they depend on nature light or traditional fire Mach such as oil slight, candle so on. They cook for food using with wood which from tree. How will be force without development society. It is the main problem of our local land but we can try at least basic knowledge how to use systematically if we cat off tree how should be reply another such as ideal. It is consisting idea I can first introduce to local people to understand nature environment that as below air, water, biodiversity, land and soil, marine environment . We are also helping people to understand, value and protect how the natural environment works as an system to provide ‘ecosystem services’ to society.

To introduce the social environment it is very possibly to understand  and follow by teaching of system to local people. The social environment, social context, refers to the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual was educated or lives in.  in pali, we known as “ sappuriupassaya” associate with good people which method consisting in four element of cakka. In our Myanmar tradition, everyone have to learn about lokaniti “ wise speech” when I was young I also had learn at monastery especially rural area or village or some city and town, of course our country has monastery education before British introduce government education at school. So most of local people have good relationship with social knowledge then to give lecture about social environment it is not big deal for this job. The basic idea for social environment it is consisting good neighobrs, good colleagues and good supporting supervisor so on.

2.     How could you define environmentally behavior from the 227 precepts?

According to Mahayana All life is interrelated and interdependent. Nature, or we could say our natural environment, is alive and at least partly conscious. It is neither sacred and perfect nor evil and to be conquered. The deep reality of Nature is not separate from our fully enlightened nature (Buddha-nature). Buddhists understand ‘Nature’ as a useful conventional designation without any unique, intrinsic reality of its own that absolutely distinguishes it from what is ‘not Nature’. In a less technical sense, it is the conditioned world prior to extreme human distortion of the patterns of interrelationship between humans and the rest of the living beings on the planet. It can also be understood as the living web that interconnects individual beings, both sentient and non-sentient, in interdependence.

From the Buddhist viewpoint, we have 227 rule of Vinaya in Theravada tradition but Mahayana 250 more rules . there several sikkhapad relative with our environment. One, Bhutagama cikkapa, cannot cut off the trees, Sappanaka cikkapada, cannot drink  water without looking at have some varies or not, another cikkapa and vilayakkhana cikkapada cannot dig the earth. That is important for monks to follow what the teaching of buddha that is why we can obverses from environmental point of views to preserve our ecological system , forest, animals including green land on our earth. 

3.     Please explain the law of dependent origination from your own experience?

The law of dependent origination is the inter-relationship each other between human and environment. The understanding of the Paitcasamupada “ it is can relative in every path of view. It is saying when this is, that is , this arising, that arise , when this is not, that is not, this ceasing, that is eases. It is the way of understanding of law of dependent origination from my understanding according with Buddha teaching. Authors of Dhammakocajam said forests provide humidity which endables rain to fall. If there is not forest , wildlife is impacted there situations “ called Padiccasmuppada which is the phenomenon of cause and effect.  And also we should understand of another buddha teaching way that Utu NIyama among then five niyama , if Utu non-tranquility we, people got effect to distory natural law of Utu Niyam people did that is why got effect from them. In this world whatever we did we are sure to get effect from what we did wrong or good that is why Buddha taught us the universal truth of Dhamma to understand natural of wheels of Dhamma in our everyday life.

The general or universal definition of pratityasamutpada  dependent origination dependent arising or interdependent co-arising is that everything arises in dependence upon multiple causes and conditions. Pratitya samutpada is sometimes called the teaching of cause and effect, but that can be misleading, because we usually think of cause and effect as separate entities, with cause always preceding effect, and one cause leading to one effect. As I know people usually blain to kama whatever they did wrong or good because of kamma that is not correct said by Buddha that is because of dependent origination.

4.     Collect photos from visiting different temples and select one temple and identify which pats are good environment / 10 photos-10 places.   

1.     Wat Bar Ron Baranuon  Mahayana temple ( Dragon temple) outside of Bangkok, Thailand. This temple is very big one surrounding by good nature environment as we see on photo inside the temple have many distributing the plant. For me so looking good when I entered the temple. It is wonderful.  

2.     How nice environmental preservation in this Dragon Temple, after took this picture I fell like wow! It is look like heaven? Thought myself. Of course, it is really good feeling when I visited this temple when I want Mahayana Study Trip.

3.     This picture seeing view so nice behind Dragon Temple. How much good care of environment that I took from inside the temple to nature care of sounding by their environments.

4.     It is second visiting to Mahayana Buddhist temple named Bhoman-Khunaram temple. Inside the temple many tree and wide gress land distributed very nice that is good part of environment in this temple.

5.     This mangrove tree has growing up naturally nearby stream through to sea at Wat Sa lay Su kharan Ban Phitiya Monastery in Samusakhom  in Bangkok . When I visited this temple I took this photo . the temple surrounding by fully nature environment but I cannot shown this temple picture because I have lost already . This only one photo left on my Facebook.  So we can say around the temple has good environment inside or outside.

6.     This photo I took from in front of our dormitory at MCU. Last two weeks ago it was still paddy plants but now flooded because of rain. It is beautiful part for our health walking on foot at every evening.

7.     Our university has perfect environment surrounding by large lakes, tree and rice plants. It is Uposata hall inside the lake.

8.     Behind the Uposata hall, the group of tree into the rice field trough to beside the stream. From the positive point of view, this fully water and tree can survive food for fish but some group people usually fishing nearby too. From the negative view, it is not good because the water level increase more and more those area cannot plant right now  for human food‘s rice.  

9.     Every day,  this a little sparrows birds resting in front of our Dormitory street . here over hundreds birds inside the rice field. Around MCU area, there are many diffident kinds of birds we can see following by season because of good environment.

10.                        Our nature not only survive for animals but also for very big benefic for human being. Here we can see on photo. Monks are taking “ water-green” at evening sunshine for their daily foods without paying or cost more money can sported from our nature nearby  MCU.