Hindu Ethics and Ecology

Abstract

This chapter provides a detailed analysis of Hinduism, examining some popular Hindu scriptures in which the interconnectedness of humans and nature are depicted and noting how these scriptures are used only selectively by the general population of India without much attention being paid to the environmental crisis. The analysis demonstrates that Hinduism has a metaphysical basis for ethical guidance and that Hindu ethics based on dharma with its many levels – the universal and the particular (based on one’s status, caste, and family) in contrast to ethics viewed at the universal level in the Western context – can be viewed as the foundation of environmental sustainability. Following an extensive review of the literature, it is argued that Hindu scriptures should be the basis of reducing the environmental damage caused by humans.