Buddhism and Taoism Attitudes Toward Nature

Relatonship Between Religion and Nature
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Introduction
The following research paper seeks to show the attitudes that two religions have towards nature and nature resources. The two religions are Buddhism and Taoism. Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world and was founded in Northeastern India. The spiritual teacher of the Buddhists is known as Buddha (Sharf, 2017). Taoism is both a religion and a philosophy of the Chinese origin whose emphasis is living in togetherness with the Tao.
Literature Review
The importance of this topic is to be able to gain an understanding of the attitudes different religions have towards nature. The two religions think that nature is sacred and this influences people to have a positive towards nature. It enables people lean how best to take care of the environment just as the two religions have a high regard towards the environment.
Buddhism
Research indicates that Buddhism and nature are very well connected. Gotama who is the founder of the religion delivered his very first sermon at Deer Park. It is said that he received his calling under a Bodhi tree in a forest near the Neranjara River. This is significant because it shows the connection between him and nature which set a precedent for the Buddhist religion. Gotama ended up spending a week staring at the Bodhi tree which was an indication of appreciation for the tree which provided him with shade during his final enlightenment. Buddha’s appreciation of forests has been recorded in Dhammapada Verse 99 which states that “pleasant are the forests, where the ordinary person does not delight”. Buddhists teach that nature is dependent on humans and the vice versa is also true. Nature is for every human being to enjoy it as they preserve for the future generations. Buddhists regard nature very seriously because the environment is regarded as an ideal location for meditation practice.
According to the Buddhist religion, human beings are not allowed to trade in any animals. In Thailand, Buddhists are usually encouraged to buy caged animals and birds for the purposes of setting them free. In Cambodia, the monks practice tree ordination to save forests. Buddhists relationship with animals is that of loving kindness and gentleness with no use of weapons to tame them. Buddha set a good example because he advocated for the rights of animals and was against the custom of sacrificing animals (Ives, 2017). Monks are also advised against relieving themselves where there is fresh grass or leaves. An example is told of a Buddhist who entered a forest because there was conflict between two monks and on his departure; the elephant that followed him was seen to have tearful eyes. This example shows the relationship Buddhists have with animals and why there is an emphasis on treating them with compassion.
The cooperation between human beings and nature developed because of Gotama who was the founder of Buddhism. Nature can be preserved in various ways and they include; recycling which means turning back products into new ones (Capper, 2020). Recycling reduces the amount of wastes that goes into dumping sites. Glasses, bottles and papers are examples of pr...