Le Duc - Greed, Hatred and Delusion: The Buddhist Diagnosis of the Root Cause of the Ecological Crisis

Abstract

The attempt to explain the root cause of the ecological crisis has been carried out by environmental philosophers, scientific experts as well as religious thinkers. Buddhism with its unique approach to the human condition presents its own framework for dealing with the ecological crisis. The Buddhist framework places this issue within the larger reality of humanity being plagued by unwholesome tendencies, namely greed, hatred and delusion. These unwholesome tendencies represent the root poisons causing human spiritual and moral degeneration, which subsequently is manifested in personal and social problems, among them the ecological crisis. This paper applies this Buddhist framework to diagnosing the modern day ecological crisis.