Ecodharma: A Compassionate Response to Environmental Crisis
To join the EBU Ecodharma Network, contact j.lyne@europeanbuddhistunion.org
We stand at a crossroads. Human activity is pushing Earth’s delicate balance to the brink, risking a sixth mass extinction and destabilising the very systems that sustain life. Scientists warn of nine planetary boundaries—from climate collapse and vanishing biodiversity to nplastic-choked oceans and toxic chemical pollution—each a threshold we cross at our peril. Yet within this crisis lies an invitation: to embody the wisdom of the Dharma and forge a
path of healing.
The Middle Way is Green
The Buddha taught the Middle Way—a life of harmony, modesty, and freedom from nextremes. This timeless wisdom calls us to live gently upon the Earth, resolve conflict with compassion, and recognise our profound interdependence with all beings. Today, this path takes urgent form in *Ecodharma*: a fusion of spiritual practice and ecological action that meets the unraveling of our natural world with clarity, courage, and care.
The Bodhisattva Vow in an Age of Crisis
As Bodhisattvas, we vow to cease harm, nurture good, and liberate all beings. Six *Ecosattva Vows* deepen this commitment.
They invite us to act by:
- Living lightly – embracing sustainable choices that honor Earth’s limits.
- Championing green innovations—renewable energy, regenerative agriculture, circular economies.
- Resisting destructive systems—policies and technologies that prioritise profit and conflict over life.
- Awakening to interdependence, seeing forests, rivers, and creatures as kin, not resources.
Ecodharma is a path of radical engagement. By facing reality and acknowledging suffering we can ground our actions in mindfulness and compassion, and transform anxiety into agency. Together, we can reimagine our relationship with the Earth—not as conquerors, but as humble stewards of a sacred web.