The idea of nature in the east in comparison with the west

Conclusion — Contemporary Implications According to Buddhist philosophy, men constitute just one class of living beings. As such, they have no right to unlimited use of natural resources. Also men have no right to unlimited exploitation of animal and plant life, which forms part of Nature. Until recently, Westerners or moderns tended to think that men were quite separate and different from the natural world. This assumption is ungrounded and unreasonable. It has brought about devastation. Men incur retaliation by nature.In order to deal with the difficult situation that has come about, we must seek a solution that is both objective and subjective. On the objective side, we must discard the arrogance of supposing that men are entitled to exploit the natural world at their own will, without limit and regardless of the consequences. It is not appropriate to maintain the idea of conquering nature. Nature should be met with affection. In this connection, we emphasize that the world of nature should not be monopolized by a few countries. The whole natural world should be shared by all mankind. We cannot but feel angry at the small, limited number of countries which totally control the reserves of a limited energy supply, and which are extravagantly wasting what nature has entrusted to them. Just as individual egoism must be curtailed and placed under control, so national and ethnic egoism also should be restrained in the name of justice and respect for nature.On the subjective side, there is need for correction of the opinion of moderns that the progress of mankind consists in the unlimited satisfaction of human desire for material objects. Buddhism taught satisfaction with what is given to men. To know being satisfied was thought to be the way to spiritual happiness. The key to the relationship between man and the environment may very well lie in the control of our desires according to this concept of satisfaction. For that purpose our desire should be scaled to the possibilities of nature conceived as supporting human existence. Nature is not an entity to confront us as if it were quite different from us; it is something to embrace, as we might think it as that from which we cannot separate ourselves. Admitting the disinction between man and nature, we have to think how to live with the knowledge that nature is necessary to us.