Zen Practice for the environment : A study of how Zen practice can help nurturing a healthy view of the environment

Sammanfattning: In this thesis, I explore how Zen can provide practices that help remedy the environmental problems that may arise from how the environment is viewed. I argue that two ingredients should be part of a good strategy to change how one views the environment. Firstly, a good strategy should not be in conflict with the worldview one holds. Secondly, a good strategy should be practical and attractive to follow. With the help of a detailed example from fishing, I show that engaging in Zen provides these two ingredients. I show that it is attractive to incorporate an awareness of the interconnected and impermanent nature of existence and engage in a meditative state when performing tasks because it will both enhance performance and increase mental health. I also argue that there does not need to be a conflict between the worldview one holds and engaging in the proposed Zen practices. The practices Zen provides do not need to be seen as specific to Zen, and the benefits they provide have support in neuroscience. Because Zen provides practices that nurture a greater awareness of how things are interconnected and impermanent, one will gain a better understanding of things in the environment, which will be helpful in remedying the environmental problems that are facing us. I show that through meditation, one will also be able to see things more clearly, perform better, and increase mental health. Because of meditation’s health benefits that help you control the triggering of punishment and reward modules, it will also be easier to make the hard decisions to help the environment because one has the tools to handle difficult emotions.