There has been a consistent connection between Buddhism and the environment since ancient times. Harmony with plants and animals has always played an important role in the stories that transmitted Buddhism across the world. In the past, other authors have treated this role lightly, a bit part in a play.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun has assembled a collection of these stories for you in this volume and his revelation is that nature is the star of the show. There is serious urgency to his message, in our world today we have to start appreciating plants and animals or our planet will be ruined.

One element of this message is to argue for vegetarianism as part of our social responsibility. Animals are shown in the second chapter of the book to exhibit compassion, and this reflects a long-standing belief that Buddha nature is extant in all things. This chapter in
particular and the book overall can be seen as a bold statement against discrimination; humans need to start looking at the earth as an equal partner in order for us to survive.

The third chapter of this book expresses a keen openness to the discoveries of science and astronomy. Venerable Master Hsing Yun adroitly connects these modern discoveries to principles that Buddhism has promoted since antiquity. One fascinating element of his argument is the transnational nature of Buddhism. He argues that principles of astronomy were started in the Middle East, developed in India, and then applied in China. Sutras were a conduit for ideas that merchants ferried across the world, making Buddhism an integral part of our world’s heritage.

Sincere engagement in the problems that vex our modern world is something that flows naturally in the pages of this book. One reason that it is so compelling is this engagement has deep roots in Asia. The scholarship of Morten Schliitter and Prasenjit Duara has shown that for over one thousand years Buddhists have found ways of being importantly connected to contemporary issues. Duara has even argued that the modem goals of ecological sustainability are best understood through the lens of traditional Asian religions, including Buddhism.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun’ s direct prose cuts to the core of the ecological crisis while simultaneously highlighting wise solutions. It is important to pause and appreciate the grand Buddhist tradition that forms the bones of each of the chapters in this book. Underneath the koan-style prose lies profound lessons for how to build a better world.