Abstract
This chapter explores how an ethic of interdependence informed by Buddhist principles and mindfulness practices may help us address environmental crisis. The case of water scarcity in the American West is used to outline how an individualistic ethic—characterized by individual rights, rugged individualism, individual lifestyle, and private interests—drives unsustainable environmental practices. The chapter next examines how an ethic of interdependence—characterized by systems thinking, interbeing, multiplicity in oneness, and the transitory nature of form—may shift our approach to water scarcity specifically and to environmental crisis more generally. Meditation helps us deepen our understanding and awareness of ethics. A water meditation, based on the characteristics of interdependence, is offered to deepen the understanding and awareness of an ethic of interdependence. Finally, possibilities for cultivating an ethic of interdependence are offered, and an ethic of interdependence is applied to other environmental crises including species extinction and climate change.
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Schipper, J. (2018). An Ethic of Interdependence: Environmental Crisis and the Case of Water Scarcity in the American West. In: Stanley, S., Purser, R., Singh, N. (eds) Handbook of Ethical Foundations of Mindfulness. Mindfulness in Behavioral Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76538-9_12
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