Hinduism and ecology : the intersection of earth, sky, and water /

This book opens with the startling statement that India boasts the world's largest environmental movement, involving over 950 nongovernmental organizations. Collected here are conference papers by 22 qualified scholars--some Indians in India, some Indians living abroad, some Westerners familiar with India--on the relationship of religion to the ecological crisis in India. The central issue is whether the mores and tenets of Hinduism are compatible with the protection of the environment. The writers examine epics and sacred texts, arts and rituals, and the thought of Gandhi for what they show about the human use of nature in India. The book is admirably summed up in one table classifying variations in thought and attitudes, and in another table of relevant statistics. The quality of writing and scholarship is high. The writers are aware of parallels with the ecological crisis in the West; thus the book should be valuable to those interested in the global crisis. These lucid explanations of Indian thought and customs will help the Westerner to better understand India. W. C. Buchanan; formerly, Grand Valley State University