< Issue No. 19 (2024)Buddhist Education Foundation of Canada Annual Article Awardees
Animal Ethics are Environmental Ethics in Tibetan Buddhism
Simonds, Colin H., University of Alberta
Abstract
This article takes up the question of whether animal liberation and environmental ethics are compatible projects in Tibetan Buddhist philosophical contexts. It begins by surveying the compatibility debate in Western philosophy before addressing the view that Buddhist ethics can support an animal ethic but lacks the resources for constructing an environmental ethic. Ultimately, this article argues that while the Buddhist concern for alleviating duḥkha does indeed lend itself to an animal ethic, its emphasis on pratītyasamutpāda necessitates that this concern translates into care for the nonsentient aspects of the environment. As such, animal ethics are environmental ethics in Tibetan Buddhism.