[Jittananto]

In my environmental philosophy class, we discussed the actions that have led to the climate crisis. It is surprising how simple and ordinary actions can have long-lasting consequences that can span thousands or even millions of years.

• Furthermore, the effects of our actions are irreversible, and no matter what we do, we will suffer the consequences. Human life, which lasts around a hundred years, is insignificant when compared to the life of the planet, which spans billions of years. However, our actions have consequences that can affect this world for millions of years. Mass pollution began in the 1800s, a mere 200 years ago, which is negligible compared to the four billion years of the planet’s existence. Yet, thousands of ecosystems that have existed for millions of years have vanished, leading to a chain of causes and effects on the planet’s life. The Earth is deteriorating at an alarming rate!
• When my teacher started explaining this, my mind automatically thought of Kamma Vipāka. Actions that seem trivial at first glance can lead to Vipāka that lasts until our parinibbãna. For example, chasing someone away from a place ( For jealousy)  may seem trivial, but we are not sure if that person is Ariya or not! If the latter is the case, the consequences can be severe, such as being reborn in an Apayas. Consider the story of arahant Losaka Thera. During the time of Lord Kassapa, he chased an arahant from a place to have all the food for himself. As a result, he was reborn as Pretā (hungry ghosts) several times, and until his Parinibbānna, he never had enough to eat. Even our Lord Buddha suffered the effects of acts he performed several Kappas ago!
• The Dhamma winks at us about the true nature of this world! We are unsure of the consequences that may arise if we destroy an ecosystem. These consequences may take time to take effect. We only need to look around us to see this. The climate crisis teaches us about Kamma Vipāka and how our greed for resources (Lobha) and ignorance of the nature (Moha) of this world, which tells us that we are all connected, can lead us to destruction. The harm we do to others and nature will come back to us sooner or later.

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Yash RS

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