Faith in Action
Programme 3:
Sacred Nature – Protecting the Environment (India)

Aims

This programme aims to introduce students to the following:

To explore nature symbolism in Hinduism and the sacred in the environment of India
To convey the variety of wildlife India has to offer and to foster appreciation of rare creatures and their plight
To understand the message of conservation from a voice within Hinduism
To inspire young people to make a positive difference to the environment
In combination with the classroom notes, to evaluate the significance and effects of the work of people of faith in this area

India faces growing pressures on the environment, with widespread pollution and many wildlife species facing extinction. This programme follows the story of Hindu campaigner Himanshu Prem, who promotes the cause of saving India's environment through Hinduism's traditional belief in the sanctity of life and the celebration of the sacred in nature and nature imagery in religion. He works in places as diverse as the slums of Bombay and in India's strained wildlife reserves, taking groups of people to places of environmental interest, including Gir, where he guides a group of students to see the world's last remaining population of Asiatic lions.

Curriculum Relevance

Religious Education is compulsory for all pupils in the 14-16 age range.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, schools can opt for a full GCSE or a half course. While some schools prefer a general programme, the half courses are increasingly the popular option. In Scotland pupils can opt for a short course or the Standard Grade certificate in RE.
Most courses deal with the fundamental questions raised by life and religion and look at religious responses to social and ethical issues.
Some courses offer a study of selected religions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Others offer a thematic study of religious teaching applied to contemporary issues, covering topics such as: suffering and evil, peace, conflict and justice, the environment, medical ethics and human relationships.
Courses generally enable pupils to learn about religion, which includes factual learning, and to learn from religion, which includes reflecting on a personal response to the material. Pupils are expected to demonstrate skills of knowledge, analysis, explanation and application of religion, and evaluation.

Background

Hinduism and the Environment

Samsara and respect for life

For many Westerners, 'life' is a journey that is followed from A to B, in a straight line through time. We are born at the beginning and die at the end. The Hindu world view is different. For Hindus, life is not a linear concept, time is cyclical. This understanding is expressed as samsara: life is a series of rebirths in a world in which souls are continually being reborn.
This leads to a sense of fraternity not just with the rest of humanity but with the whole created order. By implication, it leads to a respect for the whole created order. The Hindu teacher Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) said, 'He serves God best who is kind to all his creatures' and Gandhi applied the principle of ahimsa (harmlessness and non-violence) to the way people should treat animals.
Most Hindus are vegetarian and many will not buy leather goods: 'Meat cannot be obtained without harming living creatures … shun the use of meat' (Vedas: Manu samhita).

Nature as sacred

The Hindu understanding of the fraternity that links all living things because all living things have souls that are continually being reborn for better or worse, can be seen in the way God is depicted.

In some Hindu writings the fig tree represents the whole of creation coming from the essence of Brahman, radiating down towards earth with its root above: the three main stems represent Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. From these three, other branches spread out representing other gods and goddesses. All deities are seen as the many branches of a single root.
Hindus believe God is one, but use a wide variety of male, female and animal images in order to convey different aspects of God. Hence Ganesha is an elephant, Hanuman is a monkey. The avatars of Vishnu (ie times when he is believed to have lived on earth) include a fish, a tortoise and a boar.
The Mahabharata says, 'even if there is only one tree full of flowers and fruits in a village, that place becomes worthy of worship and respect.'
Cows are regarded as sacred and in Indian towns and cities they are free to wander around at will.
This sense of the sacred extends to the environment. Natural features also convey aspects of God and so the river Ganges is regarded as sacred (the goddess Ganga) and stories about its origins, flowing from the feet of Vishnu, can be found in the Hindu scriptures. Hindu protestors campaigning against the felling of trees in the Himalayas said that the hair was being cut from Shiva's head.

Karma (actions) and Dharma (the nature of things)

The nature of one's rebirth depends on karma: one's actions and deeds. According to a basic principle of cause and effect, good karma results in a good outcome (a better rebirth) and bad karma results in a bad outcome (a worse rebirth). So, not only do Hindus regard all of creation as being interlinked through the process of the rebirth of souls, they also believe that each person has a vested interest in treating living things well if they want a better rebirth or release (moksha) from this cycle.
This is balanced with a belief in dharma, or 'duty': acting in accordance with one's essential nature. This also has implications for the way the environment is regarded: the dharma of fire is to burn; the dharma of water is to flow; the dharma of a lion is different to the dharma of a person. Hindus believe that people achieve righteousness by being what they are truly meant to be.

Putting the theory into practice

Mahatma Gandhi once said, 'The world provides enough for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed.' India, despite the Hindu belief in the links between people, creation and God, is one of the most polluted countries on the planet. It is also one of the poorest countries, which raises the issue of the links between Western consumerism and third world poverty: at what cost do people use the earth's natural resources to make money and to make 'progress'?

Activities

Review the scene showing Bombay, this time with no sound. Try to imagine yourself there: what do your five senses tell you? What might you be able to see, hear, smell, taste and touch in that environment? Jot down some notes and use these as the basis for some creative writing: a short poem beginning, 'I can see … it looks … / I can hear … it sounds … / I can touch … it feels …' and so on. How does your poem compare with the idea that in India the environment is sacred?
In the programme Himanshu says, 'Faith can inspire us to protect the natural world' and, 'I don't know where nature ends and Hinduism begins'. Using the Background Information and Hindu images downloaded from the websites suggested below, make a poster for the streets of Bombay advertising his work and message.
With reference to samsara, karma, dharma and ahimsa (see Background Information), write a short article for a Hindu magazine about why Hindus might want to save the lion from extinction.
Hotseat Mahatma Gandhi and question him about his beliefs and what he said about need and greed (see Background Information). How does his Hindu faith influence his views? (This activity involves one member of the class volunteering to act as Gandhi, seated on a 'hotseat' at the front. Someone needs to chair the questions).

Links

www.pcfre.org.uk
Contains a database of young people's quotes on a wide range of religious topics including, 'how can people live in peace?', 'what is freedom, truth and justice?', and 'what is your vision of a perfect world?'

http://www.reonline.org.uk/
A gateway site to other RE websites, religious organisations and faith communities, this site also contains RE updates and information about resources (including ICT and RE) for teachers.

Faith in Action Programme 3: Sacred Nature – Protecting the Environment (India)