Daily Reflection diary

We were privileged to have learned from our tutor's insightful research. In Dagor, Eastern Bhutan, villagers blend Buddhist teachings with ancestral rituals like the mandhog chant to honor and protect their forests. Mang: General Public Dog: Chasing away  Deep-rooted beliefs in local deities (tsen, lu, dud) guide daily behaviors: people avoid loud noises, pollution, and deforestation near sacred areas, fearing that harm to spiritual beings might trigger sudden hailstorms, illness, or environmental disasters. These cultural expressions, like namtog (belief), jignang (fear), and gizhab (respect), shape a cosmology where the environment isn’t separate from the spiritual world but lives within it. Rituals like appeasing mountain deities before harvesting timber or grazing pastureland used to foster a strong sense of care and mindfulness toward the environment. Seasonal closures of forest areas mandated through community rituals naturally protected ecosystems during critical times,...

  How indigenous knowledge systems offer vital insights into environmental justice. It highlights the profound connection between traditional ecological knowledge and contemporary environmental challenges.  Indigenous communities are currently vulnerable. Rapid environmental and cultural shifts threaten the continuity of taboos and beliefs, which act as the medium to protect our environment.  Indigenous Knowledge and Environmental Stewardship 1) Biodiversity Guardians Traditional ecological practices are crucial for maintaining biodiversity. They have sustained ecosystems for centuries. E.g., shifting cultivation. 2)  Sustainable Management Centuries of observation led to advanced resource management that fosters natural resource conservation. 3) Climate Resilience  Deep ecosystem enhances climate resilience. An example like that of the study of deep ecology using a holistic approach.  Environmental criminology is caused by climate injustice, which means th...

 It explores the dynamic interplay between humans and non-humans in the Himalayas, emphasizing how state-making, development, and commercialization reshape these relationships. Case Studies: 1. Landscape in the Limi Valley (Nepal/China border) Pastoralists in Limi Valley used to move freely between Nepal and China with their animals. After the border closed, they lost access to their traditional grazing lands in China. Break kinship between herders and animals; before, they were viewed as family, but now as property.  Government rules sometimes ignore local ways of caring for nature. 2. Darjeeling: "How colonial rules ruined forests" British rulers in India saw forests as "empty land" and took control, ignoring the indigenous people who lived there sustainably. They banned practices like shifting cultivation. Local tribes knew how to live with nature, but their knowledge was erased. Modern conservation still sometimes ignores indigenous voices. Therefore, real envi...

  Multi-Species Studies:   How multiple species are always in interaction. Multispecies Entanglement & Co‑Becoming The notion of “co-becoming” captures how humans, animals, spirits, and landscapes continually shape one another, central to both Western multispecies studies and Buddhist worldviews. Scholars like Haraway and Erik de Maaker (in Environmental Humanities in the New Himalayas ) show how these entangled relationships are indicative of environments as active, dynamic assemblages. Buddhism’s ritual recitations and prayer flags reinforce this: a poetic dialogue between humans and nonhumans, affirming that spiritual-ecological reciprocity is not metaphorical but lived. Indigenous Cosmovisions & Sacred Spatial Practices Across Himalayan communities, indigenous understanding of “space” is deeply spiritual. Practices such as “la dham” or “ri dham” mark mountain zones as off-limits ritual prohibitions that arise from respect for deities and local spirits.   ...

  In Buddhism, interdependence teaches that humans and nature are intricately linked: our well-being depends on forests, rivers, and all living beings.  Recognizing emptiness , we see there is no inherent self separate from the world. This understanding dissolves false boundaries and challenges suffering born from ignorance.   The principle of non-harming  naturally flows from interdependent origination: if all is connected, to harm another being is to harm ourselves. Mindfulness in our daily interactions—buying, eating, and acting—awakens us to this truth, reducing personal and ecological suffering. Pure intentions aligned with compassion offer healing in today’s crisis. A powerful example is tree ordination in Thailand : monks ceremonially wrap sacred robes around trees, blessing them as “ordained.” This ritual sanctifies nature, deters logging, and unites communities in protection. It symbolizes seeing Earth as our mother and all beings as siblings.   T...

  QUESTION Write a short reflection on the Buddhist way of environmental practice. Buddhism  places  a  strong  emphasis  on  interdependence  and  the  connections  between  all  things,  no  matter  how  great  or  small,  in  our  world. Buddhism  takes  a  comprehensive  approach  to  the  environment,  taking  into  account  all  living  and  nonliving  things,  including  spiritual  beings. Buddhism  embraces  the  spiritual  well-being  that  accompanies  other  types  of  well-being.  Tree Ordination Ceremonies in Thailand & Cambodia Monks select a large, venerable tree, often in threatened forests, and ceremonially “ordain” it much like a human novice monk. They chant, wrap the trunk in saffron robes, and recite scrip...

 The universe includes humans, animals, God, ghosts, and hellbeings rather than existing in isolation. Example in Buddhist models like the mandala Mandala represents the cosmological formation of our universe. It shows naturally entangled lives, with a mountain in the center circled by species and beings. Aspect of dependent co-origination: Humans are not separate from their association with the environment. For example, a plant is not just an existential being but exists through processes like photosynthesis and the care it receives from humans.  Buddhism is centered in our mind on how our thoughts shape our environment through principles of ecological interdependence, mindful reflection, and compassionate environmental ethics. Mindful reflection: compassion and kindness are not just Buddhist principles but have a collective vision to bring a solution to the natural ecosystem. Critiques: Traditional Practice:  Monastic Simplicity: While it focuses on a minimali...

Gender + Indigenous Knowledge + Power Dynamics in Agriculture and Food Security.   Feminist and Indigenous political ecology frameworks highlight the intricate connections between gender, indigenous knowledge, and agriculture and food security power dynamics.  In Bhutan, while women play a significant role in agriculture, t raditional patriarchal norms often marginalize their contributions and limit their access to resources and decision-making processes, and recognize them as unpaid labor.  Examples include limited access to agricultural inputs, credit, and land ownership.  Land rights struggles : It explores conflicts over indigenous territories where industrial agriculture often displaces native stewardship. Those indigenous communities often include women, who share an emotional connection with their native lands, displacing their culture, ecological practices, and land ownership.  Additionally, societal norms and religious beliefs can perpetuate the no...