Beyond environmental science: Climate action in Hindu religion and Sant Mat tradition

Abstract

This paper explores Hindu religious concepts in their broadest form in general, and the philosophy and teachings of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (a religious sect with its headquarters in Punjab, India) in particular, to access whether and in what ways the Indic spiritual value system is dovetailed with ecological ethics to make a case for climate action. Considering the influence of this sect in India and the size of its faith community, its role in propagating ecological ethics through the notion of karma, practice of vegetarianism, and service are examined here. The paper concludes that although the philosophical teachings of Radha Soami Satsang Beas like living a lighter life by practising vegetarianism and service do have great ecological values, the ethnographic account of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas shows that the devotees do not show any proclivity toward climate action due to the lack of direct teaching by their guru on the subject and therefore do not establish any relation between philosophical underpinnings of the sect and ecological stewardship. Nevertheless, the ecological sensibilities of this community are more aligned with their spiritual goal and are reflected in their behaviour.

A new team and vision of the international social science journal

“…The scope of the ISSJ encompasses explorations of topics related to environmental studies. Environmental sustainability has become an increasingly important area of concern in the global social science community as the effects of climate change have become more urgent and apparent in recent years, forcing people to take action (Badruzzaman et al., 2023; Saryal, 2022). Although traditional approaches to sustainability often focus on technological and policy developments, emerging research has seen a growing recognition of the importance of incorporating spiritual and artistic dimensions into sustainability efforts to promote a more holistic and effective approach to addressing sustainability challenges and promoting behaviour change.…”