Water Sources in the Buddhist Ecology: Looking through the Engaged Tradition

Abstract

Jambudvīpa is embedded with and surrounded by perennial water sources from the Great Himalayan hills. The visual remains and literary pieces of evidence show that people in the hoary past were conscious of water sources from the great hills. The Buddha has advised the corporeal use of water in many suttas. Buddhism has vast philosophical dimensions for five elements (water is one of them. It played an essential role in forming the cosmological and corporeal views of hills and water sources. Because of the rising population, monopolization, and monetization of water, a shortage of water is felt in some regions. The paper will examine the Buddhist view on the ecological dimensions of water issues and its engaged traditions.