Spirituality Beats It All: A Quick Conservation Overview, Self-Organization and the Great Value of (Indigenous) Religions for Hindu Kush-Himalaya Landscapes, Its Geo-Parks, Species, Ecological Processes and Watersheds

Abstract

In times of ‘globalization’ the western world uniquely declared at least two global warefares and then subsequently imposed its limited and one-sided value-system – including so-called modern concepts – onto the entire world bringing much of the environment and atmosphere into shambles. However, Asia and its remote pockets in the mountains has a very deep culture and that now blends with the ‘new’ approach to life. Here I show why and how conservation – based on a ‘modern’ but narrow and not really yet holistic science – can benefit and extent its efforts for a wider and more effective outcome. This is achieved by valuing and implementing some of the major Asian schools of thoughts, their ethics and behaviors such as Shamanism, Hinduism, Bon, Buddhism, Dao’ism, Jain’ism and related concepts that are based on sacred sites, power places, and ‘taboos’, e.g. accepted limits of finite natural resources (‘carrying capacity’). They are based on a deep respect of Mother Earth, of its components and a harmony with the wider connected universe. This approach can be more voluntary and bottom-up, is virtually free of governmental interference for centuries, gets a high buy-in, and it relies less on rigid and dominating mono-theist legal policy tools and governance from ‘the west’. At minimum, it provides protection for Mother Earth that is otherwise globally stressed, harassed and modified due to biased, one-sided destructive efforts that benefit just a few. Instead, spirituality provides us with for a long-term vision and guidance to live well and remain sustainable in the universe.

Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hairstylist that understands you.

Commercial District, Downtown New York

Dukha: The concept in Buddhism of life-long suffering, pain, unsatifsactoriness or stress.

Keown (2009)

Think like a mountain.

Aldo Leopold (2012)

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