Mahayana Buddhism and Environmental Ethics: From the Perspective of the Consciousness-Only Doctrine

The article first outlines the severity of modern environmental problems and argues that Buddhism offers a gradual but fundamental response through human transformation. It then summarizes Buddhist environmental thought through principles such as dependent origination, symbiosis, circulation, the interdependence of subject and environment, and the intrinsic dignity of nature. The main body develops the Consciousness-Only framework by explaining the first five consciousnesses, mind consciousness, manas consciousness, and ālaya consciousness. Yamamoto uses these concepts to show how individual karma and common karma shape both social consciousness and the natural environment. The article then applies this framework to human desire, environmental responsibility, and the consequences of science and technology. Finally, it proposes environmental movements and the bodhisattva way as two complementary methods for transforming ālaya consciousness and addressing ecological problems at their most fundamental source.