The End of the World as We Know It
21 January 2019“Should such a dire threat arise—a terrible loss of human life, when human birth is so rare—what would you do?” (SN 3.25)
Increasingly, as the effects of climate change become more widely known, it is easy to believe in a looming apocalypse; where rainfall patterns change, bringing droughts that gradually turn the earth into a desert, resulting in loss of crops and famine… Or, maybe there be a swifter end; a tsunani, or a flu or perhaps a war over resources, with a trigger-happy politician who decides to go nuclear and end it for us all?
When the End of the World is finally upon us, what will it mean to be a Buddhist?
The problem of what to do when the world is ending might seem abstract but it goes to the heart of our practice as Buddhists. If it’s hard enough to be a good person and practice the Dhamma when our external conditions are supportive, how much harder will it be then, when our way of life is shattered by rising sea leavels, food shortages, mass migration, or wars? Surely, as Buddhists, this is when our ethical conduct, our goodwill and our compassion will matter the most. But that is also the time when it will be the most challenging for us.
I’ve been thinking a lot about these kinds of questions since arriving here at Lokanta Vihara. Endings. Apocalypses. Disasters. Hope. I wonder how I would behave at the end of the world? In the next few weeks I want to share with you some thoughts and feelings about these issues. I’ll also explore what we can learn from the Buddha’s teachings, to find out how we can best live our lives, both in the present and in an uncertain future.
Click the video below to get a feeling for what the End of the World looks like.
