Spiritual Ecology : A Quiet Revolution

by Sponsel, Leslie E.; Taylor, Bron

• ISBN13: 9780313364099
• ISBN10: 0313364095
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-07-19
• Publisher: Greenwood Pub Group

Summary

An internet search for "Spiritual Ecology" and related terms like "Religion and Nature" and "Religion and Ecology" reveals tens of millions of websites. Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution offers an intellectual history of this far-reaching movement. Arranged chronologically, it samples major developments in the thoughts and actions of both historic and contemporary pioneers, ranging from the Buddha and St. Francis of Assisi to Wangari Maathai's Green Belt Movement and James Cameron's 2010 epic film Avatar. This foundational book is unique in that it provides a historical, cross-cultural context for understanding and advancing the ongoing spiritual ecology revolution, considering indigenous and Asian religious traditions as well as Western ones. Most chapters focus on a single pioneer, illuminating historical context and his/her legacy, while also connecting that legacy to broader concerns. Coverage includes topics as diverse as Henry David Thoreau and the Green Patriarch Bartholomew's decades-long promotion of environmentalism as a sacred duty for more than 250 million members of the Orthodox Church worldwide.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Prologue	p. xiii
What's in a Tree?	p. 1
Roots	p. 7
Enchanted Nature, Animism	p. 9
The Original Spiritual Ecologists, Indigenous Peoples	p. 13
Ecologically Noble or Ignoble?	p. 21
Natural Wisdom and Action, The Buddha	p. 31
Medieval Radical, Saint Francis of Assisi	p. 43
Trunk	p. 49
The Spirit of Walden	p. 51
Wilderness Disciple	p. 57
Spiritual Science	p. 65
Branches	p. 69
Nature as Thou	p. 71
Challenging Christians	p. 75
Supernovas	p. 83
Leaves	p. 99
Can a Poet Save Nature?	p. 101
Reconnecting	p. 107
Green Patriarch	p. 115
Flowers, Seeds, and Fruits	p. 121
To Plant a Tree	p. 123
Desert Spirituality	p. 131
Avatar, Opening Pandora's Box	p. 137
Hazards	p. 147
Atheist Spiritual Ecology	p. 149
Natural Theology	p. 155
Secularization of the Sacred, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet	p. 161
Epilogue	p. 169
Notes	p. 173
Appendix: Selected List of Contributors to Spiritual Ecology	p. 205
Bibliography	p. 207
Index	p. 277
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