Dharma Rain

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 7 FEB 2000

This book seeks to provide environmentalist themes and ideas for those practicing "engaged Buddhism." With seven sections and 40 contributors, it covers several aspects of what many believe modern Buddhists should be doing to respond correctly to environmental problems such as consumerism, economic development, deforestation, pollution and industrialization. Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama contribute essays, as do composer Philip Glass and writers Joanna Macy and Helen Tworkov (who is also editor of Tricycle). There are lovely sections on being at one with nature and on hiking, but the book rehashes ecological material available elsewhere, and aside from the first section ("Teachings from Buddhist Traditions"), very little here is deeply Buddhist. The Transcendentalists made the same arguments for nature's supremacy in the 19th century (and indeed, several of the writers quote Thoreau). Still, there are some memorable essays: Peter Matthiessen, Patrick McMahon and Kuya Minogue provide a direct experience of the reality of nature to show why nature is worth saving: for the benefit of one's practice. Robert Aitken and William Ophuls reflect on the superiority of simplicity, providing a useful starting place for those who wish to initiate greater restraint in utilizing resources. The volume closes with suggestions for spiritual exercises, meditations and rituals (including the "Smokey the Bear Sutra").