A Buddhist Ethic of Farming

Our ethical foundation for life is fundamentally Buddhist and based on elements identified by Stephen Batchelor, Walpola Rahula and Thich Nhat Hanh.

From my perspective, an inconsistency between professed life ethics and the ethical foundation for earning a livelihood would be a constant source of suffering. So our ethical foundation for farming is the same as that we have chosen for life.

Central to Buddhist philosophy is a set of propositions, based on four core elements of a philosophy developed by the Buddha:

1. the principle of conditioned arising
2. the process of the four noble truths
3. the practice of mindful awareness
4. the power of self reliance

The principle of conditioned arising is a self-evident truth. That conditions now have their genesis in conditions that have preceded them is an axiom of scientific and quantitative models of understanding.

The four noble truths are a call to action:

1. To fully know suffering (embrace) – that suffering exists.
2. To let go of craving (let go) – that suffering has causes imbedded primarily in (a) cravings for power, money, fame and sex, (b) aversion from the opposites of these and (c) delusion associated with these cravings and aversions.
3. To experience the cessation of craving (stop) – that happiness (as represented by freedom from craving/aversion/delusion) is possible.
4. To cultivate the eightfold path (act) – that there is as tried and tested path that leads to happiness that we can all practice on a daily basis.

The eightfold path is the set of “life rules” that help to achieve the cessation of suffering through the practice of mindful awareness. They include:

1. Appropriate understanding – Panna
1. Understanding – there are three deep misunderstandings. They are that
• The impermanent is permanent (impermanence).
• The unreliable is reliable.
• That things that are not self are self (interdependence).
2. Thought – that where our thoughts go our approach to life will follow.
2. Appropriate ethical conduct – Sila – is as much about abstaining as it is about acting.
1. Speech – to abstain from telling lies; to use words that are friendly, benevolent, pleasant, gentle meaningful and useful; if something useful cannot be said then to maintain silence.
2. Action – promote honourable, moral and peaceful conduct; abstain from destroying life, stealing, dishonest dealings and illegitimate sexual conduct.
3.   Livelihood – abstain from livelihood that harms others; work will be honourable, blameless and innocent of harm.
3. Appropriate mental discipline – Samadhi
1.  Effort – to bring forth, develop and perfect good and wholesome states of mind while eliminating or preventing evil and unwholesome states of mind.
2.  Mindfulness – to be diligently aware of body, thoughts and feelings and of the things around us.
3. Concentration – on practice of all these things, cultivated through daily life and particularly through meditation.

The power of self-reliance suggests that ultimately we can integrate our practice with our daily life so fully that, when faced with a new situation, we can autonomously and wisely address the question: ‘What should I do now’? In essence we cease to need to be led by a teacher.

While all aspects of Buddhism speak to our day to day actions, it is those that relate to ethical conduct (appropriate speech, action and livelihood) that have a most direct bearing on our daily farming activity.