Deep Ecology and the Smokey the Bear Sutra
"A discourse concerning enlightenment on the planet Earth."
Every single living thing on planet Earth has intrinsic value.
That doesn’t seem that outlandish of a statement, right?
Many of us learn in grade school science that for an ecosystem to flourish, each member plays a role. And yes, for some the primary role is being a link in the food chain. For most, their role is far more expansive. Ants help with seed dispersal. Kelp towers provide shelter and protection. And humans might not have much of a future on Earth without bees.
That belief - that every single living thing on planet Earth has intrinsic value - is the core of deep ecology. And not only does every thing have value, that value isn't based on human purposes.
And that's where Arne Næss - its creator - loses many people.
Deep ecology is pluralistic at its core. Not only does every living thing have intrinsic value, but humans don't have more or less value. It's the idea behind moving from an ego-centric worldview to an eco-centric one. Humans are just one ingredient in the salsa of life. Take out any one ingredient and your tacos aren't as righteous.
Næss' was nothing if not deeply thoughtful, so he created a list of eight principles for deep ecology. 15 years of thinking distilled into one simple list, paraphrased below.
Every living thing has value and that value is irrespective of human purposes.
Diversity adds to that value.
Humans should only reduce this diversity to meet vital needs.
For life to flourish, there needs to be a decrease in human population as a result of how much humans consume. (This is also where Næss loses folks as it has drawn links to ecofacism.)
Present day human interference with the non-human world is excessive.
Policy is needed to reorient all of our systems to recognize this intrinsic value.
Instead of focusing on increasing living standards, we should increase our appreciation of the quality of our lives.
If you agree with these, you need to help bring about change.
First, I want to set aside principle four because it is a very, very complex issue. It has been criticized by feminists for not recognizing the greater impact of men, and by others for not considering class.
In the context of Næss' work in the 70s, he was likely looking at reports that we couldn't produce enough food to feed a growing population. And modern thinkers like George Monbiot express the same concern, but with alternative solutions.
Taken as a whole, deep ecology is the foundation of the Ecosystem Member project. Hence, why I am bringing it up early in our relationship, dear reader.
I believe that every living thing has intrinsic value, and that value is irrespective of my needs. And this belief enables me to have a deep appreciation for the value these living things provide me and us. This project explores how a range of us experience our relationships with nature and the more-than-human world.
With all that being said, I was in Point Reyes, California last weekend. If you've never been, it is an amazing space with mixed landscapes and my favorite bookstore - Point Reyes Books.
Point Reyes Books has the best curation of nature books on the planet. It also has a reading club called 'Thinking Like a Mountain' pulled from the writing of Aldo Leopold. (Leopold's holistic Land Ethic shares some vibes with deep ecology.)
As I browsed the tables and picked up a few things, I came across a small book by Gary Snyder. It’s title - Smokey the Bear Sutra.
If you aren't familiar with Snyder, he is one of the last remaining notables of the Beat Generation writers like Kerouac and Ginsberg. He is also a Professor Emeritus at UC Davis (where I am typing out this email and where he taught from 1986 to 2001) and won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry. He has also been described as the “poet laureate of deep ecology.'“
Snyder wrote this Sutra in one night at the Sierra Club Wilderness Conference in February 1969. He later performed it at the first Earth Day in 1970. When asked in 2005 about the Sutra, Snyder said, "The sutra’s basic message is that our sacred responsibility is to protect all of life."
Upon publication, Snyder requested that it immediately enter the public domain. I share it with you here.
Once in the Jurassic about 150 million years ago, the Great Sun Buddha in this corner of the Infinite Void gave a discourse to all the assembled elements and energies: to the standing beings, the walking beings, the flying beings, and the sitting beings—even the grasses, to the number of 13 billion, each one born from a seed, assembled there: a Discourse concerning Enlightenment on the planet Earth.
“In some future time, there will be a continent called America. It will have great centers of power called such as Pyramid Lake, Walden Pond, Mt. Rainier, Big Sur, Everglades and so forth; and powerful nerves and channels such as Columbia River, Mississippi River and Grand Canyon. The human race in that era will get into troubles all over its head and practically wreck everything in spite of its own strong intelligent Buddha-nature.”
“The twisting strata of the great mountains and the pulsings of volcanoes are my love burning deep in the Earth. My obstinate compassion is schist and basalt and granite, to be mountains, to bring down the rain. In that future American Era I shall enter a new form, to cure the world of loveless knowledge that seeks with blind hunger and mindless rage, eating food that will not fill it.”
And he showed himself in his true form of
SMOKEY THE BEAR
A handsome smokey-colored brown bear standing on his hind legs, showing that he is aroused and watchful.
Bearing in his right paw the Shovel that digs to the truth beneath appearances, cuts the roots of useless attachments, and flings damp sand on the fires of greed and war;
His left paw in the mudra of Comradely Display—indicating that all creatures have the full right to live to their limits and that deer, rabbits, chipmunks, snakes, dandelions and lizards all grow in the realm of the Dharma;
Wearing the blue work overalls symbolic of slaves and laborers, the countless men oppressed by a civilization that claims to save but often destroys;
Wearing the broad-brimmed hat of the west, symbolic of the forces that guard the wilderness, which is the Natural State of the Dharma and the true path of man on Earth:
all true paths lead through mountains—
With a halo of smoke and flame behind, the forest fires of the kali-yuga, fires caused by the stupidity of those who think things can be gained and lost whereas in truth all is contained vast and free in the Blue Sky and Green Earth of One Mind;
Round-bellied to show his kind nature and that the great Earth has food enough for everyone who loves her and trusts her;
Trampling underfoot wasteful freeways and needless suburbs, smashing the worms of capitalism and totalitarianism;
Indicating the task: his followers, becoming free of cars, houses, canned foods, universities and shoes, master the Three Mysteries of their own Body, Speech and Mind, and fearlessly chop down the rotten trees and prune out the sick limbs of this country America and then burn the leftover trash.
Wrathful but Calm. Austere but Comic. Smokey the Bear will Illuminate those who would help him; but for those who would hinder or slander him . . .
HE WILL PUT THEM OUT.
Thus his great Mantra:
Namah samanta vajranam chanda maharoshana Sphataya hum traka ham mam
“I DEDICATE MYSELF TO THE UNIVERSAL DIAMOND
BE THIS RAGING FURY DESTROYED.”
And he will protect those who love the woods and rivers, Gods and animals, hobos and madmen, prisoners and sick people, musicians, playful women, and hopeful children;
And if anyone is threatened by advertising, air pollution, television, or the police, they should chant SMOKEY THE BEAR’S WAR SPELL:
DROWN THEIR BUTTS
CRUSH THEIR BUTTS
DROWN THEIR BUTTS
CRUSH THEIR BUTTS
And SMOKEY THE BEAR will surely appear to put the enemy out with his vajra-shovel.
Now those who recite this Sutra and then try to put it in practice will accumulate merit as countless as the sands of Arizona and Nevada.
Will help save the planet Earth from total oil slick.
Will enter the age of harmony of man and nature.
Will win the tender love and caresses of men, women, and beasts.
Will always have ripened blackberries to eat and a sunny spot under a pine tree to sit at.
AND IN THE END WILL WIN HIGHEST PERFECT ENLIGHTENMENT
. . . thus we have heard . . .
I hadn't come across this gem of Snyder's before. Thank you!! Recitations commencing immediately.
And every time I think of Point Reyes or Deep Ecology I think of Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee of Emergence Magazine. An upcoming episode, perhaps?? (fingers are crossed)