Daoism

&ClimateChange

For the Daoists the path of water down a mountainside, following the route of least resistance
without being told or forced, exemplifies ziran, or spontaneous naturality. Trying to struggle
against the natural world or to force nature to bend to your will is bound to fail wu wei er wu
bu wei (by doing nothing everything will be done).
Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding

TheFourMainPrinciplesofDaoismexplainverywellthedeepconnectionbetweenDaoism
andtheenvironment:
1.FollowtheEarthTheDaoDeJingsays:'HumanityfollowstheEarth,theEarthfollows
Heaven,HeavenfollowstheDao,andtheDaofollowswhatisnatural.'Daoiststhereforeobey
theEarth....Humansshouldhelpeverythinggrowaccordingtoitsownway.Weshould
cultivatethewayofnoactionandletnaturebeitself.
2.HarmonywithnatureSomeonewhounderstandsthispoint[YinandYang]willnotexploit
nature,butwilltreatitwellandlearnfromit.Itisobviousthatinthelongrun,theexcessive
useofnaturewillbringaboutdisaster,eventheextinctionofhumanity.
3.ToomuchsuccessIfthepursuitofdevelopmentrunscountertotheharmonyandbalance
ofnature,evenifitisofgreatimmediateinterestandprofit,peopleshouldrestrain
themselvesfromit.Insatiablehumandesirewillleadtotheoverexploitationofnatural
resources.Tobetoosuccessfulistobeonthepathtodefeat.
4.AffluenceinbiodiversityIfallthingsintheuniversegrowwell,thenasocietyisa
communityofaffluence.Ifnot,thiskingdomisonthedecline.Thisviewencouragesboth
governmentandpeopletotakegoodcareofnature

Wehopeyourcongregationwillconsiderjoiningus,andothers
offaith,inaddressingthiscriticalthreattocreation.

www.paipl.orgor
www.interfaithpowerandlight.org