Religion and Sustainability: Interreligious Resources, Interdisciplinary Responses

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxi

   PDF

2. Sustainability Studies: Beyond the Denial of Religion and Theology as Resources—An Introduction

   • Rita D. Sherma

   Pages 1-8

3. Part I

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 9-9

      PDF

   2. Methodological Considerations for Interreligious Theological Engagement: New Directions in Comparative-Dialogical Theology

      • Rita D. Sherma

      Pages 11-23

   3. The Conditions of Hospitality in Interreligious Encounter

      • Joseph Prabhu

      Pages 25-29

   4. Advaita Vedānta, Swami Vivekananda, and Sustainability

      • Jeffery D. Long

      Pages 31-34

   5. Jonah, Yom Kippur, and the Many Sides of Justice

      • Leah Macinskas-Le

      Pages 35-40

   6. Towards Interreligious Spiritual Hospitality: A Lutheran Perspective

      • Moses Penumaka

      Pages 41-48

4. Part II

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 49-49

      PDF

   2. A Critique of Economic Reason: Between Tradition and Modernity

      • Purushottama Bilimoria

      Pages 51-59

   3. Buddhist Economics: Creating a Sustainable and Compassionate Economy

      • Clair Brown

      Pages 61-68

   4. A Threefold Approach of Ecology, Economy, and Theology to Face Climate Change with Respect and Kindness

      • Myoung-Ho Sin

      Pages 69-80

5. Part III

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 81-81

      PDF

   2. Climate Colonialism, Subversive Moral-Spiritual Power, and Religious Ethics

      • Cynthia Moe-Lobeda

      Pages 83-89

   3. The Ethics of Enchantment: Spirituality and Ecological Ethics

      • William O’Neill

      Pages 91-97

   4. Animal Rights within Judaism: The Nature of the Relationship Between Religion and Ethics

      • Andrea M. Weisberger

      Pages 99-106

   5. The Environmental Crisis of Our Time and the Ethics of Stewardship: A Muslim Response

      • Yasin Dutton

      Pages 107-117

6. Part IV

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 119-119

      PDF

   2. Awareness Is Our Birthright: Mindfulness Practice and the Sustainability of the Present

      • Thomas Calobrisi

      Pages 121-125

   3. Texts and Trees: Ritual Engagements with Audumbar Tree in the Dattatreya Sampradāya

      • Mugdha Yeolekar

      Pages 127-134

This volume brings sustainability studies into creative and constructive conversation with actions, practices, and worldviews from religion and theology supportive of the vision and work of the UN SDGs. It features more than 30 chapters from scholars across diverse disciplines, including economics, ethics, theology, sociology, ritual studies, and visual culture. This interdisciplinary content presents new insights for inhibiting ecospheric devastation, which is inextricably linked to unsustainable financial, societal, racial, geopolitical, and cultural relationships. The chapters show how humanistic elements can enable the establishment of sustainable ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. This includes the aesthetic and emotive dimensions of life. The contributors cover such topics as empowering women and girls to systemically reverse climate change; nurturing interreligious peace; decolonizing landscapes; and promoting horticulture, ecovillages, equity, and animal ethics. Coverage integrates a variety of religious and theological perspectives. These include Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and other traditions.

To enable the restoration and flourishing of the ecosystems of the biosphere, human societies need to be reimagined and reordered in terms of economic, cultural, religious, racial, and social equitability. This volume illustrates transformative paradigms to help foster such change. It introduces new principles, practices, ethics, and insights to the discourse. This work will appeal to students, scholars, and professionals researching the ethical, moral, social, cultural, psychological, developmental, and other social scientific impacts of religion on the key markers of sustainability.

• Aesthetics & Ecology
• Climate Change and Sustainability Studies
• Ecotheology/ Ecological Theology
• Equity and Justice in Social, Economic, & Environmental spheres
• Environment and Social Justice
• Environmental Justice and ethics
• Religion & Ecology
• Religion & Sustainability
• Religious Worlds of Humanity and Sustainability
• Sustainable Nature and Sustainable Societies
• Theology & Religious Studies and sustainability
• Spirituality and Ecological Ethics
• Christianity and Global Climate
• Environmental Ethics and Indian Thought
• Tagore and Sustainability
• Sustainability in Indian Thought

• Center for Dharma Studies, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, USA

  Rita D. Sherma

• The University of Melbourne, San Anselmo, USA

  Purushottama Bilimoria

Rita D. Sherma, PhD, is Director of the Graduate Theological Union’s Shingal Center for Dharma Studies, Chair of the CDS Sustainable Societies Initiative, Associate Professor and Core Doctoral Faculty at the GTU, Berkeley, CA. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Dharma Studies (Springer Publ.); publications include Hermeneutics and Hindu Thought:Toward a Fusion of Horizons • Contemplative Studies & Hinduism: Meditation, Devotion, Prayer, & Worship • Contemplative Studies & Jainism • Ecology & Indian Philosophy (forthcoming).

Purushottama Bilimoria is Distinguished Teaching Fellow and Core Doctoral Faculty at Graduate Theological Union; he is honorary professor at the Deakin University and senior fellow at Melbourne University in Australia. Publications: Indian Ethics Vols. I, & Vol II Gender Justice and Ecology (forthcoming) • Globalization, Transnationalism, Gender and Ecological Engagement • Routledge History of Indian Philosophy.

Policies and ethics