Abstract
The paper explores the potential of Vajrayāna ethics to contribute to contemporary environmental discourse by expanding the circle of moral concern to encompass not only all sentient beings but also non-living phenomena and entire ecosystems. Drawing on the concepts of pratītyasamutpāda (dependent origination), parātmasamatā (the equivalence of self and other), ro snyoms (sameness of taste), and the non-dual, holistic Vajrayāna ontology, rehabilitating the body and materiality, the paper argues for a Vajrayāna Buddhist environmental ethic that is ecocentric. It critically examines doctrinal limitations—such as anthropocentrism, ambivalent attitudes toward animal and plant life, and the prioritization of liberation over life itself—and responds to these with argumentative refutation. It also discusses some of the practical instantiations of the Vajrayāna Buddhist environmental attitude in some Vajrayāna territories, especially Ladakh, based on fieldwork. It concludes that a carefully adapted Vajrayāna Buddhist ethics—responsive to contemporary ecological challenges yet faithful to the tradition’s foundational values—can offer important conceptual tools for environmental ethics today.