Nature As Healer: Theravāda Buddhist Foundations for Contemporary Nature Therapy

Abstract

The connection between humans and nature represents a significant aspect of cultural and spiritual evolution. The Indian subcontinent, with its diverse human and natural environments, demonstrates this relationship predating the Buddha’s enlightenment. However, Buddhist teachings catalyzed a revolution in Indian social and cultural history by integrating traditional ecological wisdom with innovative perspectives. Contemporary scientific approaches, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Nature Therapy, draw substantially from Buddhist principles. Nature therapy, a form of ecotherapy often attributed to Japanese Shinto and Buddhist practices (shinrin-yoku), warrants examination through its most historical roots. As Buddhism represents the oldest surviving Buddhist tradition, this research investigates Theravāda ecotherapeutic foundations within Theravāda Buddhism through selected discourses in the Suttapitaka and references from the Bhesajjakkhandhaka. The findings reveal that Theravāda Buddhism introduced numerous nature-based therapeutic practices, including: mindful walking in natural settings; silent immersion in nature; natural imagery in teaching and guided imagery; preparation protocols for engaging with natural environments; techniques for addressing psychological and physiological challenges in forest settings; community engagement with natural environments; natural metaphors in Buddhist soteriology; environmental ethics emphasizing minimal harm; and intergenerational transmission of nature-based practices. Ultimately, this research reveals that through Theravāda Buddhist teachings, it is possible to discern that the Buddha introduced a systematic approach to nature therapy, predating modern therapeutic frameworks by over two millennia.