Sabrina Ho--Stephanie Kaza

     For my final term paper, I discussed Stephanie Kaza's theory for the connection between Buddhism and ecology. Practicing first Christianity, and following with Buddhism, she wrote about her journey to her own religious views in Penetrating the Big Pattern. One of the quotes she wrote that stuck out to me was, "Tree, landscape, beauty song--what world religion was this?  [...] The Vietnam War tore apart any sense of stability and meaning in my small world; I nearly lost my first great love to the killing fields. Where was God in this insanity?" (pp. 56). As someone who is not Christian, I always find this perspective interesting and admirable within the religion. I have family and friends who have spoken to me about finding a savior and solace within the religion and God, and I have always admired their dedication to the religion, even when they have thoughts such as the one Kaza quotes. 

    What is also interesting about this piece, and Kaza's general beliefs, is her mixture of Christianity and Buddhism. It not only shows that multiple religions can live in harmony--something, today, many do not agree with--but it also shows that there may even be power in such inclusivity. I think this is something that we commonly discuss in class, because our class is not Christianity and Ecology, or Buddhism and Ecology, but with religion in the broader sense. Just like in class, Kaza shows the power of layering the beliefs of religions together; for her, there was a point where her faith in Christianity did not provide the solace she needed. However, tied with her beliefs in Buddhism, she found exactly who she was and what she's meant to believe in. Reading her other pieces, it is clear that her very unique mindset, theories, and solutions arise from this particular combination of interests and religious values. It made me wonder, if it were more common to practice more than one religion, would it be possible to find solutions to problems that we have never considered? It also begs the question of religions role in ecology, such as if there should be a limit to which religion influences our decisions within the ecosystem.

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