Embodied Ecology

“Christopher Chapple is a distinguished scholar of Hinduism and Ecology. This book represents years of scholarly reflection, careful translations, and engaged practice in the rich landscape of Hinduism. It is an invaluable guide into the ways that Hinduism offers insights into nature, ecological ethics, and yogic practices that will illuminate our world.” – Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-founder and co-director of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology“In a period where limitless greed and limitless growth is driving collapse of ecosystems and social systems, Embodied Ecology provides insights into making peace with the earth, in society, with the self. Christopher Chapple dives deep into Indian ecophilosophy and practice. Cultivating harmony and interconnectedness is yoga—joining, nonseparation. Embodied Ecology is Yoga of the Earth.”  – Vandana Shiva, environmental activist and anti-globalisation author “The author has been a leading voice in the study of Hinduism and ecology for decades.  Embodied Ecology is a treasure house of wisdom drawn from the ancient Vedas to contemporary environmental activists, many inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. It invites the reader into serious reflection on current environmental perils, a deep love of nature, and consideration of what the vast religious literature and practices within Hinduism have to offer as possible pathways to a healthier human presence on our precious planet.” – David L. Haberman, professor emeritus of religious studies, University of Indiana Bloomington and author of People Trees: Worship of Trees in Northern India  

Christopher Key Chapple is Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology and founding director of the Master of Arts in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University. He has published more than twenty books, including Karma and Creativity; Nonviolence to Animals, Earth, and Self in Asian Traditions; Yoga and the Luminous; and Living Landscapes: Meditations on the Elements in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Yogas. Chapple serves on the advisory boards for the Forum on Religion and Ecology (Yale), the Jaina Studies Centre (SOAS, London), the Dharma Academy of North America (Berkeley), the South Asian Studies Association (Los Angeles), and the International School for Jain Studies (Pune).