| dc.description.abstract | The thesis, entitled “Rhymes of Contentment and Compassion: An Eco-
Buddhist Reading of Gary Snyder’s Poetry” tries to portray Gary Snyder as an ardent
follower of Buddhism and Deep Ecology. Through an investigation of his collections
of poetry in the light of concepts like Buddhism, Deep Ecology and spirituality, this
thesis tries to foreground Snyder’s deep commitment towards nature and the whole
universe. The works written by Gary Snyder justifies his unwavering dedication and
compassion towards all forms of life and non-living things in this universe. The thesis
elaborates on how Gary Snyder has used his poetry as an effective way to impart his
ideologies of Buddhism, deep ecological concerns and Hindu beliefs for saving the
earth from further degradation. In his poetry, Snyder tries to dissolve the barriers
between the civilised and the wild and exhorts us to understand human life as a part of
the whole universe. Snyder feels that without wildness in the mind, a poet cannot
excel in his profession as a poet.
Chapter One, Introduction includes introduction to the author, research
objectives, literature review and methodology and are explained in detail. The second
chapter entitled “Bioregionalism in Gary Snyder: An Exploration of Ecological
Identity and Interconnectedness” is a detailed study of Gary Snyder’s Bioregionalism.
This chapter focuses on Gary Snyder’s perspectives on the intersection of Ecology,
Buddhism and Politics in his Bioregionalism and how all these three elements are
interrelated and define each other. The third chapter titled “Deep Ecology and Eco-
Buddhist Paradigms: A Quest for Contentment and Compassion” delves into the
analysis of the works of Gary Snyder filled with contentment and compassion through
the lens of Deep Ecology and Buddhism. The fourth chapter “Religious Influences
and Whispers of the Earth in Gary Snyder’s Poetry: A Path Toward Environmental
Healing” establishes how the principles of Hindu philosophies and Buddhism aid in
tackling the problems of the environment as represented in the poetry of Gary Snyder.
This chapter deals with the analysis of some spiritual texts related to Hinduism and
Buddhism that help in understanding the elements of spirituality in the poetry of Gary
Snyder and how it provides solutions for the present environmental problems. The fifth chapter concludes the thesis with possible solutions that Gary Snyder speaks
through his poems. The sixth chapter discuss further scope of research in the works of
Gary Snyder.
To nurture mindfulness and to possess the bodhisattva ideal, the development
of a religious mind is required and that marks the development of self-knowledge. As
a revolutionary act, new rituals are to be introduced for the celebration of the
transformation moments that the universe had undergone during the previous years. It
is believed that the celebration of the occasions in the form of rituals would make our
sense of sacred more renewed. There is a strong network of trust that exists between
people living in a community, they strive together, understand their situation together
and work together to create a world where they can live without fear and injustice. By
involving ourselves in base level community activities, a sense of mutual
commitment, enhancement of personal integrity and belief in what is possible will
emerge. The next change that is welcomed is the nurturing of personal practice.
Through the practice of meditation, one can acquire a mind that is free from negative
thoughts filled with wisdom obtained through inner transformation. The element of
compassion is an offshoot of this mindful meditation. It is different from the concept
of pity where the individual becomes capable of removing hatred towards the living
and non-living entities and fills the mind with love and empathy.
The research study titled “Rhymes of Contentment and Compassion: An Eco-
Buddhist Reading of Gary Snyder’s Poetry” endeavours to address the gap in existing
studies on Gary Snyder. This study portrays the elements of Eco-Buddhism in the
poetry of Gary Snyder. It also tries to include Eastern religious philosophies for
analysing the poems which is a novel attempt. The existing works on Gary Snyder
falls short of understanding his poems through this lens. There are limited studies that
link Gary Snyder’s works with Eco-Buddhism. This research study addresses this
research gap by providing an extensive analysis of the Gary Snyder’s Poetry through
the lens of Deep Ecology, Eco-Buddhist precepts | en_US |
