Sikkimese Bhutia language oral traditions feature an abundance of stories related to human-animal interactions. In order to begin to critically consider the significance of these interactions, this article will engage with these oral traditions and what they can tell us about local traditions of Buddhist ethics. Although some of these tales seem anthropocentric because humans overpower and outwit animals, others are more ambiguous. In this ethical universe, foxes, yetis, and magical bulls all act as agents and, at times, religious teachers, reminding humans of the Buddhist theme of interconnectedness in their interactions with the environment. This article is a starting point for considering how such tales can act as a rich resource for negotiating ambiguous forms of ecocentrism in local Buddhist practice and narrative in the Eastern Himalayas.
目次
Introduction 46 Animals as Ethical Resources in Buddhist Literary Traditions 52 Animals as a Way to Talk about the Project of Being Human in Sikkimese Buddhist Oral Traditions 54 Questioning Anthropocentrism: Animals as a Way to Express Interconnectedness in the Sikkimese Buddhist Context 58 Conclusion 65 Bibliography 67
