The lives of all people are at one with the universe. All the workings of the universe contribute to the formation of the individuality of each person. To put it another way, each person is a microcosm that reflects the macrocosm in a unique manner; fundamentally, the individual encompasses all. Therefore, each person is precious and irreplaceable.

Life is a chain. All things are related. When any link is harmed, the other links are affected. We should think of the environment as our mother. There is no crime worse than harming one's mother.

We are dependent on the Earth, not the other way around. In our arrogance, we have flagrantly overlooked this. … The essential teaching of Buddhism is that the life of the Buddha resides in every plant and tree, even in the smallest dust mote: it is a philosophy of the utmost reverence for life.

One who loves nature can cherish other people, value peace and possess a richness of character unfettered by selfish calculations of personal gain or loss. Those who live in a calculating way will end up calculating their own worth detrimentally. Such a life is limited in the extreme. Nature, however, is infinite.