A pithy introduction to Buddha’s wisdom for nature enthusiasts as elucidated by Lama Tsongkhapa

This chapter introduces the Buddha’s wisdom concisely along with a brief history of Buddhism to environmentalists and nature enthusiasts. The exposition is based, to a large degree, on the Lama Tsongkhapa’s elucidations during the 15th century. The chapter explains the foundation of Buddhism as laid out by Buddha Shakyamuni. He taught three Vehicles to people of different mental capacities and propensities: The Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle), the Mahayana (Great Vehicle), and the Vajrayana (Profound Vehicle). The heart of the Buddhist wisdom is the truth of emptiness of all phenomena which was best clarified by the Madhyamaka or the Middle Way School of Buddhism. Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings and treatises (1357-1419) provide a grand profound synthesis of all the philosophical traditions of Buddhism, including Mind-only, Yogacara, and Svatantrika interpretations of the Great Vehicle. The spread of Buddhism occurred from northern India to South Asia first, then to China and Far East, then to Tibet and Central Asia, and to the West which is on-going.