The Buddha’s Nature

Abstract

This chapter elaborates on the nature of Buddhism. It starts with the Buddha's multifaceted interactions with nāgas which provides further understanding of the overall roles of natural beings in the Buddha's life. Moreover, nāgas articulate their personhood by practising Buddhism in sometimes surprising ways, while Buddha's personhood relationships with nonhumans arose with ambivalence as it does not provide evidence of nature mysticism. The chapter highlights the relevance of nāgas to meat eating and farming in India. It also discusses the previous lives of Gautama Buddha, which gave rise to the widespread use of ahimsa and animals as symbols within Buddhist scriptures. Additionally, the Buddha's teachings and example demonstrate the importance of maintaining respectful personhood friendships with nonhuman natural beings.