A Study Of The Ecological Ethics Of The Traditional Forestry Views Of The Dai In Xishuangbanna

The Xishuangbanna Dai traditional view of forests is a series of attitudes,concepts and belief systems about forests formed by the Dai people in the course of production,daily life,recreation and religious practice.The forest is not only the material basis for the Dai’s existence and development,but also the basis for the emergence of forest culture,ethical and moral concepts and value beliefs.The order of the Dai people in relation to man and nature is "forest-water-field-food-man",and the forest comes first in the whole ecological and natural system.The tradition of protecting,loving,respecting,using and praising the forest is deeply rooted in the hearts of the Dai people,and the forest,as an object of expression and hope for the Dai people,has become an important vehicle for dialogue between people and the forest in terms of its way of life,moral sentiment and ideology.Therefore,the ecological and ethical wisdom and moral concepts in them can be tapped from Dai religious beliefs,narrative poems,proverbs,taboos,customary laws,written laws and divine judgments about the forest.Under the influence of primitive religions and southern Buddhist culture,traditional Dai society has developed moral values and codes of conduct that are based on reverence for nature,respect for ancestors,cultivation of goodness and virtue,equality of all beings,and dual cultivation of wisdom and blessings.With this as the background,firstly,we discuss the Dai traditional forest concept in the practice of survival from three aspects: the cultural wisdom contained in the Dai traditional forest concept,the wisdom of using and nurturing that is highlighted,and the wisdom of worshipping that is carried,and then dig out the essential characteristics of the Dai traditional forest concept: "to educate people with culture","to take advantage of the use with festivity " and "reverence is paramount".Secondly,the ecological roles played by the Dai people in the traditional forest view are located,and the ethical traits of daily life in terms of greenness and environmental protection and the earth ethical purpose of kindness and goodness are summarised.Finally,in a crisis where the ecological environment is deteriorating,the conflict between man and nature is growing,and man’s state of mind is becoming increasingly separate from the environment;in the context of implementing the construction of ecological civilisation and improving the happiness of human life,the Dai traditional forestry concept still has contemporary value.The ethical values of the community consciousness of people and forests,ecological moral ethos and ethnic consensus are important for people to take care of nature,society,others and themselves;they provide a path to solving the contradiction between people and nature,regaining a green and beautiful home,and energise the construction of ecological civilisation in the new era.