Bearing Witness in the Anthropocene: A Soto Zen Priest’s Reflection on Nuclear Harm, Environmental Disaster, and the Spiritual Path to Compassionate Responsibility
Roberta Proffitt Lavin, Bhawana Kafle
Preprints.org November 28, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.20944/preprints202511.2189.v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key points | Argues that silence in the face of environmental destruction and nuclear hazards has ethical and spiritual ramifications, and that integrating contemplative frameworks with nursing and interfaith perspectives positions spirituality as a critical dimension of sustainability, calling for a cultural shift toward connection, humility, and reverence for planetary health. |
Abstract
Soto Zen Buddhist precepts, contemplative medicine, and nursing are used to examine ethical and spiritual ramifications of being silent in the face of environmental destruction and nuclear hazards. It explores how spiritual integrity can guide personal, professional, and planetary development using a personal narrative based on Soto Zen practice and training in contemplative medicine, as well as a scoping review on spirituality in the Anthropocene. The ongoing threat of nuclear disaster can lead to an instantaneous and irreversible detachment from life, even as climate change takes center stage in international debate. By integrating contemplative frameworks with nursing and interfaith perspectives, the paper positions spirituality as a critical dimension of sustainability and calls for a cultural and spiritual shift toward connection, humility, and reverence as a foundation for planetary health.