Seed Storage Bank in Norway: The manifest of an Alliance of Civilizations

K.Wong

Introduction

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, an international emergency seed storage bank in Norway, is located on the Norweigian island of Spisbergen. It is about 1,120 km. from the North Pole. It was officially opened on February 26, 2008 in Norway. It marks another manifest of the alliance of civilizations between the Norweigian government, Global Crop Diversity Trust and Nordic Gene Bank.

$100 million were donated by donor countries, such as Australia, Sweden, Canada, Norway, USA, developing countries like Ethopia, private corporations and foundations. Gates Foundation has provided a fund of $750,000 for package and shipment of seeds from Gene Bank to the seed storage complex of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway.

As this collaboration to store agricultural seeds to save future generations imperiled by potential catastrophes is not orientated towards profits, the members of altruistic compassionate individuals involved are what I cherish as the backyard ‘bodhisattvas’. These altruistic compassionate individuals promote and foster an alliance of civilizations to preserve future survival of mankind. Their unity of virtues is heartening, inspiring and spiritually permeating. I and in fact, everybody of rational mind cherish any benevolent collaboration to save the world in the doomsdays when catastrophes strike us with devastating blows. If we judge from the current devastations to the environment, the world’s stockpile of nuclear weapons and the alarming increase of ugly human behaviours, the doomsdays are not imaginary. Prevention of the cause. is always better than the subsequent treatment of the rotten effect.

In Mahāyāna philosophy, it is asserted that a spiritual Bodhisattava is fearful  of the cause while a sentient being is fearful of the effect. This is the most edifying education of the moral law of accountability (Kamma-vipāka-dhamma). We should heed the admonition of a Buddhist saint before we regret or lament in the future.

Back-up Storage Plan

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the seed storage complex which forms a safety backup to the existing seed banks existing in the world today. It is constructed within the permanently frozen rock of the Arctic mountain. The seed storage complex is maintained at a temperature of minus 18-20 degree Celsius. It is thus designated as ‘A Frozen Garden of Eden’. About 100 million seeds from various parts of the worlds are stored there to prevent future extinction of agricultural crops. Some seeds of our staple food, such as maize, rice, wheat, barley and others can survive more than a thousand years under the currently preserved temperature and pressure. Being built 130 meters above sea level, it is not vulnerable to floods even when the ices sheets or glaciers melt near or at the North Pole under the influence of global warming. It mirrors the mastermind behind the micro-unity of the engineering and architectural wisdom to construct a safe global seed storage bank for future emergency use.

The currently existing seed banks are not protected and are vulnerable to the devastation of major catastrophes, such as man-made disaster like nuclear wars and conventional warfare or natural disasters like major floods, hurricanes, tsunami, cyclones or fires due to global warming, climate change and environmental damages. Therefore, this seed storage complex of Svalbard Global Seed Vault functions significantly as the agriculture insurance protection for the ‘Doomsday’ of mankind when the major portions of the world are obliterated by nuclear wars or any other natural disasters or catastrophes. We are indeed indebted to the paradigm, foresight and strategic contigent plan of these backyard ‘bodhisattvas’.

Harmony of Conditions

The Norweigian government shoulders the responsibilities of constructing the complex of $ 8 million and the proper maintenance of the infra-structure. From the Buddhist perspective, this is the first contignent condition of structure and maintenance system in the global seed storage system or unity. The Global Crop Diversity Trust accepts the assignment in the planning of the complex, shipment of seeds for storage and the operation expenditure of the complex. This is the second contigent condition forming the continual seed maintenance system of the entire project. The Nordic Gene Bank is entrusted with the task of supplying agriculture seeds for storage in the seed repository bank of the last resort to meet future emergency threatening the lives of mankind. The Nordic Gene Bank collaborates with United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. This is the third contigent condition of the supply system. The three systems constitute the total system of the seed bank project.

The above co-operative or collaborative system mirrors that the parts are related to whole and the whole is supported by the parts. This network of conditions constructs the web of relationship of interdependent arising. The truth of unity is evident everywhere. Religiously speaking, it is the immanence of God or the divine principle of Dependent Co-arising. This is pantheism from the paradigm of Buddhist law of Insubstantiality or Emptiness. From monotheistic perspective, God or divine Unity is immanent. In this sense, Buddha is synonymous with the notion of God. Pantheism is a scientific vision of eternal Truth expounded by the esoteric religions. If we can perceive immanent divine unity in all human operating systems in relationship to the natural environment for the good of the many, the universal love arises to cement this universal or intrinsic brotherhood of humanity. Science and religion are one not two. This is, in truth, scientific pantheism.

 This micro-unities of these tripartite collaboration of three contignent conditions are supported by another micro-unity of the financial donors comprising the private corporations and foundations. The donors are the additional supporting conditions. This contigent condition is the financial support system of the entire project. All these micro-unities, consisting of multiple contigent conditions, merge to consummate the macro-unity of the international seed storage bank of the Savalbard Global Seed Vault. This actualizes  the highest good of the whole world as an adequate and secure precaution to meet future food crisis. The harmony of all these collaborating conditions dependently co-produce this rosy project of  Doomsday Seed Bank – a light at the end of the dark tunnel.

We are indeed very heartened and grateful for the agriculture insurance cover made available by those backyard ‘bodhisattvas’. They benevolently collaborate all the contigent conditions to produce the insurance protection for our future generations. The conglomeration of the contigent conditions is a super-model of an alliance of civilizations. This is the rosy side of the currently imperilled world. The principle behind this rosy project of final contigent plan for the global seed bank is operated by the natural law of Dependent Co-arising. This law  governs the unity of the entire project of the global seed bank. The universal principle of Dependent Co-arising effecting the unity of any system is pantheistically perceived as God.  

Conclusion

According to Mahāyāna Doctrine of Dependent Co-arising (Pratītyasamupāda), multiple conditions  dependently co-produce a micro-unity or subsystem. Various segments or department are various micro-unities which merge to constitute the macro-unity. The macro-unity constitutes  the total system of any worthy project. This harmony of conditions is conventionally perceived as Unity or Oneness.

Esoteric religions unveil to us that there are countless micro-unities or subsystems which merge to constitute a total system. The Svalbard Golbal seed Vault is one these countless total systems in the world. All total systems of the universe finally merge insubstantially into the macro Unity of the infinite or borderless cosmos. Whoever discerns this Macro-Unity of the infinite or borderless cosmos apprehends the Buddha or God. The metaphor of the Ocean of Unity illustrates the eternal Truth of cosmic Unity known as the Dharma Realm of Unity from the Buddhist perspective. Every human being is just a drop of water which originates from the borderless Ocean and eventually he or she must return to the unfathomable depth of the borderless Ocean.

 A Buddhist returns esoterically for self-redemption on condition that he or she  must penetrate insightfully into the Dharma-realm of Unity expounded in the Buddhist fundamental doctrines of Insubstantiality (Anattā) or Emptiness (Śūnyatā) and Dependent Co-arising (Pratītyasamutpāda). He or she must perceive the Buddha-nature or the Insubstantiality of the Five Aggregates (Pañcakkhandhā) in him or her.

For a muslim, the believer must discern Tawḥ̣īd (Divine Unity) or al-Wāḥidīyah (the Oneness) in order to be self-redeemed to actualize the union with God (Baqā) or the annihilation of Ego (Fanā). In short, he must see Allah in him or her. The Sufi’s concept of Fanā (Annihilation of Self or Ego) is identical with Prajñāpāramitā of Zen Buddhism.

 For a Christian, the believer must invite Christ or God to sit on the throne of his or her life overthrowing the illusive Self or Ego (the Lower or Animal Self) from the throne of his or her life. The Holy Spirit will then dwell permanently in his or her heart. He or she then walks in fellowship with God. He or she is born of God - a new rebirth of self-redemption. He sees Christ or God in him or her.

Editor’s Note:

Everyday, we read countless reports of micro clashes of civilizations in various troubled spots of the world. Such stories dampens our spirits. The internationally collaborated project of Seed Bank in Norway is a story of alliance of civilizations. The daily newspapers and other mass media, such as televisions should report more stories of such nature on altruistic compassion to furnish wholesome nutriment to the field of our human consciousness. Such positive aspect of human life motivates human beings to be virtuous in general and generous in particular for the wellness and happiness of others.

The above article is beautiful if it is read and digested from the perspective Hua-yen Buddhist doctrine of Identity and Interdependence from which the writer has drawn his inspiration. The doctrines pertains to Pratītyasamutpāda.