Introduction

In this introductory chapter, I examine the idea of consciousness that is universally pervasive, including in what is broadly cognized as ‘matter.’ I explore panpsychism and find parallels with the Upanishadic concept of Brahman. This idea contends that all things (both matter and mind) emerge from and return to Brahman, conceived as Ultimate Reality and understood as Universal Consciousness. I argue that there is evidence in some Asian perspectives of a strange equivocation about the agency of nonhuman nature, which is identifiable in discussions pertaining to forests, animals, and end-of-time situations or apocalypse, which I will further examine in a later chapter. I label this perspective ‘ecoambivalence’ and find that it is specifically directed towards material agency, where material nature is viewed in both utilitarian and agentic terms. I then explore some foundational philosophies and theoretical frameworks, ending with a summary of the further chapters.