Towards an Ethics of Extraction: Insights from the Tibetan Treasure Tradition

This paper examines the Tibetan Buddhist Treasure (gter ma) tradition as a model for ethical resource extraction in an era dominated by extractive capitalism. The tradition's linguistic and conceptual frameworks reveal a continuity between spiritual and material extraction: the term for Treasure (gter) originally referred to mineral resources, while indigenous spirits serve as guardians of both material wealth and spiritual teachings. Central to this tradition is the practice of offering treasure substitutes (gter tshab), establishing principles of reciprocity that acknowledge landscape agency and rights. Through a case study of Chokgyur Lingpa's 1866 revelation at Sengö Yumtso, this paper demonstrates how Treasure extraction operates through acknowledgment of more-than-human stakeholders, material reciprocity, temporal constraints, and commitment to communal benefit. These principles offer valuable insights for reimagining human relationships with resources in ways that honor the complex interdependencies that sustain all life.