A third person queried, “Are there teachings in Tibetan Buddhism about protecting the environment?” The Karmapa answered, “In the training in the conduct for a bodhisattva, there are instructions for the practitioner to aspire to become like the four elements and to reflect on how much benefit they bring: ‘As the four elements provide benefits and sustenance for living beings, in a similar way, may I become a benefit to others.’ This practice will increase our empathy toward others as well.” The Karmapa also taught that it is important to see the natural would around us not as an object but as a subject, so we experience the natural world from a first person perspective. This allows us to see how living beings and the environment are reflections of each other.