The Buddhist philosophy of eternal life is not an expedient designed to persuade people to accept their mortality; it is a realistic and unfailing view of life established through myriad struggles against the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death.
If a person has just one good friend, their happiness is doubled and their life immeasurably enriched. This is genuine wealth.
Buddhahood exists in all things in the universe, both sentient and insentient. This includes the land or the environment, which consists of insentient beings like trees and rocks. Therefore, anything which leads to the destruction of the environment is seen as a grave offense in the light of Buddhism.
Words of Wisdom by Daisaku Ikeda