Eco-Dharma on deep ecology

Book: “Zen and The Art of Saving The Planet” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A recent posthumous release from the not-for profit publisher Parralax Press: “Zen and The Art of Saving The Planet“. This book is a gem, filled with Thich Nhat Hanh’s beautiful meditations, inspiring stories and experiences from his own life of activism and engagement. It is compiled from talks and teachings given by Thich Nhat Hanh during his life, framed around a reimagining of the “five mindfulness training” of the Plum Village tradition. It includes commentary from Sister True Dedication, one of his senior western students. “Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet” guides us to a new way of seeing the world, illuminating a path and way of being healing and harmony with ourselves, other beings, and to the Earth.

Meditation: “Our Life as Gaia” - Remembering Cosmogenesis

Sun, 26 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The recording below consists of a 45 minute guided meditation and visualisation exploring the story of cosmogenesis also known as “The Universe Story”, “The Great Story” and the “Epic of Evolution”. This version is a little more meditative than some versions, so it contain less in the way of specific dates for events and more cues for embodied awareness. The basic flow is ispired by Thomas Berry, Brian Swimme, Sister Miriam Therese MacGillis, John Seed and others.

Embodied practice: Body Scan and Total Relaxation

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The following recording consist of a guided body scan and total relaxation. This practice builds on the embodied awareness and breath meditations introduced in previous sessions, cultivating a sensitivity to subtler sensation in the whole body. These practices are beneficial as a way to increase embodied awareness, the capacity to maintain that awareness over a longer period, and for relaxation and stress management. You will also find they are of benefit when you revisit those earlier practices, as they hone the same skills.

Embodied practice: Finding the Full Body Breath

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

From our birth until our last moment of life, the breath is with us, a rhythmic connection between the inner and outer. While there is a basic function of the breath to provide oxygen to our cells and carry away carbon dioxide, the importance of “respiration” for our health and vitality goes way beyond simply gas exchange, so that spiritual traditions the world over are almost unanimous in emphasising the importance of the breath.

Embodied practice: Breathing Through - Ven. Tenzin

Sun, 12 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The recording below consists of an introduction to the practice of “Breathing Through” developed by Joanna Macy, here guided by Buddhist monk Ven. Tenzin (Dr. Alex Anderson). This practice is often offered in Deep Ecology and especially Work that Reconnects" workshops, as a foundational practice for working with the powerful emotions that can arise in the Spiral phase “Honouring our Pain for the World” such as the “Truth Mandala”. Joanna’s “Breathing Through” has its origins in a traditional Tibetan Buddhist practice used in the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion, known as “Tonglen”, or “Giving and Taking”. This practice is a foundational practice in the Boddhisattva path, and a cornerstone of the Work That Reconnects. See also Macy’s own written instructions for this practice, and her 2005 training video of the same.

Embodied practice: Basic Breath Awareness

Sun, 12 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The following recording follows on from a previous offering which introduced basic postural awareness, helpful in sitting meditation. This practice expands on the base of embodied practice introduced there, bringing in mindfulness of breathing. We draw on the [Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing,][1] or [Anapanasati Sutta][2] (Mn118). As the name implies these instructions take the breath as the main object of awareness, and constitute a core practice of Buddhist Yoga. They are beneficial in the cultivation of a body and mind which is calm, placing the practitioner in touch with the parasympathetic nervous system, fundamentally down-regulating, and a helpful antidote to experiences of strong flooding emotions. The practice shared here are very general and introductory, suitable for any level of practitioner. They can be practiced sitting on a cushion on the floor, on a chair, or even lying down. The emphasis here is again one of cultivation of relaxation, ease and continuity of awareness.

Embodied Practice: Introduction to Mindful Walking

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The recording below is a brief introduction to the embodied practice of Mindful Walking, drawing on insights and instructions from the Buddhist tradition. This practice can form a key part of our daily practices for resources and nourishing, equipping us with the presence and stability to work engage wholeheartedly with our lives, relationships, and experiences, even the more challenging ones. The approach shared here is especially inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village tradition, which emphasises mindfulness in daily life, and the cultivation of ease, peace and joy in all our activities.

Embodied Practice: Introduction to Sitting

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The following recording is an introduction to the embodied practice of sitting meditation, preliminary to a practice of Mindfulness of Breathing. These instructions draw on the Buddhist and Yoga traditions of meditation with the breath as an object. They are beneficial in the cultivation of a body and mind which is calm, at ease and able to maintain awareness even with subtle sensations and experiences. The practice shared here are very general and introductory, suitable for any level of practitioner. They can be practiced sitting on a cushion on the floor, on a chair, or even lying down. The emphasis is not on forcing the body to persist through pain and discomfort, or developing some kind of lazer-beam concentration, but on cultivation the capacity to enjoy, to be be fulfilled by the simple act of breathing in and out.

Gandhi, Non-Violence & the Rainforest Movement

Sun, 01 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

From the Rainforest Information Centre archives — a letter exchange between Harsh Prabhu and John Seed on the influence of Mohandas Gandhi on the Australian rainforest movement. Reproduced with attribution as an example of “Going Forth” — translating insight into sustained, non-violent action.

Letter to John Seed, 7 September 1999

Dear Friend,

Would it be possible to write 50–100 words on the influence of M K Gandhi on the environmental movement in the rainbow region? We have been invited to participate in an expo on Gandhi, and we thought we would invite people from the alternative/environmental movement here to make a contribution on the topic of Gandhi and his influence, from a local, Australian perspective.

The Role of Hope in the Truth Mandala

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In the Truth Mandala process, it’s common for participants to observe that while there is a quadrant for Doubt, Fear, Anger and Sadness, there does not seem to be a place for Hope in the mandala. It’s important to understand that this type of process is precious precisely because it is a place where we give ourselves and others permission to express our more difficult feelings — even the deepest and darkest ones. Bringing words of hope and comfort and a more positive perspective can often prevent others in the circle from expressing their “bad” feelings, because — as in our normal lives — they feel expected to repress any negative feelings and look on the bright side. We are invited to visualise hope as the ground of the mandala: we wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for our hope, but we make space during the process for the other, more difficult emotions that often don’t get voiced.

Video: Save The Cardamom Rainforest

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

https://youtu.be/i_uJFzXlyNQ

In May 2014, blockades by monks and indigenous farmers in Cambodia prevented Sinohydro from commencing work to dam the Areng River and flood the Cardamom rainforest.

Essay: Buddha touched the Earth – By John Seed

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

An Exploration of Engaged BuddhismBy John Seed

(See below for an embedded pdf version with illustrations)

Buddha Touched the Earth is the title of a new workshop facilitated by William James, Lisa Siegel and I that was first held at North Farm near Bellingen in northern New South Wales, Australia Feb 7-10 2012.

The workshop brought together Buddhist meditation with experiential deep ecology processes. Mornings were spent in silence, yoga, sitting and walking meditation. Afternoons and evenings consisted of experiential deep ecology processes as devised by Joanna Macy, myself and others.