Responding to the Cries of a Burning World - The Climate Crisis and the Six Paramitas - The fourth annual Triratna Earth Sangha conference - Friday 15 – Sunday 17 November 2024

How do we move beyond hope and fear with the Six Paramitas as a guide? A weekend of talks, workshops and practice exploring how we as Buddhists can respond to the climate and ecological emergencies.

The conference included papers, workshops, guided meditations, puja, poetry and the visual arts. We presented perspectives of particularly affected communities and showed what Buddhists can do in this current time of multiple crises.

Who are we?

A group of Triratna Order members, Mitras and Friends worldwide who are deeply concerned about the climate and ecological crises we face and see it as part of their practice to do something about them. We are all too painfully aware of the Buddha’s core teaching that actions have consequences. The accelerating destruction of ecosystems in the natural world caused by greed, hatred and ignorance is causing untold suffering to beings of many kinds, and we feel that it is our duty as Buddhists to do what we can to raise awareness of the plight of the planet, demonstrate an alternative way of life based on stillness, simplicity and contentment and act to relieve suffering where we can. Facebook group.

COP29

We held this conference at the same time as governments around the world were coming together in Azerbaijan for COP29 to tackle climate overheating. While we respect and support the efforts of the people involved, these agreements are non-binding and in our view unlikely to keep average temperature rise below 1.5 degrees. We still need to act individually and collectively to bring this about! See COP29 website

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Videos from the Conference

Day 1, Session 1

Sanghasiha:

The Climate Crisis and the Six Paramitas

Implicit in the word crisis is a sense of confusion and overwhelm underwritten by fear. How can cultivating the six perfections of generosity, ethical behaviour, patience, energy in the pursuit of the good, meditative practice and the development of wisdom help us navigate what Joanna Macy has called the 'Great Turning'.

Sanghasīha has led Buddhism and Deep Ecology residential and camping retreats, workshops and retreat days for over ten years. He has a particular interest in Deep Listening as a way of connecting deeply with the natural world and believes that environmental activism is an essential activity for the engaged Buddhist.

Day 1, Session 2

David Loy:

Is The Ecological Crisis Also A Spiritual Crisis?

There are profound parallels between our perennial personal predicament, according to traditional Buddhist teachings, and our ecological predicament today. Unpacking the similarities between our individual and collective situations can help us understand that the eco-crisis is as much a spiritual challenge as a technological and economic one.

David Robert Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is a prolific author, whose essays and books have been translated into many languages. Website: https://www.davidloy.org/

Day 2, Session 2

Akasaraja:

From Fear And Overwhelm To Compassionate Climate Action

The Buddha's Noble Eightfold path as a template for climate activists

As climate activists or just concerned observers, we doubtlessly have a degree of insight into the impermanence of our vital ecosystems and will certainly be aware of the suffering climate breakdown is already causing. But our response can all too often be to turn away and embrace distractions under the affliction of grief and overwhelm, or risk burnout. How can we face the threat head-on in a spirit of connection and compassion? This talk will explore a possible response guided by the Noble Eightfold Path.

Akasharaja was ordained in 2001 and lives with his family in Shrewsbury, UK, where he is the chair of the local Buddhist centre. His climate activism journey has taken him through the worlds of Extinction Rebellion and XR Buddhists – and, at one point, perilously close to burnout. He believes that Awakening needs a functioning planetary system to be realised and wants his and all other children to inherit a viable world.

Day 2, Session 3

Rodashruti and Danamaya:

Beyond Hope And Fear With The Six Paramitas As Guide

“It is my experience that spiritual grounding, especially in the Buddhadharma, can keep us from shutting down and succumbing to wishful thinking. Practices that steady the mind and open the heart help us to be more present in our world.”

“Buddhist teachings bring me home to this beautiful, suffering world. They let me glimpse my non-separateness from it. In those moments I experience my inner-existence with all that is, and realize that there is, ultimately, no need to fear.”

~ Joanna Macy

Rodashruti's practice has focused on living with autoimmune disease, turning toward suffering, and engaging with the world. She is inspired by engaged Buddhism, and the balancing influence of meditation and study on action, and is a founding member of the San Francisco Green Sangha.

Danamaya was ordained in 2002 and practices at the San Francisco Buddhist Center, though she lives across the bridges in Richmond CA with her partner, where they are rehabbing an old house and garden to be environmentally as neutral as possible and full of native plants. She has been retired these past 7 years from her long time work as a Family Nurse Practitioner, and freer than ever to focus on practice, community and art.

Day 2, Session 4

Paul Hoggett:

Tragedy, New Beginnings And The Climate Crisis

Recently retired from his practice as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist, Paul Hoggett was co-founder of the Climate Psychology Alliance (CPA) and was its first chair in 2012. His most recent book in this area is Paradise Lost? The Climate Crisis and the Human Condition (Simplicity Institute, 2023). He is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at UWE, Bristol, UK.

Day 2, Session 5

Maitridevi:

The Story Of The Universe

Humanity’s sense of self-importance underpins the ecological crisis and runs through most religions - including Buddhism. Today we have access to an extraordinary understanding of deep time that confounds those ideas.

This offering, part story-telling and part ritual, explores how we take our place in a much greater Awakening.

Maitridevi is chair of Taraloka Buddhist retreat centre for women in Shropshire, UK. Steeped in her love of both the natural world and the Dharma, Maitridevi has recorded 38 'nature-thought-for-the-day' reflections and short meditations, connecting us with the burgeoning environment at Taraloka.

Day 3, Session 1

Prof. Jem Bendell:

An Ancient Optimism For A New Age Of Collapse

If we perceive that modern societies are breaking down due to the direct and indirect effects of ecological overshoot and climate destabilisation, what might be our personal and collective aspirations? If we choose to be optimistic without delusion, what is there to be optimistic about? What ideals might we aspire to in a new age of collapse? How can ancient teachings, including Buddhism, guide us in this context? In this talk and Q&A, Prof Bendell will draw upon ideas behind these two articles:

There is a Love Beyond Hope, Stubborn Optimism in an Era of Collapse

Jem Bendell is a British professor, author, and sustainability expert known for his work on climate change and 'Deep Adaptation', which explores the inevitability of societal collapse due to climate change. He is the founder of the Institute for Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS) and has published extensively on sustainable leadership and climate resilience.

Day 3, Session 2

Dhivan:

An Introduction To Buddhist Animism

So much of our current environmental crisis is the result of unconscious views and attitudes informing people's desires and actions. One such view is that of anthropocentrism – believing that humans are special and different from the rest of life. Animism by contrast is the feeling or intuition that to be human is to participate in a living world of which we are simply a part. The Buddha was also an animist. This workshop will explore attitudes, ideas and Buddhist teachings for what they can teach us about animism.

Dhivan was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2004. He has a background in studying and teaching philosophy as well as Buddhist Studies, and leads study retreats in Triratna. He has recently also been teaching retreats on Buddhism and animism at Dhanakosa retreat centre in Scotland, with Nayaka.

Day 3, Session 3

Andy Wistreich:

A Bodhisattva's Response To The Planetary Crisis

Coping with grief for the pain of the world. Responding to that pain with great compassion and universal responsibility. Bringing wisdom of emptiness to bear on our grief through ultimate bodhicitta. Allowing external expressions of our ultimate bodhicitta to arise spontaneously.

Andy has been studying, practising, teaching and leading retreats in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, mainly in FPMT, for 43 years. He is a Dharma activist with XR Buddhists, and an active participant in the Deep Transformation Network. Recently he helped plan the FPMT Planetary Crisis Summit.

Programme

(for speaker bios see below)

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The speakers

David Loy, Boulder, Colorado, USA

David Robert Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is a prolific author, whose essays and books have been translated into many languages. Website: davidloy.org

Jem Bendell, Bali, Indonesia

Jem Bendell is a British professor, author, and sustainability expert known for his work on climate change and 'Deep Adaptation', which explores the inevitability of societal collapse due to climate change. He is the founder of the Institute for Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS) and has published extensively on sustainable leadership and climate resilience.

Maitridevi, Shropshire, UK

Maitridevi is chair of Taraloka Buddhist retreat centre for women in Shropshire, UK. Steeped in her love of both the natural world and the Dharma, Maitridevi has recorded 38 'nature-thought-for-the-day' reflections and short meditations, connecting us with the burgeoning environment at Taraloka.

Paul Hoggett, Bristol, UK

Recently retired from his practice as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist, Paul Hoggett was co-founder of the Climate Psychology Alliance (CPA) and was its first chair in 2012. His most recent book in this area is Paradise Lost? The Climate Crisis and the Human Condition (Simplicity Institute, 2023). He is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at UWE, Bristol, UK.

Rodashruti, San Francisco, USA

Rodashruti's practice has focused on living with autoimmune disease, turning toward suffering, and engaging with the world. She is inspired by engaged Buddhism, and the balancing influence of meditation and study on action, and is a founding member of the San Francisco Green Sangha.

Danamaya, San Francisco, USA

Danamaya Gorham was ordained in 2002 and practices at the San Francisco Buddhist Center, though she lives across the bridges in Richmond CA with her partner, where they are rehabbing an old house and garden to be environmentally as neutral as possible and full of native plants. She has been retired these past 7 years from her long time work as a Family Nurse Practitioner, and freer than ever to focus on practice, community and art

Dhivan, Bristol, UK

Dhivan was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2004. He has a background in studying and teaching philosophy as well as Buddhist Studies, and leads study retreats in Triratna. He has recently also been teaching retreats on Buddhism and animism at Danakosa retreat centre in Scotland, with Nayaka.

Santacitta, Brighton, UK

Santacitta is an ordained member of Triratna. In recent years she has become increasingly concerned about world leaders’ lack of action on climate change and the unfolding ecological crisis. She has found the work of Joanna Macy particularly helpful in dealing with the tumult of emotions that are engendered while trying to grapple with this existential threat. She is a retired GP and currently works as a Jungian Analyst.

Nick Clarke, London, UK

Nick is a member of XR Buddhists and offers ongoing monthly climate circles. He practises Tibetan Buddhism and has integrated Buddhism, meditation and activism for the last six years.

Sanghasiha, London, UK

Sanghasīha has led Buddhism and Deep Ecology residential and camping retreats, workshops and retreat days for over ten years. He has a particular interest in Deep Listening as a way of connecting deeply with the natural world and believes that environmental activism is an essential activity for the engaged Buddhist.

Joe Mishan, Bishops Stortford, UK

Joe is a psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and practitioner in the Vipassana tradition, and a long-time member of Extinction Rebellion Buddhists, previously Dharma Action Network for Climate Engagement.

Andy Wistreich, Somerset, UK

Andy has been studying, practising, teaching and leading retreats in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, mainly in FPMT, for 43 years. He is a Dharma activist with XR Buddhists, and an active participant in the Deep Transformation Network. Recently he helped plan the FPMT Planetary Crisis Summit.

Akasaraja, Shrewsbury, UK

Akasharaja was ordained in 2001 and lives with his family in Shrewsbury, UK, where he is the chair of the local Buddhist centre. His climate activism journey has taken him through the worlds of Extinction Rebellion and XR Buddhists – and, at one point, perilously close to burnout. He believes that Awakening needs a functioning planetary system to be realised and wants his and all other children to inherit a viable world.

Christine Meirion, North Wales

Christine is a member of and TES local convenor for the Triratna North Wales Buddhists group and also a member of XR Buddhists. She is a retired psychotherapist and trainer of psychotherapists and began meditating in the early 1980s as part of her psychotherapy training. With Nick Clarke, she facilitates a monthly climate circle for XR Buddhists.