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Thread: [EcoDharma] Living Earth

  1. #51
    Quote Originally Posted by EnlistedHipster View Post
    Have you looked at drip feed irrigation systems on a timer or is that not an option? There are also cunning ways to slow release water with clay pots, although I've not tried it yet: https://www.permaculture.co.uk/reade...ient-technique.

    We're lucky in that we can plant lots of pollinators. My favourite being Comfrey which not only attracts every bee in town but can then be used to make a great liquid fertiliser and it's often considered a weed! Being in the UK a lack of water isn't really an issue though so we don't have to get that creative!

    Gassho,

    Neil

    StLaH
    Thank you, Neil.
    I never really thought about irrigation systems with timers. Although my garden is really, really small, so I don't know about it. Besides, I don't have much money to spent in the garden right now. But I'll look at it. Thank you.
    I'm realy worried about the pollinators in my region, as the great agricultural business is dominating the region and our President is making easy for it to use huge amounts of pesticides. I really don't trust Brazilian agricuture anymore. We are already seen the effects of these policies. IN my home State, some traditional apicultural regions are in decline, as the bees have all died. Small producers are now facing a hard year, and the prospect is not very good.
    Gassho,
    Mateus
    Sat today/LAH
    怠努 (Tai Do) - Lazy Effort
    (also known as Mateus )

    禅戒一如 (Zen Kai Ichi Nyo) - Zazen and the Precepts are One!

  2. #52
    This blog by Domyo Burk will appeal to the followers of this and the Eco-Life thread

    https://zenstudiespodcast.com/buddhi...ate-emergency/

    This is the first time I’ve heard of Extinction Rebellion. I see they have a chapter here in my city so I’ll investigate them a bit more


    gassho
    Tairin
    Sat today and lah
    泰林 - Tai Rin - Peaceful Woods

  3. #53

    One trillion trees

    The article is perhaps overly optimistic but I like the simplicity of this approach and it would certainly be viable in conjunction with other measures. Help the earth heal itself.

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/t...ange-1.5201102


    Tairin
    Sat today and lah
    Last edited by Tairin; 07-07-2019 at 01:12 AM.
    泰林 - Tai Rin - Peaceful Woods

  4. #54
    Tairin, let us know how you get on with the Extinction Rebellion group, I've joined them online and today have signed a pledge with them not to buy any clothes for a year.

    The idea of planting trees is simple and effective - and from what I've seen in the UK it's much needed. Property developers are destroying swathes of trees to make way for new housing, without replanting in any way. In order to get around protests about habitat for birds, they are starting to net trees in areas that they are earmarking for development, so that birds are forced to go elsewhere and therefore there are no birds for people to protest about when the time comes.

    Thanks for both of those posts.
    Gassho
    Meitou
    sattoday
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  5. #55

    Elephants to the rescue?

    Similar to the article on trees I pointed to above. Here is one about how elephants can help fight climate change.

    https://theconversation.com/forest-e...esearch-120440

    I like articles like this because it shows that the Earth is able to heal itself if humans will let it. Yes it needs a little bit of our help but given how much we’ve taken it seems like the least we could do. Plus we are of this Earth, not separate from it.


    Tairin
    Sat today and lah
    泰林 - Tai Rin - Peaceful Woods

  6. #56
    Quote Originally Posted by Doshin View Post
    As Gus Speth has said, and resonates with my career...

    “I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. And we scientists don’t know how to do that.”
    This, in my opinion, is the crux of many issues facing the world today. I completely agree with the above quote and it concerns me greatly. Not just for my children but for all people now and the future generations.

    Gassho.
    Rob.

    ST

  7. #57
    Quote Originally Posted by Doshin View Post
    As Gus Speth has said, and resonates with my career...

    “I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. And we scientists don’t know how to do that.”
    My new book, Zen of the Future!, will say what needs to be done.

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  8. #58
    Climate change is killing the world's coral reefs. But it's not the only factor turning them into white, dead husks. According to a new study, all the chemicals humans are dumping into the ocean are making it easier for the hotter weather to do its deadly work.

    The research paper, published online Monday (July 15) in the journal Marine Biology, is based on data collected over three decades from the Looe Key Sanctuary Preservation Area in the Florida Keys. Coral coverage declined from 33% in 1984 to just 6% in 2008 in that sanctuary. Even as temperatures have trended upward globally, average local temperatures didn't change much during the study period. This allowed researchers to disentangle a number of different problems sickening (or "bleaching") the reef.

    ...

    A great deal of the effect of these added nutrients could be mitigated by improved water-treatment plants, the researchers noted. Most of the nitrogen in runoff doesn't pour right off the land into the sea during rainstorms, but instead passes through water-treatment plants that fail to remove the chemical.

    In Dutch-controlled regions of the Caribbean, the researchers noted in a statement, improved sewage-treatment plants do pull nitrogen out of the water. And in those places, coral reefs are faring better than they are off the coast of Florida, the scientists pointed out.
    https://www.livescience.com/65958-fl...-nitrogen.html

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  9. #59
    Quote Originally Posted by Meitou View Post

    The idea of planting trees is simple and effective - and from what I've seen in the UK it's much needed. Property developers are destroying swathes of trees to make way for new housing, without replanting in any way. In order to get around protests about habitat for birds, they are starting to net trees in areas that they are earmarking for development, so that birds are forced to go elsewhere and therefore there are no birds for people to protest about when the time comes.

    Gassho
    Meitou
    sattoday


    Recently I relocated and the backyard had a huge patio for about a decade. My wife and I removed all the tiles and after adding compost to the soil that hadn't seen daylight and rain for ages we planted five young trees and some flowers. Bees and other small insects are returning. It feels so good to be able to help the local ecosystem a little bit.

    Gassho,
    Jack
    Sattoday/lah
    Last edited by Seibu; 07-20-2019 at 09:15 AM. Reason: wording

  10. #60
    I must say that things must be getting serious if they post this at FOXNews!

    Today's climate change is worse than anything Earth has experienced in the past 2,000 years

    ...

    That's the conclusion of a trio of papers published July 24 in the journals Nature and Nature Geoscience that examined the global climate over the past two millennia. The researchers showed that none of the past fluctuations — that is, not the Little Ice Age, the warm period known as the Medieval Climate Anomaly or any other famous shift — had the global reach that modern climate change is having. Past fluctuations tended to be localized, affecting primarily one region at a time. Modern climate change, by contrast, is messing with the entire world.
    https://www.foxnews.com/science/toda...ast-2000-years

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    Last edited by Jundo; 07-30-2019 at 08:29 PM.
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  11. #61
    Wow, if Fox are admitting there's a problem we really must be up the creak with no paddle. Hopefully the message gets through to their biggest fan!

    Gassho,

    Neil

    StLah

  12. #62
    Hi guys,

    Just a quick note about this important matter.

    A few days ago I attended to a Buddhist conference and one of the topics was Global Warming, changes in weather and our duty as Buddhists. The monks talked about how close our practice is compatible with all the efforts to find balance between consumption and respect for nature.

    They said that the more honest and true our practice get, the more respect and love we experience for Mother Earth. I was surprised how this surprised many people who would practice Buddhism thinking on personal salvation and not as a practice of generosity for all sentient beings.

    There is still a long way to go, but I think Shikantaza is the most eco-friendly activity we can engage into. All you need is a bottom willing to sit. For those 20 minutes of sitting, we stop all the wanting, eating and buying. I think Mother Earth wins for each minute of our practice.

    Gassho,

    Kyonin
    Sat/LAH
    Hondō Kyōnin
    奔道 協忍

  13. #63
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyonin View Post
    Hi guys,

    Just a quick note about this important matter.

    A few days ago I attended to a Buddhist conference and one of the topics was Global Warming, changes in weather and our duty as Buddhists. The monks talked about how close our practice is compatible with all the efforts to find balance between consumption and respect for nature.

    They said that the more honest and true our practice get, the more respect and love we experience for Mother Earth. I was surprised how this surprised many people who would practice Buddhism thinking on personal salvation and not as a practice of generosity for all sentient beings.

    There is still a long way to go, but I think Shikantaza is the most eco-friendly activity we can engage into. All you need is a bottom willing to sit. For those 20 minutes of sitting, we stop all the wanting, eating and buying. I think Mother Earth wins for each minute of our practice.

    Gassho,

    Kyonin
    Sat/LAH
    Thank you Kyonin

    Gassho,
    Jack
    Sattoday/lah

  14. #64
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyonin View Post
    I was surprised how this surprised many people who would practice Buddhism thinking on personal salvation and not as a practice of generosity for all sentient beings.
    Kyonin,

    This right here is it. In one wonderful sentence you summed up the intention of the Engaged center.

    Gassho,

    Shoka
    sattoday

  15. #65
    All you need is a bottom willing to sit. For those 20 minutes of sitting, we stop all the wanting, eating and buying. I think Mother Earth wins for each minute of our practice.
    This, this, this.

    _()_ _()_ _()_
    gassho
    doyu sat/lah today
    Visiting unsui: use salt

  16. #66
    Alas ...

    At the bottom of a glacier in Greenland, climate scientists find troubling signs


    NASA oceanographer Josh Willis and his team are investigating how the ice is being attacked not only by rising air temperatures but also by the warming ocean, which is eating it away from underneath.

    https://us.cnn.com/2019/08/19/weathe...ntl/index.html
    Microplastics discovered in 'extreme' concentrations in the North Atlantic

    https://us.cnn.com/2019/08/19/world/...ntl/index.html

    It's raining plastic -- that's what a survey of rainfall in Denver and Boulder, Colorado, concluded recently.

    The rainfall survey, titled "It is raining plastic," was put together by scientists at the US Department of the Interior and US Geological Survey.
    They couldn't see the plastic with their naked eyes, but found it using a binocular microscope fitted with a digital camera.
    They found plastic showed up in 90% of the samples, mostly in fiber form, and came in a variety of colors. ...
    It's unclear where the plastic is coming from, but plastic contamination has been a growing problem throughout the world.
    https://us.cnn.com/2019/08/14/health...rnd/index.html
    Gassho, J

    STLah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  17. #67
    Quote Originally Posted by Jundo View Post
    Alas ...





    Gassho, J

    STLah
    泰林 - Tai Rin - Peaceful Woods

  18. #68
    I have been discouraged by a darkening feeling that politics is as it is to distract from how badly irreversible the climate problem is. At the same time, every day is a good day. Nurture what we can in this life...

    Gassho

    Sat today, lah
    求道芸化 Kyūdō Geika
    I am just a priest-in-training, please do not take anything I say as a teaching.

  19. #69
    One thing that I know is that this planet has amazing recovery systems. It may take 100 years, 10,000 years or a million, but that is just a blink of an eye for this place. All is impermanent, and that is sometimes a good thing!

    Of course, whether or not that includes People Version 1.0, well, that is another story. I mean, it will not be "us" anyway, but it will be our childrens' children who have to live with what the future holds.

    I also have hope that our future technologies will find ways to clean and replenish the oceans, clean the air, find substitutes for scarce and poisonous resources and the like. (It is all in my new book, "ZEN of the FUTURE!")

    Whether we get to realize that "hope" before we make too much of a mess of things, well, that is an open question.

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  20. #70
    and just when will "ZEN of the FUTURE!" be available in print?

    gassho, Shokai
    stlah
    合掌,生開
    gassho, Shokai

    仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai

    "Open to life in a benevolent way"

    https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/

  21. #71
    Quote Originally Posted by Shokai View Post
    and just when will "ZEN of the FUTURE!" be available in print?

    gassho, Shokai
    stlah
    Kirk, who is a professional editor, is giving it a once over this week, and then I will talk to the publishers. It will be available .............. IN THE FUTURE!!

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  22. #72
    It will be available .............. IN THE FUTURE!!
    haha

    gassho,Shokai
    stlah
    合掌,生開
    gassho, Shokai

    仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai

    "Open to life in a benevolent way"

    https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/

  23. #73

  24. #74
    Quote Originally Posted by Doshin View Post
    We each can make a difference https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=...&v=48mxaQtbUdU

    Doshin
    St
    What an awesome and powerful video. Thank you for sharing that Doshin. I am hopeful we still have time to make the necessary changes.


    Tairin
    Sat today and lah
    泰林 - Tai Rin - Peaceful Woods

  25. #75
    Not two

    Doshin
    St
    Attached Images Attached Images

  26. #76
    Lovely video Doshin.
    And Jundo, the house is on fire, we need your book now!!
    Gassho
    Meitou
    Sattoday
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  27. #77
    Thank you, Doshin, for this video.
    Gassho,
    Mateus
    Sat today

  28. #78
    11,000 scientists warn of 'untold suffering' caused by climate change

    How many scientists does it take to convince the world to take climate change seriously?

    More than 11,000 researchers from around the world on Tuesday issued a grim warning of the "untold suffering" that will be caused by climate change if humanity doesn't change its ways.

    The group said that as scientists, they have the "moral obligation to tell it like it is."

    Phoebe Barnard, one of the lead authors of the report and the chief science and policy officer at the Conservation Biology Institute, a nonprofit science group, told CNN the report makes it clear "there's no more wiggle room" for policymakers.

    ... The latest report was published in BioScience, a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The scientists, who come from over 150 countries, said the climate crisis is "closely linked to excessive consumption of the wealthy lifestyle."

    ... They listed six key issues that need to be addressed if humanity wants to prevent the most catastrophic scenarios.

    These include replacing fossil fuels, cutting the emissions of climate pollutants such as methane and soot, eating less meat, restoring and protecting ecosystems, building a carbon-free economy and stabilizing population growth by investing into family-planning services and girls education.

    Barnard said the changes shouldn't be seen as "sacrifices," but as a way of "transforming things that we have found stressful."
    https://us.cnn.com/2019/11/05/world/...rnd/index.html
    The report ...

    https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/...biz088/5610806

    The recommendation of simplicity at the end is very Zenlike.

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  29. #79
    Quote Originally Posted by Jundo View Post
    The report ...

    https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/...biz088/5610806

    The recommendation of simplicity at the end is very Zenlike.

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    I just posted something about this on Twitter. This report is simple, clear, easy to read and understand and explains in layman's terms what needs to be done. Importantly it highlights how such subject as gender equality, access to family planning and the importance of educating girls and women as major factors in addressing the climate crisis. It's no longer realistic to maintain a stance of 'not my problem', or 'punish China/Russia/USA' as if we are separate in some way from all of that - after all, one of the basic tenets of Zen, and all Buddhist teaching, is non-duality, interconnectedness, Indra's Net etc.
    I really believe that stepping up, sharing responsibility and taking what action we can, even just showing a bit of love for this planet in a small way is directly connected to the Three Pure Precepts, Bodhisattva Vows, compassionate practice, even our meal gatha.
    And this- 'Barnard said the changes shouldn't be seen as "sacrifices," but as a way of "transforming things that we have found stressful." - really resonates with our Nurturing Seeds practice, taking it out there rather than confining it to ourselves.
    Gassho
    Meitou
    Satwithyoualltoday
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  30. #80
    Thanks a lot for posting these links (although they are - as always and as expected - quite alarming).

    There is a new Tricycle arcticle called No Time To Lose (clicky!) which has also a link to the recordings of talks from the event "No Time To Lose: A Dharma Response to Climate Change" hosted by the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California on September 15, 2019.
    I have not seen the talks yet, so I don't know whether they are good or useful. Just wanted to post this FYI.

    Gassho,

    Daitetsu

    #sat2day
    no thing needs to be added

  31. #81
    Quote Originally Posted by Daitetsu View Post
    Thanks a lot for posting these links (although they are - as always and as expected - quite alarming).
    I agree with that. I sometimes hesitate to read yet another article about how the environment is collapsing. I know at some levels it is just going to be bleak and depressing. I wonder how long before society in general just becomes numb. Fatigue and helplessness are real enemies here. Somehow the conversation needs to turn the corner from the doom and gloom to become a series of positive affirming messages about what can be done as individuals and society.


    Tairin
    Sat today and lah

  32. #82
    Quote Originally Posted by Tairin View Post
    I sometimes hesitate to read yet another article about how the environment is collapsing. I know at some levels it is just going to be bleak and depressing. I wonder how long before society in general just becomes numb. Fatigue and helplessness are real enemies here. Somehow the conversation needs to turn the corner from the doom and gloom to become a series of positive affirming messages about what can be done as individuals and society.
    I know what you mean. Some people just look away because it is too depressing and that's totally understandable. However, this does not improve the situation. By doing something we can overcome this feeling of helplessness and depression - and only if it is by spreading the knowledge and facts, eating less or no meat or choosing the train instead of the plane, if possible.
    This task seems to be monumental, but isn't our vow to save all sentient beings monumental, too? And yet we try to achieve the impossible without the expectation of a certain outcome.
    So we should just become active without clinging to the outcome. At least we have tried and given our best.


    Gassho,

    Daitetsu

    #sat2day
    no thing needs to be added

  33. #83
    Quote Originally Posted by Daitetsu View Post
    I know what you mean. Some people just look away because it is too depressing and that's totally understandable. However, this does not improve the situation. By doing something we can overcome this feeling of helplessness and depression - and only if it is by spreading the knowledge and facts, eating less or no meat or choosing the train instead of the plane, if possible.
    This task seems to be monumental, but isn't our vow to save all sentient beings monumental, too? And yet we try to achieve the impossible without the expectation of a certain outcome.
    So we should just become active without clinging to the outcome. At least we have tried and given our best.


    Gassho,

    Daitetsu

    #sat2day

    Meitou
    Satwithyoualltoday
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  34. #84
    Quote Originally Posted by Daitetsu View Post
    I know what you mean. Some people just look away because it is too depressing and that's totally understandable. However, this does not improve the situation. By doing something we can overcome this feeling of helplessness and depression - and only if it is by spreading the knowledge and facts, eating less or no meat or choosing the train instead of the plane, if possible.
    This task seems to be monumental, but isn't our vow to save all sentient beings monumental, too? And yet we try to achieve the impossible without the expectation of a certain outcome.
    So we should just become active without clinging to the outcome. At least we have tried and given our best.


    Gassho,

    Daitetsu

    #sat2day
    Yes. That has been my life. Hope.

    Doshin
    St

  35. #85
    Quote Originally Posted by Jundo View Post
    The report ...

    https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/...biz088/5610806

    The recommendation of simplicity at the end is very Zenlike.

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    I was one of the 11,000. I hope some listen.

    Doshin
    St

  36. #86
    I don't know if this has been shared elsewhere in the forums, but here is an interesting arcticle by David Loy in Tricycle Magazine:

    https://tricycle.org/magazine/awaken...limate-change/


    It contains also some critical points towards our practice.

    Gassho,

    Daitetsu

    #sat2day
    no thing needs to be added

  37. #87
    Quote Originally Posted by Daitetsu View Post
    I don't know if this has been shared elsewhere in the forums, but here is an interesting arcticle by David Loy in Tricycle Magazine:

    https://tricycle.org/magazine/awaken...limate-change/


    It contains also some critical points towards our practice.

    Gassho,

    Daitetsu

    #sat2day
    Ha, I came here to post the same article. This is a great read for anyone thinking about buying his books as a lot of it is extracted directly.
    Gassho
    Meitou
    sattodaylah
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  38. #88
    Alas ...

    Were the predictions we made about climate change 20 years ago accurate? Here's a look

    When it comes to climate change, did we accurately predict in 2000 what would be happening now?

    "What the models correctly told us 20 years ago is that if we continued to add fossil fuels at an increasing rate to the atmosphere, we'd see an increasing range of consequences, including a decline in Arctic sea ice, a rise in sea levels and shifts in precipitation patterns," Weather Underground meteorologist Robert Henson told USA TODAY.

    Overall, we're running quite close to the projections made in 2000 for carbon dioxide concentration, global temperature and sea level, Henson said.
    ... and where the predictions were wrong ...

    Since 1992, the global sea level has risen on average 2.9 millimeters a year. That’s a total of 78.3 millimeters, according to NOAA.

    Penn State University meteorologist Michael Mann argued that we underestimated the rate of ice sheet collapse, which has "implications for future sea-level rise."

    ...

    ... Mann told USA TODAY that we "underestimated the dramatic increase in persistent weather extremes like the unprecedented heat waves, droughts, wildfires and floods we’ve witnessed in recent years."
    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...newstopstories

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  39. #89
    I don't comment on these threads much because I also find it difficult to face the fear and sadness, I have been a biologist at heart my whole life and seeing everything dear to me change so quickly despite humanity's ability to understand and predict it has been a hard pill to swallow. Practice has helped me accept that if factors within our species do not allow us to act to keep it from happening, then it will just be part of the Karma of myself and future generations. We are wealthy and privileged, but our offspring and their offspring may need to adjust to much scarcer resources and the survivors will need to evolve and find a new balance. There is already some suffering going on, as weather events become more catastrophic, and as the younger generations are realizing that we haven't been good stewards of the world's resources for them.

    Of course that doesn't mean we should give up, there is always hope that we can mitigate some of the suffering by using our human ability to communicate the knowledge we have. We may have to change our dream of the future from conquering space to learning how to survive a new Earth.

    That article by David Loy linked above says it all:
    "A really important social implication of this deconstruction and reconstruction of the self brings us back to social engagement, including eco-dharma, the application of Buddhist teachings to our ecological situation. As we start to wake up and realize that we are not separate from each other, nor from this wondrous earth, we also begin to realize that the ways we live together, and the ways we relate to the earth, need to be reconstructed as well. That means not only social engagement as service, but finding ways to address the problematic economic and political structures—the institutionalized forms of greed, ill will, and delusion—that are deeply implicated in the eco-crisis. Within such a notion of liberation, the path of personal transformation and the path of social transformation are not really separate from each other. We must reclaim the concept of awakening from an exclusively individualistic therapeutic model and focus on how individual liberation also requires social transformation. Engagement in the world is how our personal awakening blossoms.

    It just so happens that the Buddhist tradition provides a wonderful archetype that can help us to do that: the bodhisattva. We overcome deep-rooted self-centered habits by working compassionately for the healing of our societies and the healing of the earth. This is what’s required for the Buddhist path to become truly liberative in the modern world."

    Gassho,
    Jakuden
    SatToday/LAH

  40. #90
    Quote Originally Posted by Jakuden View Post
    I don't comment on these threads much because I also find it difficult to face the fear and sadness, I have been a biologist at heart my whole life and seeing everything dear to me change so quickly despite humanity's ability to understand and predict it has been a hard pill to swallow. Practice has helped me accept that if factors within our species do not allow us to act to keep it from happening, then it will just be part of the Karma of myself and future generations. We are wealthy and privileged, but our offspring and their offspring may need to adjust to much scarcer resources and the survivors will need to evolve and find a new balance. There is already some suffering going on, as weather events become more catastrophic, and as the younger generations are realizing that we haven't been good stewards of the world's resources for them.

    Of course that doesn't mean we should give up, there is always hope that we can mitigate some of the suffering by using our human ability to communicate the knowledge we have. We may have to change our dream of the future from conquering space to learning how to survive a new Earth.

    That article by David Loy linked above says it all:
    "A really important social implication of this deconstruction and reconstruction of the self brings us back to social engagement, including eco-dharma, the application of Buddhist teachings to our ecological situation. As we start to wake up and realize that we are not separate from each other, nor from this wondrous earth, we also begin to realize that the ways we live together, and the ways we relate to the earth, need to be reconstructed as well. That means not only social engagement as service, but finding ways to address the problematic economic and political structures—the institutionalized forms of greed, ill will, and delusion—that are deeply implicated in the eco-crisis. Within such a notion of liberation, the path of personal transformation and the path of social transformation are not really separate from each other. We must reclaim the concept of awakening from an exclusively individualistic therapeutic model and focus on how individual liberation also requires social transformation. Engagement in the world is how our personal awakening blossoms.

    It just so happens that the Buddhist tradition provides a wonderful archetype that can help us to do that: the bodhisattva. We overcome deep-rooted self-centered habits by working compassionately for the healing of our societies and the healing of the earth. This is what’s required for the Buddhist path to become truly liberative in the modern world."

    Gassho,
    Jakuden
    SatToday/LAH



    Doshin
    St

  41. #91
    Member Onka's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Rural Queensland, so-called Australia
    Quote Originally Posted by Jakuden View Post
    I don't comment on these threads much because I also find it difficult to face the fear and sadness, I have been a biologist at heart my whole life and seeing everything dear to me change so quickly despite humanity's ability to understand and predict it has been a hard pill to swallow. Practice has helped me accept that if factors within our species do not allow us to act to keep it from happening, then it will just be part of the Karma of myself and future generations. We are wealthy and privileged, but our offspring and their offspring may need to adjust to much scarcer resources and the survivors will need to evolve and find a new balance. There is already some suffering going on, as weather events become more catastrophic, and as the younger generations are realizing that we haven't been good stewards of the world's resources for them.

    Of course that doesn't mean we should give up, there is always hope that we can mitigate some of the suffering by using our human ability to communicate the knowledge we have. We may have to change our dream of the future from conquering space to learning how to survive a new Earth.

    That article by David Loy linked above says it all:
    "A really important social implication of this deconstruction and reconstruction of the self brings us back to social engagement, including eco-dharma, the application of Buddhist teachings to our ecological situation. As we start to wake up and realize that we are not separate from each other, nor from this wondrous earth, we also begin to realize that the ways we live together, and the ways we relate to the earth, need to be reconstructed as well. That means not only social engagement as service, but finding ways to address the problematic economic and political structures—the institutionalized forms of greed, ill will, and delusion—that are deeply implicated in the eco-crisis. Within such a notion of liberation, the path of personal transformation and the path of social transformation are not really separate from each other. We must reclaim the concept of awakening from an exclusively individualistic therapeutic model and focus on how individual liberation also requires social transformation. Engagement in the world is how our personal awakening blossoms.

    It just so happens that the Buddhist tradition provides a wonderful archetype that can help us to do that: the bodhisattva. We overcome deep-rooted self-centered habits by working compassionately for the healing of our societies and the healing of the earth. This is what’s required for the Buddhist path to become truly liberative in the modern world."

    Gassho,
    Jakuden
    SatToday/LAH
    Gassho
    Anna
    st
    穏 On (Calm)
    火 Ka (Fires)
    They/She.

  42. #92
    Quote Originally Posted by Tairin View Post
    I agree with that. I sometimes hesitate to read yet another article about how the environment is collapsing. I know at some levels it is just going to be bleak and depressing. I wonder how long before society in general just becomes numb. Fatigue and helplessness are real enemies here. Somehow the conversation needs to turn the corner from the doom and gloom to become a series of positive affirming messages about what can be done as individuals and society.


    Tairin
    Sat today and lah
    Nice comment Tairin. I whole heartedly agree.

    Happy New Year,

    Gassho,

    Brad

    SatToday

  43. #93
    I have felt fairly overwhelmed and sad every time i hear the tragedies but seek hope and you can find it. Reading the positive stories from happyeconews and watching the live cams in africa give much hope. Seeing the areas in front of the cameras fill with elephants, giraffes, zebras, lionesses, okape or gazelle, birds and many others, or seeing the millions of monarchs during their migration gives hope. Also if we can make a difference, even a small one helps. During meditation we can also get a sense of peace around us which helps to quell the fear and give clarity.
    Gassho
    David
    Sat

  44. #94
    Did not Treeleaf have some kind of tea gatherings awhile back? I'm hankering for something informal, not to pontificate much, but to do some of my wall gazing by facing the screen and raising a (fair trade) cup in both delightful cameraderie and sober metta to all. Companionship on the taffrail of the unsinkable Titanic, say. The stars were beautiful that night, I'm sure ...

    gassho
    doyu sat today

    May we, together with all buddhas;
    Be mindful in the presence of kindness,
    That we may preserve the good roots that have been nurtured to now.
    Last edited by Shōnin Risa Bear; 01-18-2020 at 06:41 PM.
    Visiting unsui: use salt

  45. #95
    Treeleaf Unsui Shugen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Redding California USA
    Quote Originally Posted by Doyū View Post
    Did not Treeleaf have some kind of tea gatherings awhile back? I'm hankering for something informal, not to pontificate much, but to do some of my wall gazing by facing the screen and raising a (fair trade) cup in both delightful cameraderie and sober metta to all. Companionship on the taffrail of the unsinkable Titanic, say. The stars were beautiful that night, I'm sure ...

    gassho
    doyu sat today
    Hi Doyū,

    Yes we did. We have been discussing bringing a variation of it back to the forum.

    We’ll keep you posted!

    Gassho,

    Shugen

    Sattoday
    Meido Shugen
    明道 修眼

  46. #96
    If you felt that January was warmer than usual, you're right.

    January 2020 was Earth's hottest start to a year in over a century -- and it's not likely to be the last record of this type, according to a report released by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday.
    In 141 years of record-keeping from NOAA, there has never been a warmer January.

    This agrees with data released by the European climate observing program, Copernicus, released last week.

    Temperatures surpassed the previous record set in January 2016 by 0.04 degrees Fahrenheit (0.02 degrees Celsius).

    https://us.cnn.com/2020/02/13/weathe...rnd/index.html
    Gassho J

    stlah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  47. #97
    It's mid February.
    The cherries in the garden are starting to bloom.
    Beautiful. And so sad.

    I am feeling reminded on a BBC Lyrebird documentation from David Attenborough where they recorded a Lyrebird, perfectly mimicking the sound of the woodcutters for his mating songs.
    Beautiful, but at the same time, while mating, singing the symphony of it's own distinction.

    Gassho,
    Kotei sat/lah today.

    義道 冴庭 / Gidō Kotei.
    Being a novice priest doesn't mean my writing about the Dharma is more substantial than yours. Actually, it might well be the other way round.

  48. #98
    Antarctica just saw its all-time hottest day ever


    Temperatures in Antarctica reportedly reached 69.35 degrees Fahrenheit last week, just days after setting another record high of 64.9 F.
    https://www.livescience.com/antarcti...mperature.html

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  49. #99
    Aldo Leopold said...”one of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds” That describes many of us who spent a lifetime studyingg and working in conservation. Hence my glasses are not rose colored. For that reason I have not added much. However I came across this article that does discuss problems but shares what some are doing about it on a large scale.

    Jundo, a scientist I know just published a paper about how climate change was affecting the reproductive success of species of snakes he was studying. it is all interconnected.

    We each can do small things and support larger initiatives.

    https://e360.yale.edu/features/salva...alf-the-planet

    Doshin
    St
    Last edited by Doshin; 02-20-2020 at 01:37 PM.

  50. #100
    Member Onka's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Rural Queensland, so-called Australia
    My brain's unique design features lend themselves to literally giving me ulcers and keeping me awake at night either worrying about the state of 'everything' and figuratively beating myself up for not being able to to enough, whatever that is.
    My practice has helped tremendously in finding a level of equanimity and giving me permission to not be able to 'fix everything' although I still worry a LOT.
    I love this thread because it reminds me that there is more good than bad in humanity. I am so grateful for anything anyone does to either help towards alleviation or at least minimisation of destructive human impact.
    Gassho
    Onka
    st
    I
    穏 On (Calm)
    火 Ka (Fires)
    They/She.

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