Buddhism & the Environment. Stacey Kennealy Certification & Shield Director Zen Priest in Training

Transcription

1 Buddhism & the Environment Stacey Kennealy Certification & Shield Director Zen Priest in Training

2 Plan for Today Meditation 3 Buddhist aspects of viewing the world Interbeing, deep time, nature as Dharma A Buddhist Response in the World mindfulness, enlivening commitment, living ethically, sangha

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5 What came up for you when we did the meditation?

6 Mall Mindfulness Slowing down to witness, and be with, what is always present.

7 Interbeing You Me

8 The Heart Sutra Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva doing deep Prajna Paramita Perceived the emptiness of all five conditions, and was freed of pain. O Sariputra, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form; Form is precisely emptiness, emptiness precisely form; Sensation, perception, reaction and consciousness are also like this. O Sariputra, all things are expressions of emptiness, not born, not destroyed, Not stained, not pure; neither waxing nor waning. Thus emptiness is not form; not sensation nor perception, reaction nor consciousness; No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, thing No realm of sight, no realm of consciousness No ignorance, no end to ignorance No old age and death, no cessation of old age and death

9 What is a Table?

10 What is a Table? Wood. Soil, rain, sun, human hands to cut, car to transport Carpenter. The teacher who taught the carpenter, the food s/he ate that day Nails. The metal that was mined, the machine that formed the nail, the person who hammered it in. The table is not a fixed entity, separate from where it came or where it s going.

11 Ecology Confirms Interconnectedness The wolves, small in number, transformed not just the ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park this huge area of land but also its physical geography. George Monbiot

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13 Always remember: There is no such thing as not making a difference! Every single thought and action leads to results.

14 Deep Time All times penetrate one time. One time penetrates all times past, present, and future. In one second, you can find the past, present and future. Flower Ornament Sutra

15 Universe Story For the differences I sense in this particular instant of time that is mine are but the differences of a moment, determined by our place in the stream of time in the long rhythms of the sea. Once this rocky coast beneath me was a plain of sand; then the sea rose and found a new shore line. And again in some shadowy figure the surf will have ground these rocks to sand and will have returned the coast to its earlier state. Rachel Carson

16 With this sense of deep time, how might our decisions on this planet be different?

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19 Nature as Dharma "Like the Buddha, we too should look around us and be observant, because everything in the world is ready to teach us. With even a little intuitive wisdom we will be able to see clearly through the ways of the world. We will come to understand that everything in the world is a teacher. Trees and vines, for example, can all reveal the true nature of reality. With wisdom there is no need to question anyone, no need to study. We can learn from Nature enough to be enlightened, because everything follows the way of Truth. It does not diverge from Truth." (Ajahn Chah, Forest Sangha Newsletter)

20 Nature as Dharma Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here, And you must treat it as a powerful stranger, Must ask permission to know it and be known. The forest breathes. Listen. It answers, I have made this place around you. If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here. No two trees are the same to Raven. No two branches are the same to Wren. If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you, You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows Where you are. You must let it find you. David Wagoner

21 A Buddhist Response to Environmental Challenges

22 Mindfulness The most precious gift we can offer is our presence. Thich Nhat Hanh

23 Managing the 3 Poisons Aversion Craving Delusion/ignorance

24 Enlivening Commitment Sentient beings are numberless; I vow to save them. Consuming desires are endless; I vow to stop them. Bio-relations are intricate; I vow to honor them. Nature s way is beautiful; I vow to become it. Ecological version of Bodhisattva Vow, by Gary Snyder

25 Living Ethically Non-harming is the distinguishing characteristic of the Dharma. Ancient Text

26 There is No Harm-Free Lunch Ask yourself the hard questions, and sit with them: What do I actually need? What is my fair share? How do my choices impact the food available to others How does my choice impact plants or animals on the planet?

27 Sangha