Saturday, May 10, 17 & 24

12:30pm-2:30pm ET

Online | $40 per session, $100 for all three

This three-part course on EcoDharma, exploring the intersecting fields of Buddhism and systemic environmentalism, is focused on exploring the three levels on which our connection to the rest of the natural world manifests:

(1) The level of our personal identity and wellbeing

(2) The level of human and non-human relationality

And (3) the level of global systems that make up our beautiful planet

Each of these levels can strongly benefit from our cultivation of the beautiful qualities praised by the Buddha, including those of wisdom (in particular, the wisdom of interdependence) and universal compassion. However, the opposite is also true: by carefully attending to the interconnectedness on each of these planes, we can naturally strengthen our compassionate wisdom and accomplish what Joanna Macy refers to as the “greening of the self”—perform a shift in our self-perception that allows us to see through the illusion of separation and assume the role of conscious stewardship towards the natural world. This work allows us to soothe our disturbing emotions, see the interdependent reality with greater clarity, and then support the positive aspects of interdependence in a sustainable way.

The course will explore a number of EcoDharma-themed practices and ideas, juxtaposed against the threefold framework of quintessential spiritual qualities described by such Tibetan Buddhist luminaries as Je Tsongkhapa and Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye. The goal of the course is to inspire a sense of wise hope based on an understanding of interconnectedness that we can foster in order to deal with the historical challenges we are facing as a species.