There’s good news and bad news. The bad news: civilization, as we know it, is about to end. Now, the good news: civilization as we know it is about to end. ―Swami Beyondananda (aka Steve Bhaerman) Ecodharma (or ecobuddhism) is a new development within modern Buddhism, applying traditional teachings to help us understand and respond …
Continue reading “Ecodharma: Loving the World as Our Own Body”
What if the solution to our most pressing environmental, educational, and emotional crises was hiding in plain sight—in the trees, the silence of a forest, or the stillness of our own breath? As a researcher and educator, I’ve spent years exploring how contemplative practices and nature, two ancient sources of wisdom, can come together to …
On a late fall evening in 2018, my seven-year-old son came home with a school flier for a penny drive. As he counted the change in his piggy bank to make a donation, I looked over the details. The donation drive across California public schools was led by the Basic Needs program in Chico, an …
We have come, dear Relatives,as fruits for others’ nourishment.As hummingbirds flutter in joyand bears rest in awe,so we dress with the colors of the rainbowto weave us kin together. In community circlesMother Earth welcomes our songs.Here we gather until we return to Her in service. We come to stand by each otherto sing to each …
As a child, I grew up with strong feelingsDeep feelings of who I am and what is important in lifeI felt one with the worldLiving and caring was oneAs I became older, culture took overThe stories I heard began to color my lifeI went to schoolI learned that adults and experts know—not childrenI learned that …
Continue reading “What the Mind has to do with the Climate Crisis”
One of the strongest memories I carry from my childhood begins with the shocking heat of black cave water. I am submerging myself inch by inch, frightened of its depths and imagined mythical beasts lying in wait for my spindly legs. Above my head and around me, candles give off a buttery yellow light as …
Continue reading “Mother Wisdom: Learning to Embody Interdependence”
