[EcoDharma] Living Earth

[Doshin]

Metta to all the other living beings

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2018/oct/30/wwf-report-warns-annihilation-of-wildlife-threatens-civilisation-video

[Jundo]

I just posted this comment to Brad Warner's latest talk saying that Buddhists had best not be concerned about such issues as Buddhists ...

Just so folks know, not all Buddhists need agree with Brad. Our concern for this planet, for society and our fellow human beings can be informed by the Precepts, Zazen and all our Buddhist Practice, and it is fine for Buddhist folks to approach such issues as part of our Practice. Brad expresses but one view. It does not have to be so for everyone even if he may prefer to use bandwidth to express his personal opinion that Buddhists should not be involved in social issues as Buddhists (itself a political statement by Brad as a Buddhist no matter how one disguises it, because most people don't come here because of his views on bass guitars). So, to each their own. Some are free to choose to talk about monster movies instead. To pick weeds in the garden or clean our bowls can be Zen Practice when known as such, as can picking the weeds of problems in this world and cleaning the environment. Not all Buddhists need agree on what is the right course or whom to vote for, but do not forget that choosing not to act is also an act with effects. By the way, one vote cannot change anything ... except if you are from Florida, when I am from, when a couple of hundred votes can sometimes change everything. No less, it is also a basic Buddhist teaching that a mountain can be moved one grain at a time. Gassho, Jundo


A video for good Buddhist folks and everyone to watch. If we take care of the temples made of wood, we can take care of the temple which is our world.


The 2018 Living Planet report from the WWF has found that a shocking 60% of the earth's mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have been lost since 1970. The findings have led the world’s foremost experts to warn that the annihilation of wildlife is now an emergency that threatens civilisation.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2018/oct/30/wwf-report-warns-annihilation-of-wildlife-threatens-civilisation-video

We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe, warns UN
Urgent changes needed to cut risk of extreme heat, drought, floods and poverty, says IPCC
https://www.theguardian.com/environm...mark-un-report

Gassho, J

STLah

[Tairin]

Metta for our planet and for all that live on it. The crisis feels overwhelming but we can all do our part and it will take sacrifice on all our part.


Tairin
Sat today and lah and hugged a tree.

[Doshin]

Thank you Jundo for raising your voice on these issues. I posted on Face Book recently my sesnse of being out of sync with the world around me since the issues I believe critical to us all and the sustainability of life are seldom talked about on the news or by the politiicans whose role it is to help lead us. Nowhere during our election in the US did this arise that I saw.

Another thread on our forum discusses Face Book and how it relates to the Precepts That gave me pause last night. My posts are almost all about wildlife and conservation. I can post a picture of a beautiful lizard and been inundated with likes but when I post something about the topic I mentioned above the lack of comments or likes is deafening. The lack of response is the most troublesome to me. In fact it makes me consider deactivating FB so not be so affecteted. In my youth I would just speak louder but now I think silence is preferable.

Gassho
Doshin
St

[Shokai]

[Mp]

Thank you Doshin ... much metta and peace to this beautiful planet and all who share it.

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Kokuu]

A timely post, Doshin.

The environmental issues of our time seem so vast it is hard to know where to start but becoming informed is an important start. Humans have had a huge impact on the lives of other sentient beings and we really need to address the fact we are not the only organisms to inhabit this small blue planet but we are the ones who have the ability to slow or halt many impending extinctions.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Shoki]

Thanks Doshin for this info. I read this same thing on a news site a few days ago and immediately there were comments at the bottom saying it was all not true. There are always going to be a large segment of society that is going to shoot down something like this for business, political, etc. reasons. If you are let's say a plastics manufacturer, you better come up with something saying the plastic found in the stomachs of wildlife is not really true because blah, blah, blah. If you are an elected politician who gets votes promising less regulation on businesses responsible for this, you're going to downplay it. Some will say; it does not matter because God will take care of everything. It gets kind of discouraging.

Gassho/LAH
Sat Today
James

[Shinshi]

Thank you for sharing Doshin. And thank you Jundo for your reply to Brad. It is such a weird time in the world today. Much Strum and Drang about things of minor importance and total silence about critical issues.

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Shoka]

My posts are almost all about wildlife and conservation. I can post a picture of a beautiful lizard and been inundated with likes but when I post something about the topic I mentioned above the lack of comments or likes is deafening. The lack of response is the most troublesome to me. In fact it makes me consider deactivating FB so not be so affecteted. In my youth I would just speak louder but now I think silence is preferable.

Doshin,

Thank you for the post.

I find that often when people don't feel there is anything they can saw to help, or positive to do that they don't want to interact. Which is why pretty photos of things get more likes and comments, than a thoughful post (without a picture) which might take time and thought to reply to.

But I believe there is a need to presist. If we say, "well no one replied, so I'm not going to post anymore." Then the topic doesn't get shared anymore. Often I hope that at least if I share something it might make someone think about it for a few minutes and maybe affect them somehow. I don't stand and yell on a soapbox anymore; just put it out there and hope that it makes a difference.

Gassho,

Shoka
sattoday

[Washin]

Gassho,
Washin
ST

[Doshin]

I just posted this comment to Brad Warner's latest talk saying that Buddhists had best not be concerned about such issues as Buddhists ...



Gassho, J

STLah

As you said Jundo, we need this perspective from all

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.”

[Meitou]

As you said Jundo, we need this perspective from all

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.”

And this is where we can start, by addressing our own selfishness, greed and apathy and start making changes, a step at a time. I think we need to have faith that even the smallest things can add up and make a difference. From an interest in the Japanese tradition of boro - patchwork mending of clothes - I've suddenly become aware of so many good people on Instagram who are dedicating themselves not only to upcycling and repurposing, but are also inspiring and encouraging others to do the same, not in huge projects but in simple everyday things like visibly mending clothes instead of throwing them away, and in doing so highlighting the terrible damage and waste that goes on in the fashion industry, something I was unaware of. At the same time they sing out what they do as a joyful creative activity available to everyone.
I'm not using FB at the moment because of Ango, but I've decided that when I start again, I'm going to photograph my attempts at living a more sustainable less consumer driven life. As you say, people do respond to pretty pictures, so maybe they can be used to subtly inform as well as entertain. It's a small step, but as we know, small steps can take us a long way.
Don't give up!
Gassho
Meitou
Satwithyoualltoday

[Nanrin]

And this is where we can start, by addressing our own selfishness, greed and apathy and start making changes, a step at a time. I think we need to have faith that even the smallest things can add up and make a difference. From an interest in the Japanese tradition of boro - patchwork mending of clothes - I've suddenly become aware of so many good people on Instagram who are dedicating themselves not only to upcycling and repurposing, but are also inspiring and encouraging others to do the same, not in huge projects but in simple everyday things like visibly mending clothes instead of throwing them away, and in doing so highlighting the terrible damage and waste that goes on in the fashion industry, something I was unaware of. At the same time they sing out what they do as a joyful creative activity available to everyone.
I'm not using FB at the moment because of Ango, but I've decided that when I start again, I'm going to photograph my attempts at living a more sustainable less consumer driven life. As you say, people do respond to pretty pictures, so maybe they can be used to subtly inform as well as entertain. It's a small step, but as we know, small steps can take us a long way.
Don't give up!
Gassho
Meitou
Satwithyoualltoday

Thank you for your comment Meitou. I agree that we can all start by looking at ourselves and reducing greed and selfishness. It can be hard to see our own greed at times because society usually teaches us it's ok to waste, it's ok consume a lot in many, many ways. The truth is we don't need much to live happily.

I like the idea of using Facebook or other platforms to beautify sustainable living. I might start posting on Facebook for that reason. I don't really have much to say about myself to the public so I only post a few times a year. Usually my pictures are shared with individual friends and family members I talk to. Perhaps it's time to change that to help influence others.

Gassho,

Maitri

St

[Doshin]

Yes Meitou, as you say we can make a difference if each of us takes steps in the right direction. As several Sangha members who follow me on FB know, I mainly post conservation stories and pictures of wildlife (all with the intent to inform and inspire appreciation for the natural world). The big steps need to be taken by governments, which some are doing, others not so much. That is where my interest in Engaged Buddhism comes in as Jundo addressed above.

I have not given up even after 50 plus years of effort in both my career and personal life (some would say I have no life outside of conservation/environment, I am okay with that). Let me paraprhase (even if I get the facts wrong with my foggy memory) a Buddhist monk who made the trek out of Tibet after the Chinese invaded the land. He was asked how he made such a long journey over the mountains..his response, "one step at a time". However, some of my friends and colleagues did loose hope along the way. My philosophy is you got to try even if the challenges seem insurmountable, the alternative has never been acceptable to me.

Gassho
Doshin
stlah