Climate Care / Earth Justice Update

Hello Dharma Friends,

Thank you for a wonderful meeting last week! I truly enjoyed our conversation; it feels like we are coming together as a group as we develop meaningful ways to meet the challenges of the environmental crises with our practice.

Two resources to share:

1. This dharma talk by Rebecca Solnit is quite profound, and very relevant to our discussion: Hope Is a Discipline – On Being Present and Committing to the Future

2. Article on Climate Change Parties in France; related to the outreach and listening stations we discussed, and how we might make it more accessible and fun! For a Trendy Night Out in Paris, How About a Climate Change Workshop? More than a million people in France have attended a “Climate Fresk” class to understand the process of global warming. The project is now spreading abroad.

I share these to deepen our conversation and connection as we move forward in our Earth Care practice.  Before we meet again I'll work up some notes from our last meeting and some proposals for moving forward.

Finally, last Friday, our Dayenu group met with Senator John Laird to discuss climate legislation. 12 people attended, including 3 rabbis, our priest Rachel Grad, and leaders from Insight Santa Cruz. The senator was very supportive and appreciative to know interfaith groups are working on climate change!

Warm bows,

Steve 

Sangha members at the park near the Zen Center where Steve led us in a ceremony. We each took a leaf he had collected and brought with him. He told us to think of any obstacles we are facing in caring for the Earth and all beings. Some examples are trying to stop using plastic, letting go of negative thoughts about people we perceive as apathetic or greedy, using less fossil fuels and petroleum products, etc. We each took turns expressing the obstacles we were facing, and we set the leaves in front of us. Then we chanted the Sho Sai Myo Kichijo Dharani for removing hindrances.