2017 EcoSattva Training An Online Course for Aspiring EcoSattvas How might we most thoroughly express our love for this life and all life? What does it mean to express a mindful, compassionate response to climate change? What new ways of relating to ourselves, one another and the world does this wisdom tradition call us into?
Courage, Connection and Devotion An all new series, the 2017 EcoSattva Training begins on Sunday, October 1 and continues through Sunday, November 19. NB Registration does not close. Since all sessions will be recorded, you can continue to register even after the training ends on November 19 and receive materials through at least the spring of next year.
Our Growing, Collective Crisis Our collective crisis is deepening. Informed by a view of reality which presumes separation and competition, many powerful institutions and institutional actors are actively investing in separation: our religious affiliations, national, racial and ethnic identities, rich and poor, human and nature. At the same time, we see a renewed sense of citizenship and empowerment forming in resistance. But is resistance to these forces the extent of our vision? Can we respond to this moment not merely as a crisis in our politics or even culture but instead as an opportunity to confront and transform the world views, the ways of seeing reality, that brought us here? What are the wisdom and practices that will not only help us respond to current conditions, but sow the seeds of the courage, connection and devotion needed as our world enters a period of dramatic change?
Dharma in Response Among many gifts, the Dharma invites us to cultivate qualities of the heart and clarity of the mind. In particular, we are encouraged to contemplate View, the way we are seeing, the stories we tell and what we consider to be reality. With practice, we can see the way our stories are conditioned into existence and taken as truth. Moreover, we can see where our stories lead and ask if this is where we want to go. As the narratives of dominant culture break, the mistaken views exact their cost, as the consequences of conflict exceed our grasp, the way of the contemporary Bodhisattva may be forged with a devoted heart and dexterity with View. Following our longing and our love for this world, each of us can cultivate the heart-mind that meets this moment. With courage, connection and devotion, we can together forge a path that responds to a troubled world.