Amala offers two guided meditations intended to accompany you in practicing outdoors in nature. These were recorded as part of the On Two Wings: Holding Love and Concern for the Earth retreat in April 2021.

The scholarly monk Analayo says it is important for us, as Buddhists, to take care of nature as we take care of our own body. We have a responsibility, he says, to cause no harm and to respond to the climate crisis with mindfulness, ethics and compassion. This 30-minute guided Karuna Bhavana for the natural world is designed to bring you close to the suffering of our natural world and to cultivate the metta and compassion needed to meet and address that suffering with skillful action. This meditation was offered as part of the on-line Touching the Earth retreat, sponsored by Aryaloka Buddhist Center and the Portsmouth (New Hampshire) Buddhist Center, November 2020.

In this meditation, Shraddhavani invites us, first, to engage with the facts about our contributions to climate change through basic activities such as eating, living in our homes and travel. She then asks us to get in touch with those seemingly simple, everyday feelings that tend to govern our choices in these areas –– the feelings of wanting, resistance and not knowing, which we as Buddhists can relate to the poisons of greed, hatred and delusion. Finally, she leads us through a process for transforming these poisons and creating the conditions for different choices through the wisdoms of the archetypal Buddhas Amitabha, Akshobya and Vairochana. This led meditation was part of a Touching Earth: Buddhist Approaches to Care of Nature retreat at Aryaloka Buddhist Center, Newmarket NH, (offered online) November 2020.

How might we respond, as Buddhists, to the emerging environmental crises facing the planet? Starting from where his earlier talk, "Saying Goodbye to the Earth," leaves off, Gunopeta explores the implications of what happens when we open our hearts to our deep emotional response to these crises. With the aid of guided meditation, poetry, ritual, and our felt connection to nature and the holiness of place, we can learn to "touch the Earth with love." From this, we enter into a relationship with the Earth out of which gratitude, a sense of responsibility, sympathetic joy, equanimity, and energy emerge in a positively reinforcing spiral, which in turn moves us to join with others in altruistic action on behalf of the Earth and all its beings. This talk was originally given as part of the on-line Touching the Earth retreat, sponsored by Aryaloka Buddhist Center and the Portsmouth (New Hampshire) Buddhist Center, Nov. 2020.

Sravaniya introduces the theme of this online weekend retreat, Touching Earth: Buddhist Care of Nature. He explores images of the Buddha touching the earth, Milarepa's cave dwelling existence, and becoming a better citizen of the earth. This is followed by a led visualization and meditation entitled: Touching Earth.

Buddhism begins with the Buddha sitting beneath a tree, touching the earth. The Buddha's vision of connection and kindness encompasses earth, sky, and sea; from the tiniest being to the largest. The practice of non-harm invests us with empathy and care for all of life. Yet what we see happening today to the earth and its beings is likely to fill us with anxiety, "eco-anxiety" as it has been termed. This talk encourages us to allow ourselves to experience our eco-anxiety and how we respond to it, and suggests ways we can use that response to open up to the wisdom and compassion that arises from a place of love. It was originally given at Aryaloka Buddhist Center, Feb. 2020, for an Order Mitra Gathering on the theme of our environment, the many changes that are occuring to it, and how we can bring our Dharma practice into the fore of our experience in responding to these changes.

Buddhism begins with the Buddha sitting beneath a tree, touching the earth. The Buddha's vision of connection and kindness encompasses earth, sky, and sea; from the tiniest being to the largest. The practice of non-harm invests us with empathy and care for all of life. Yet what we see happening today to the earth and its beings is likely to fill us with anxiety, "eco-anxiety" as it has been termed. This talk encourages us to allow ourselves to experience our eco-anxiety and how we respond to it, and suggests ways we can use that response to open up to the wisdom and compassion that arises from a place of love. It was originally given at Aryaloka Buddhist Center, Feb. 2020, for an Order Mitra Gathering on the theme of our environment, the many changes that are occuring to it, and how we can bring our Dharma practice into the fore of our experience in responding to these changes.

Point 6 of the mind training is about commitments, vows and responsibilities. Point 7 is advice.

Guided tonglen practice for all those struggling with responsibilities and broken promises.

Point 6 of the mind training is about commitments, vows and responsibilities. Point 7 is advice.

Guided tonglen practice for all those struggling with responsibilities and broken promises.

Has Dharma practice actually reduced the manifestation of greed, hatred and delusion in your life. Yashobodhi introduces some tools to see how effective the practice may have been.

A led tonglen practice for ourselves and others as dharma practitioners.

A led tonglen practice for ourselves and others as dharma practitioners.

Has Dharma practice actually reduced the manifestation of greed, hatred and delusion in your life. Yashobodhi introduces some tools to see how effective the practice may have been.

Five forces you use in dharma practice to move towards awakening in life and also on approaching death.

A led tonglen practice

A led tonglen practice

Five forces you use in dharma practice to move towards awakening in life and also on approaching death.