A Conversation with Shantigarbha and Dhivan

Saturday 25th September
11.30 US PST | 13.30 Mexico | 14.30 US EST | 19.30 UK & IE | 20.30 Europe CET | 04.30 Australia EDT | 07.30 New Zealand

Reserve a space on this event

The first ethical precept in Buddhism outlines the central importance of non-harm in all our behaviour. Of course, in the Buddha’s day over 2,500 years ago, there was no climate emergency, or impending biodiversity loss, or species extinction. So how do we, as Buddhists today, respond creatively to the crisis we find ourselves in?

Are there lessons we can draw from the Buddha’s life and teachings, and those of other Buddhist practitioners throughout the ages? What is a Buddhist perspective on ecology?

Shantigarbha will be joined in conversation with Dhivan, as they bring to bear on this crucial topic stories from the Pali Canon, Jataka tales, White Lotus Sutra, and the fundamental Buddhist teaching of interconnectedness and dependent arising.

This conversation is part of the Triratna Earth Sangha conference, supported by the European Chairs Assembly as part of their strategic priority on Dharmic Engagement with Social and Ecological Issues.


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Shantigarbha is an international NVC trainer, certified with the Centre for Nonviolent Communication. He teaches on CNVC’s International Intensive Trainings (IITs) and coordinated the New Future Process’s Social Change and Peacemaking working group.

In 1996 he was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order. He was given the name Shantigarbha, which means “seed of peace”. He currently serves on the Triratna International Council,  is Secretary of the Triratna Trust (the Order charity), and coordinates the Triratna Restorative Pilot Project.

Dhivan was born in Somerset, England, in 1965. After obtaining a BA in Religious Studies and a PhD in the philosophy of love at Lancaster University, he moved to Cambridge to live and work with Buddhists. He was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2004, receiving the name 'Dhivan', meaning 'thoughtful' or 'intelligent'. In 2009 he gained a degree in Sanskrit and Pali from the University of Cambridge, to allow him to read Buddhist texts in their original Indian languages. He teaches philosophy and religious studies and enjoys writing fiction and poetry.