An eight-week online course exploring the most pressing questions of our times

How we can wake up and respond to the climate and ecological emergencies?

This course follows Shantigarbha's book The Burning House: A Buddhist Response to the Climate and Ecological Emergency (Windhorse Publications)

Led by Shantigarbha

24 Sept - 12 Nov

Buddhists give great importance to mindfulness, wisdom, compassion and interconnectedness, qualities that often make them deeply concerned about the environment and climate change. So what does Buddhism have to say about the climate emergency? How can we see it for what it really is, a crisis of empathy?

This is a course for Dharmafarers concerned about the climate, Triratna Earth Sangha members, and eco-activists wishing to ground their work in a spiritual context. The sessions follow the Buddhist path from self-development to social change, inspired by the profound principle of nonviolence or love.

About the course

- Support to process your responses to the climate and ecological emergency in a safe environment.
- Support in making the climate and ecological emergency part of your Dharma practice.
- How do you decide to get involved?
- Support for eco-activists to avoid burnout: training in nonviolence, love and wisdom.

Learning objectives

- To use empathy to explore what it means to care about the environment.
- To be able to communicate the ethical basis of Buddhist environmentalism.
- To be able to bring awareness to uncomfortable feelings including anger, depression, denial, fear, overwhelm and grief that may arise as you look squarely at the climate and ecological emergency and have tools to work with them.
- To cultivate gratitude towards the earth as fuel for acting.
- To understand, be able to express and embody the principles of nonviolent social change.
- To find the emotional freedom to act now.
- To practise guided reflections to deepen your connection to the Earth and your awareness of interconnectedness.

About the course leader

Shantigarbha is a Buddhist author, activist and mediator. He is an experienced teacher of both Buddhism and Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1996, he was given the name Shantigarbha, which means ‘Seed or Womb of Peace’. Through his practice of Buddhism, he came across NVC and has been sharing it as a certified trainer since 2004. Within the Triratna Buddhist Community, he has held responsibilities as an Order Convenor, member of the International Council, trustee of the International Order Office and supporting restorative practices. He currently co-convenes the Triratna Earth Sangha. Find out more about Shantigarbha.

Reserve your place on "Entering the Burning House"

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Dates

24 September; 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October; 5, 12 November 2024.

Each week we will ask you to read one or more chapters as preparation for the session.

- Week one: Crisis? What crisis?
- Week two: Touching the Earth
- Week three: Environmental ethics and compassion
- Week four: The Five Precepts
- Week five: The Burning House
- Week six: Anger, grief and gratitude
- Week seven: Transforming self and world
- Week eight: Be the change

Further information

For more information on Nonviolent Communication, see our what is NVC? page, the Centre for Nonviolent Communication website, or you could contact us directly.

Preparation (NB. Preparation is not required to participate)

- Video of Shantigarbha's session on The Burning House (given at Buddhist Action Month, June 2020).
- Shantigarbha’s book on empathy I’ll Meet You There: A Practical Guide to Empathy, Mindfulness and Communication.
- David Loy, Ecodharma: Buddhist teachings for the Ecological Crisis.
- Marshall Rosenberg: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life, or watch one of the videos on our training preparation page .
- Shantigarbha's NVC Life Hacks on YouTube.