EcoDharma Meditation Retreat

The ecological crisis is the greatest problem that humanity has ever faced. It is not an external threat but something we are doing to ourselves…. and our collective response up to now has been far from adequate.

Global warming is only part of the problem: we must address the ongoing degradation of the natural world in all its forms. The crisis of nature is, at heart, a crisis of our now-global civilization: we have lost our way. The focus on endless growth—on ever-increasing production and consumption, which requires ever more exploitation of our natural resources—is running up against the limits of the planet.

Today it’s not enough to meditate and pursue our own personal awakening. We also need to contemplate what the ecological crisis means for us both personally and collectively. How can Buddhist teachings help us understand and respond to this challenge? And what does the eco-crisis mean for our understanding and practice of Buddhism? This ecodharma retreat will focus on these increasingly urgent questions.

Periods of mediation inside and outside in nature will alternate with talks and group discussions.

David R. Loy is a professor of Buddhist and comparative philosophy (now retired) and a teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition of Japanese Buddhism. His many books include Money Sex War Karma, A New Buddhist Path, and most recently Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis. He is especially concerned about social and ecological issues. In addition to offering workshops and meditation retreats, he is one of the founders of the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center, near Boulder, Colorado.