October 20th: Zen Mind, Wild Mind with Kieran Mead-Ward

What does it mean to encounter Zen mind in the "wild," amid the voices of the land? How do trees, birds, bugs and sky display our own heart-mind, in its brevity and bottomlessness? What new life should the Zen heritage properly take, in these times when heaven and earth feel less like eternal companions and more like something fatally linked to our own species fate?

In the intimacies of both our own bodies and the Earth's body, we'll consider how truly extraordinary is Shitou's claim, "If you want to know the undying person, don't separate from this skin bag here and now." 

October 27th: Indigenous Wisdom with Jeff Proulx

"Mounting research attests to the crucial role Indigenous Peoples can play in advancing climate solutions and the recovery of biocultural diversity. The rich contemplative practices of these traditions can enhance the reorientation towards planetary flourishing." – Yuria Celidwen

In this session, we will draw directly from a range of Indigenous voices to interplay indigenous wisdom with zen, as we explore our relationship to the land both locally and across the planet. We will be joined by Jeff Proulx who will help us dive deeper into the overlap between indigenous practices, mindfulness, and ecodharma. Dr. Jeff Proulx is a scholar, mindfulness practitioner and member of the Mohawk Nation. Read more about his work here.

November 3rd: The Ecosattva Path with David Loy

What does it mean to awaken in an unraveling world? Thich Nhat Hanh has suggested that the next Buddha may be the community itself—the sangha. What might collective enlightenment look like in these times? Join us for an open conversation with Roshi David Loy, author of EcoDharma, on the Ecosattva path and how we can engage with these pressing questions together.

November 10th: Queering Ecodharma

In this session, we’ll explore the experience of bringing a queer lens to Ecodharma. We will contemplate our default binary mode and, with the elements as our foundation, delve into the world as it is, beyond the binary. Guiding questions might include:

How do we relate to our bodies? How do we relate to the natural world?

What arises in our experience as we attune to the natural elements? What are the elements teaching us about the nature of our experience?

What does it mean to “queer” Ecodharma? How does an understanding of queerness impact our relationship with ourselves and the world around us, regardless of our personal identification with queerness?

November 17th: Consciousness of Domination and Liberation

How have we come to this pass as a society and individuals? What deep grooves of thought and practice alienate us from our home and each other, and indeed entice us toward relations of domination? What are the thousand strings linking the earth's liberation to other liberation struggles -- both intra-human and in the wider family of creatures -- and our own hearts' liberation?

We will consider these intersections in both their subtlest current and historic traces, and in many very real structures that shape daily life.