If we understood the language of trees, what would they teach us about weathering storms? Even if we don’t speak fluent tree, when we pause, listen, resonate, what wisdom are they conveying nonetheless and all of the time?
In the United States a pivotable election draws near and on a global level, the specter of escalating international conflict grows. Many of us are feeling tremendous uncertainty. In the midst of such tumultuous times, our deep concern for ourselves, our families, society and the living Earth community can easily turn into overwhelm.
The wisdom and practices from our traditions as well as our everywhere kin can guide us through exactly these moments. And, if we heed their call to steady our hearts with kind attention, so much more is on offer. EcoDharma teachers Adam Lobel and Kristin Barker led a gathering on October 27, 2024 to attune to our challenges and cultivate the qualities that can support not just our own being but all of our relations’.
Adam Lobel, PhD, practices at the intersections of ecodharma, meditation, and psycho-social political transformation. He is a scholar-practitioner of philosophy and religion, a Guiding Teacher for One Earth Sangha, an environmental justice activist working to resist the petrochemical buildout in his region, and a professor of Ecopsychology. Adam served as a teacher (acharya) in the Shambhala tradition from 2005 until resigning in 2018. A speaker on ecology and spirituality at the United Nations, he leads ecodharma workshops called “Silent Transformations,” has taught in the Ecosattva Training, and is a GreenFaith fellow. Adam’s teachings focus on Great Perfection Tibetan Buddhism, modern phenomenology, and inoperative studies (Heidegger, Foucault, Agamben). Adam teaches a critical style of contemplative training that seeks to avoid enclosure in neoliberal mindfulness while still disclosing effortless awareness. He is currently developing what he calls “four fields” of contemplative practices for potential worlds. Visit his website to learn more.
Kristin Barker is co-founder and director of One Earth Sangha whose mission is to cultivate a Buddhist response to ecological crises. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leader program and now teaches with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (DC). As a co-founder of White Awake, Kristin has been supporting white people since 2011 with a Dharma approach to uprooting racism in ourselves and in our world. With a background in software engineering as well as environmental management, she has worked at several international environmental organizations. She is a GreenFaith Fellow and serves on the advisory board of Project Inside Out as well as the steering committee for Interfaith Power & Light DMV. Kristin was born and raised in northern New Mexico and currently lives in Washington DC, traditional lands of the Piscataway peoples.
