Session Five

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With session five, we arrive at the third and final pillar that supports the bridge to the other shore, that of ethical response.  In this session, we will investigate ethics, at any level, not as moral obligation but as fundamental means enabling our mutually interdependent well-being and release from suffering.

We are joined in this session by One Earth Sangha friend and previous teacher in the EcoSattva Training series, Adam Lobel. As a senior teacher in the Shambhala tradition, Adam is actively working within his communities on translating Shambhala teachings and practices to engagement on social issues. We’re excited to hear from Adam what he what he is learning and what questions he currently faces. Also joining us is climate activist and Dharma practitioner, Lindsay Alderton. Previous participants in the EcoSattva Training might recognize Lindsay from the “engagement panel” featured on session 6 of the 2015 series. Having recently penned a great article on the Dharma of Disobedience, we look forward to hearing more from Lindsay about the rewards and challenges of action on ecological and other social crises as a form of ethical response.

Adam Lobel – Shambhala Buddhist Tradition

Adam Lobel is a senior teacher (acharya) in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition and a scholar of religion and philosophy. He brings a genuineness and direct experience to the spiritual path and everyday life. In addition to leading programs worldwide, he has taught meditation in the juvenile prison system and is involved in numerous ecological and social transformation initiatives. Adam holds a master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School, where he helped establish a track for Buddhist ministers. He continues his doctoral research at Harvard University.

Lindsay Alderton – Insight and Tibetan Traditions

Based at the Ecodharma Centre in Catalonia, Lindsay works with activists from across Europe, designing and delivering programmes around engaged Buddhism and sustainable activism. In 2016 she helped launch the Ulex Project, an education centre which combines personal, inter-personal and political transformation. As an activist she’s worked with Reclaim The Power and the Dharma Action Network for Climate Engagement, and is is currently training in Social Presencing Theatre to combine somatic practice with her social change work. Lindsay practices with both Tibetan and Insight traditions and took refuge with Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 2002.

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Homework for Session Five

• The Dharma of Disobedience at Ende Gelände: Breaking the Law to Combat Climate Violence – Article by Lindsay Alderton

Access the Webinar

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• The live session begins [localize_time tz=”America/Los_Angeles” fmt=”l, F j, Y g:i a T”]Sunday, November 5, 2017 9:30 am [/localize_time].
• Add this meeting and the full the series to Google Calendar, Outlook or other .ics-compatible calendar.
• To prepare for the live session, ensure that you have downloaded and installed the latest version of Zoom to your PC, Mac, iPhone, or android device. This program is free and will allow you to see and hear the webinar. You’ll also be able to ask questions and interact with the session leaders. You might run the program and choose the option to test your audio and video (if you have a webcam) to make sure everything is working.
• You may join the session up to 30 minutes before the meeting begins. At that time, the link and further instructions on how to join the webinar will appear on this page.

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You’ll be taken into the live session once it begins.

If you don’t have a good internet connection, either for video or audio, you can still join by phone:

• One-click: +16468769923,,481234991# or +16699006833,,481234991#
• US: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 408 638 0968
• Enter the webinar ID: 481 234 991
• International numbers are available here.

To raise your hand, ask a question, or connect by phone during the session, use the buttons provided on the zoom interface:

(Click the image to enlarge)

[/time-restrict][time-restrict on=”2017/11/05 14:40:00″ off=”2017/11/06 “]The live session has ended. The recording will be available by  [localize_time tz=”America/Los_Angeles” fmt=”l, F j, Y g:i a T”]Tuesday, November 7, 2017 1:00 pm [/localize_time].[/time-restrict]
To view the video in full screen, click the expand button on the lower right. 

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Practices

Each session will feature inquiries that you can explore on your own in meditation or with others in dyads, triads or larger groups. We’ll post basic instructions and the inquiries immediately following the live session.

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Here we offer some optional (but highly recommended!) exercises to help you integrate some of the ideas and practices presented in the session. Each inquiry may be practiced individually or in dyads, triads or even larger groups. If the practice of meditative inquiries or group inquiry is new to you, we offer some guidance and suggestions here.

1. Where is an ethical framework alive in your life? How does this framework support your life and/or practice?
2. Do you see places in your life where ethics have become ossified or deadened, where you’re acting more from a sense of external obligation or trying to shore up your sense of being a good person? What might be needed to re-enliven your relationship to ethics here?
3. Are there places where you sense that remaining faithful to your ethics might require you to engage in work that is messy, that will humble and perhaps even humiliate your ego? How might you support yourself to walk into this terrain?

Share Your Experience

After you’ve done any/all of these inquiries, we invite you to share your experience and engage in conversation with one another in the community discussion below.[/time-restrict]

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Follow Up Resources

• Awake Society Now,  video of Acharya Adam Lobel speaking on our sangha’s potential to prototype the new social, political and spiritual structures to support enlightened society. This link points to the first in a four part series.
• The Wisdom to Survive, documentary film mentioned by Lindsay during the live session.

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Support Session Leaders

To maximize participation, we are offering this series at minimal cost. In addition, all of the teachers and leaders on these calls offer their gifts freely in this spirit of dana.

If you value what is offered here, we invite you to support these leaders and you may also wish to support One Earth Sangha. Dana, or generosity, is considered an essential part of practice and situates us in the unbroken line that seeks to bring the gifts of Buddhadharma, wisdom and compassion, to our world.

Any amount you offer, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated.

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Community Discussion

We invite you to share with the community your reflections on any aspect of the session: the webinar, homework, practices, follow up resources or anything else!