Any history of the spread of ecologically-engaged Buddhism in the West necessarily includes the names Guyapati and David Loy. The former initiated discussions of ecodharma before the term existed in the mainstream Western Buddhist lexicon, and in 2007 opened Spain’s Eco-Dharma Centre, an international project rooted in communal effort. Ten years later, the latter helped to create the first dedicated ecodharma center in the U.S. In this conversation, the two explore braiding together Western and Eastern philosophies, as well as social justice work to develop “transversal” forms of resistance — the only tenable response, they advance, for deeply intertwined systems of oppression.
“What we’re trying to do with ecodharma is a continuation of the evolution of Buddhism.”
“To address interlocking systems of oppression, we need interlocking, connected, inter-related forms of resistance and alternatives.”
This recording is from a talk hosted by Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center.
Guhyapati is the founder of the ecodharma centre in the Catalan Pyrenees, which combines a retreat and education centre with post-capitalist community living. Thirty years of Dharma practice and social activism, together with an astute sense of group dynamics, inform his facilitation of participatory and holistic learning. He was ordained in the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1994. He has given much of his time to the development of trainings focused on engaged Buddhism and sustainable activism. He has spent the last few years translating and channelling learning from Ecodharma into a social movement capacity building programme at the Ulex Project. His love of the mountains finds expression in guiding wilderness immersion retreats and teaching radical ecology.
Pieces on One Earth SanghaDavid Robert Loy is vice-president of the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center. He is a professor, writer, and teacher in the Sanbo tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. A student of Yamada Koun and Robert Aitken, he was authorized to teach in 1988 and leads retreats and workshops nationally and internationally. He is author of EcoDharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis and A New Buddhist Path: Enlightenment, Evolution, and Ethics in the Modern World, and he is co-editor of A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency. His website is davidloy.org.
Pieces on One Earth Sangha
The Wisdom That Emerges Through Willingness
— Thích Nhất Hạnh
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