Forms and Opportunities for Engaged Practice
Prophesy courage, have the imagination to break the silence, end the isolation, change the story. Concede to the ripeness of things as the great chance itself. There are good reasons to be joyful—even after considering all the facts.
— Susan Murphy, Australian writer, filmmaker, and Zen teacher
No small part of our challenge is the pervasive poverty of agency. How often do we hear, including from ourselves, “but I’m just one person”? Yet both Dharma and sociology disagree. Our words and actions matter so much and indeed they are all we have.
Yet whether or not our actions make a big difference that we can actually see, feel, and touch is, in a way, none of our business. Our opportunity is to meaningfully respond. We can speak in ways that actually help. We can act in ways that are deeply rooted, skillful, strategic, and unattached to specific outcomes.
Featured Calls to Action
Upcoming
- Join the People’s Alliance for Earth Action Now (PAEAN) and register for the launch call January 30th.
- Chase, CitiBank, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo customers: Sign on to an open letter asking your bank’s CEO to stop funding the destruction of our planet.
Ongoing Opportunities
- Stop the Money Pipeline:
- Move your money and divest from fossil fuels
- If you are a college student, learn about and launch a reinvestment campaign
- Tell your government representatives and local financial institutions to put people and planet before polluters
Featured Calls to Action
Upcoming
- #StopLine3: Check out the @stopline3 linktree for information about how to join the movement by donating, attending a workshop or rally, helping allies on the frontlines get supplies, and more.
- Oak Flat: US residents can ask your members of Congress to support and co-sponsor the Save Oak Flat Act.
- Sign the Multi-faith Climate Statement to be presented to world leaders at COP26 in November 2021.
Ongoing Opportunities
- Stop the Money Pipeline:
- Move your money and divest from fossil fuels
- If you are a college student, learn about and launch a reinvestment campaign
- Tell your government representatives and local financial institutions to put people and planet before polluters
Featured Campaigns
A Practice of Meeting Harm with Steady Love
We invite you to bring your standing practice both into the meditation hall and out in the world with you, as an act of solidarity with life.
A call to defend sacred land of the Western Apache
- Launched April 23, 2021
Mining companies are threatening to turn a sacred site into a copper pit. Many Apaches are working to defend their historic homeland, and you can help.
Opportunities to Counter Structural Greed
- Launched February 24, 2021
United around a set of equity principles, this broad coalition confronts the financial sector institutions that fund climate chaos. If you're looking for a way to counter institutionalized greed, this might be a place for your practice.
There is a way to be a human being
that causes all life to thrive.
— Woman Stands Shining (Pat McCabe)
Stories of Engaged Practice
An Interview with Aidan Kankyoku
- September 28, 2021
- Kristin Barker
- September 28, 2021
26-year-old Buddhist activist Aidan Kankyoku speaks to the evolving landscapes of direct action, and daring to be a part of the shifts.
Reflections on a Public Act of Protest
- June 11, 2021
- Satya Robyn
- June 11, 2021
Psychotherapist, author, and Buddhist priest Satya Robyn offers a vulnerable account of mindful disobedience.
An Interview with Jeff Wagner
- June 4, 2021
- Mark Rasmuson
- June 4, 2021
In the first of a new interview series, outdoor educator, writer and non-profit founder Jeff Wagner reflects on localized belonging as resistance.
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