The natural world models the wisdom of the Tao—yin and yang, restoration and action, elemental darkness and light in dynamic balance. As the fallow of winter gives birth to the generative energy of springtime, we invite you into an embodied dharma inquiry into balance and regeneration. The dominant paradigm carries a great bias towards speed, action, and the expressive aspects of Nature and consciousness while undervaluing receptivity and stillness. This, alongside the urgency of our times, can lead us to depletion and overwhelm us at the same time.
In this restorative gathering, we will explore teachings from Eden’s latest book: Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown, about the power of receptivity and the sacred balance of dark and light in the work of bearing compassionate witness—and consciously responding—to our world.
All are welcome; experienced practitioners and newcomers; those who identify as change agents and those who do not. Consider that in today’s world we are all called to consciously respond and to act on behalf of what we cherish and wish to protect.
This gathering took place on April 28, 2024. You can find the recording of this event below.
Deborah Eden Tull, founder of Mindful Living Revolution, is a Zen meditation/mindfulness teacher, author, spiritual activist and sustainability educator. She spent seven years as a monastic at a silent Zen Monastery, and has been immersed in sustainable communities for 25 years. Eden’s teaching style is grounded in compassionate awareness, non-duality, mindful inquiry, and personal transformation. She teaches dharma intertwined with post-patriarchal thought and practices, resting upon a lived knowledge of our unity with the more than human world. She also facilitates The Work That Reconnects, created by Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy. Eden has been practicing meditation for the past 30 years and teaching for over 20 years. Her books include Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown, Relational Mindfulness: A Handbook for Deepening Our Connection with Our Self, Each Other, and Our Planet, and The Natural Kitchen: Your Guide to the Sustainable Food Revolution. She lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina, Cherokee land, and offers domestic and international retreats, leadership trainings, and consultations.
Support this Offering
One Earth Sangha and our featured speakers offer these explorations on a donation basis, with no required registration fee. We invite you to participate in the tradition of offering dana, or generosity. Your support makes these gatherings possible, and any amount offered is greatly appreciated.
We also welcome your support for One Earth Sangha:
Recording
Inquries for Group Discussion
Please consider how these messages within the dominant paradigm have impacted you in this lifetime:
- Force is more effective than gentleness.
- One needs to be aggressive in this competitive world.
- One needs to perform at one’s best constantly.
- If you are quiet, you will be overlooked. One’s opinion needs to be
- heard in every matter.
- There is no time to listen. There is something that needs to get done. Bigger is better. More is better. Faster is better. Louder is better.
More from Deborah Eden Tull
- This EcoDharma Exploration draws from Deborah Eden Tulls’s latest book Luminous Darkness.
- During the gathering Eden shared several poems:
- Every day, priests minutely examine the Law by Ikkyu Sojun
- You, Darkness by Rainer Maria Rilke
- How Then Shall We Live by Vicki Robin
- Explore an upcoming retreat with Deborah Eden Tull: Truth Mandala: A Community Ritual for Honouring Our Grief, Anxiety, Anger and Love for the World or explore the full list of retreats and workshops here.
- To go deeper with Deborah Eden Tull’s work, check out her website and subscribe to her newsletter to stay up-to-date on her offerings.
