• LGBTQ

I have not yet been involved with such an organization. I have attended a few social justice -related events through ZCLA (Zen Center of Los Angeles). I am interested in being involved similarly in the future, but I have not found an organization that resonates with me.

I am part of ZCLA’s Facing Whiteness circle, which meets every other week and is a kind of dialogue / white affinity group where we openly reflect on our race and racism. This so far has been a very positive and healing experience for me, which is part of why I was inspired to seek something similar in the environmental justice movement. I also have had positive experiences in ZCLA’s councils, which I find very healing. In general, practicing in community at ZCLA has been pivotal to my experience.

I want to look more deeply into how I can work to benefit environmental justice movements, but I have not yet found a means that resonates with me. I hope to meet people of like-mind who can support me in this, and whom I can support in their own practice. By accessing diverse perspectives and the experiences of people who have already engaged in social justice work, I hope to gain ideas and inspiration for engaging in this work.

I also want to clarify how my daily work intersects with taking care of the Earth. I am currently a graduate student studying quantum physics, and this work is important to me. I find it helps me to access the wonder of life. However, I often question the ethics of certain kinds of experimental science in light of the climate crisis. “How can we spend money on this when there is such imminent threat?” I’m not sure what the answer to this question is, and how it will affect my course of study, but it is important for me to look into this to clarify my own intentions in my studies.

Finally, I am interested in learning more about organizing around environmental justice so that I can facilitate discussions (and possibly actions) around this at ZCLA. Again I’m not entirely sure where I will go with this, but I want to learn more so that I can facilitate our looking at these issues as a community.

ZCLA is my main spiritual community and I feel we would benefit from conversations and action around the climate crisis. I hope that I can bring what I learn back into our community in some form, whether by giving a talk or starting a dialogue / action group.

I am also a part of the scientific community. I think it is essential that scientists have conversations around the ethics of our work, and consider who is benefiting from it. How can we ensure that science serves all people, and does not simply become a tool of more privileged people? These are conversations I want to have with other scientists, and I hope this course may give me a foundation for these conversations.

Yes, I am comfortable using Zoom and I’m available on the listed dates.

Yes, it feels realistic and doable.

Tchoren, Emily and I have been meeting together as a 3-sanghas pod for the past several months, diving into these issues together and reflecting on the intersection of environmental justice with our own spiritual practice. I feel we have built a great deal of trust and vulnerability.

Jakuan and I are both members of ZCLA and have spoken personally about the course. While I don’t know her intimately, we have attended ZCLA events together. Speaking to her, I feel she and I share similar goals and aspirations, and I trust her in participating in this intimate work.

Joao and Bruno are members of Tchoren’s sangha in Brazil, and while we haven’t met personally, I trust Tchoren that we will be good teammates and develop trust just as we did in our 3-sanghas pod.

I feel we are all committed to finishing this course, as I have witnessed this commitment in our 3-sanghas group and also feel that from Jakuan.