Environment newsletter by WCCM

Summer 201 7

Meditation and the Environment Introduction Janet O'Sullivan

have been a member of the Aus tralian Christian Meditation Com munity for over 20 years and have occupied varied roles at national and state level. With an active concern for preserving the integrity of our planet, I coordinated the planning of the Meditatio event “Meditation and the Environment” in Sydney on Earth Day 2016, which focused on the rela tionship between ecology, economy, and the human contemplative dimen sion.

I was fortunate to have grown up in the country, nurtured by nature, and am alarmed at the seemingly growing disconnect with nature fostered in part by the lure of virtual reality tech nologies. Trained as a development economist and also in religious edu cation, I have been involved with adult education and retreats in areas relating to ecology and the economy. With frequent contact with Asian cul tures, I learnt meditation in various other traditions before a “homecom ing” to my Christian roots in the Christian Meditation Community. ◊

human beings are putting both ourselves and countless other spe cies at risk of extinction. Fr Laurence, together with other speakers, spoke of the ecological tipping point of the planet and the necessity of a global tipping point By Linda Chapman of consciousness. Bishop George he Meditatio Seminar on the Browning gave a vigorous address Environment held in Sydney, and encouraged the need to live out Australia on 22 24 April 2016 was the human vocation to ‘keep the described as transformative by space’ of creation by taking decisive some of the 350 people who atten action for the common good. Medit ded. The first Meditatio seminar on environment for The World Com munity for Christian Meditation, it brought together significant speak ers from the various disciplines of theology, philosophy, science, and spirituality. It was both a sobering reminder of the ecological crisis we currently face and at the same time an inspiring call to action.

Meditation and the Environment: a transformative experience

In opening the event on Friday evening, Fr Laurence suggested that on our current trajectory the human species could well be engaging in an act of suicide. He maintained that whilst the earth will endure,

ation as a form of action, in and of itself, as well as an interior work to support environmental advocacy and activism was affirmed.

Inside Introduction

Meditatio Seminar on Environment in Sydney 1 The Earth is Crying Out — How do We Respond?

On Saturday, the morning began with the powerful sound of the didgeridoo played by a Walbunga man from the south coast. This sound resonates deeply in the hu man body and psyche, and suggests the ‘deep calling on deep’ that Miriam Rose Ungunmerr speaks on in her talk of Dadirri (contempla tion). Later in the morning, we were re minded by Aboriginal philosopher Vicki Grieves of the gift of aboriginal people and culture to the white people of our land. The pattern thinking of these people, as seen in much of their art, of fers to us a conscious ness of the connections of all life and a view of the land as sacred. Susan Murphy spoke of the need for something to be roused in us such that we would act towards the

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other with compassion. She reflec ted on the human tendency to quickly move away from that which makes us feel uncomfortable. The practice of meditation is, of course, a practice of staying with and at tending to the present moment. A visual lectio later in the morning confronted us with images of pro found human wounding of the oth erthanhuman environment. We were invited to stay present to those images and notice our own re sponses. Later we used some words from Laudate Si for further lectio.

fosters sees this nondual reality. And further conversation recog nised that human destructiveness is not located solely within any one sector of society but is universal. On Sunday the event hosted a rich feast of workshops for participants

“...we embodied the practice of stillness and silence.”

to attend. In the afternoon a panel facilitated by Donna Mulhearn that A robust dialogue in the Q&A ses included some young activists was sion during the afternoon prompted engaging and inspiring. a deeper reflection on the role of the At the heart of the conference lay church in shaping past and present the practice of meditation. Led by Fr attitudes to the environment. Vari Laurence we embodied the practice ous speakers proposed a common of stillness and silence. Ultimately view of the culpability of Christian this Meditatio Seminar confirmed ity in the social, political and tech and clarified the role of meditation nological worldview of western in contributing to the healing of civilization that contributes to the earthhuman relations through a disregard and ‘desacralization’ of new consciousness. Meditation nature. David Tacey spoke of the fosters a contemplative conscious necessity of facing this shadow in ness for the common good of the Christianity. We were reminded whole earth community. As a prac however that human beings are a tice that bears the fruit of simplicity part of nature rather than being it may reveal to us both the need of, apart from it. The contemplative and our capacity to live within, lim consciousness that meditation

its such that we will secure space for other life and future generations. As a practice that heals our vision, that is to say, our dualism, it may restore a worldview of life as a web of re latedness whereby we recognize that when we harm a part we harm the whole. As a practice that returns us to our own centre so, as John Main says, we discover that we are connected with every centre, the centre that is everywhere. In this way, we learn to live in harmony with the whole of creation. As both a speaker and a participant I left the event with an unequivocal sense of the significance of the practice of meditation in a world that will be increasingly and pro foundly challenged by climate change with consequent biological and social disruption. We must grow more fully human; more con sciously loving and lifegiving, making space for others on this small, magnificent garden planet that is held in being within the vastness of the cosmos. This earth who shelters us, feeds us, inspires us is precious beyond words. We are her inhabitants. May we also keep her and love her. ◊

“So meditation is a process whereby creative energy is released within us... the great task that confronts us is to discover our own spiritual capacity... our potential to respond fully to the gift of our own life and the lives of others and to the gift of the whole of creation.” —John Main, “Door to Silence”

Meditation and the Environment - Page 2

The Earth is crying out: how do we respond? by Janet O'Sullivan

ur moment in history presents a new and immedi ate challenge — to rethink and re imagine all our relationships with each other and the planet which supports us. How do we see our responsibility for the wellbeing of our environ ment? Our earth community? Do we hear the earth's call for an ex panded sense of Self? We have new knowledge of deep time and deep ecology — of our very recent place in an unfolding universe of over 13 billion years — we have experience of our growing interconnectedness (ecological self). What we do to the

“We experience a deeper

earth we do to ourselves — we now experience the alarming con sequences of our loss of a sense of a sacred creation; and of our excessive materialism which does not nourish our spiritual dimension. We see how symptoms of our distress on the individual and collective level, and in healing ourselves we contribute to healing the world.

awareness of who we are and therefore a deeper connection to the whole earth community. Through this sense of connection and the work of paying attention, meditation, I believe we can be a catalyst for ecological conversion and then provide the energy for ongoing, longterm sustainable action for the environment.” —Donna Mulhearn, meditator, social justice and environmental activist.

perience a different reality and an ability to see differently.” What does the Earth need from us? We need the totality of our under standing to respond to this question — from the inner world of con sciousness, spirit, as well as the outer physical world of the senses and the knowledge of the mind.

From John Main, ‘There is a deep More and more we are and urgent need in the world today understanding with our to recover the true experience of minds our interconnec spirit.” tedness with each other In the West we have largely focused and the world around on human wellbeing to the neglect us — the visible causes of wellbeing of the earth. and effects operating on global and individual Our dominant management systems levels along with the in have created an economy discon visible network of en nected from the environment. How ergy exchange of which can we sustain a system dependent on growth on a finite planet? In our we are a part. dominating social and economic When we meditate we systems we have not only en can experience a differ dangered the earth's wellbeing but ent way of knowing, ex our own — stress, depression, periencing our oneness emptiness, anxiety and addictions with the ground of be being some of the symptoms of our ing. “Listening with the disease. Like cells in a larger body, ear of the heart.” As Fr. we feel the trauma of the world. Laurence has said, “In Our pain for the world and love for meditation we create a the world are one as we act to help spaciousness of mind to transform the world in our indi give us the ability to ex vidual callings.

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We invite you to explore and share your understanding and experiences of how meditation helps transform our relation to the wellbeing of the earth… to help create, and live from a new consciousness and engage in contemplative activities for the heal ing of the world. Can we imagine a different future, a new economic narrative that doesn't rely on economic growth but ac knowledges our dependence on the physical ecology of our planet and the impossibility of continued phys ical growth on a finite planet? A fu ture in which current inequality and economic activity are not sustain able? Can we face our fears, our denial of the pain and suffering of vast numbers of our fellow humans and creatures, and of the degrada tion we are causing to our common home? The earth is crying out — how will we respond? We are co creators of the future. ◊

Australian Meditation Community, Climate March

Loving the World Laurence Freeman, OSB

Fr. Laurence challenges us with this powerful insight: For the first time in human history, humans are now in control of the environment. But we are not handling this very responsibly. An environmental crisis has been generated by economic activity driven by competition and shortterm gains. But if we made the crisis, then we can change it. To do this, we ourselves must be prepared to change radically. This, Fr Laurence says, is what meditation does. As the mantra sinks deeper into the heart, it opens within us the spirit of wisdom and compassion, the spirit of Christ who came to love the world and to heal it. Available at meditatiostore.com/lovingtheworldlaurencefreemanosb For this and other Meditatio publications, visit meditatiostore.com.

Meditation and The Environment Meditatio St Marks Myddelton Square London EC1 R 1 XX United Kingdom email: meditatio@wccm.org web: meditatio.co.uk

Meditatio is a cluster of programs, publications and events that brings the fruits and benefits of meditation to the wider world. It is the outreach of The World Community for Christian Meditation and seeks to bring universal spiritual wisdom and values to bear upon the pressing issues of a secular world. Meditation and publication.

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