wkup deep ecology autumn retreat 2011

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DEEP ECOLOGY - PERMACULTURE - MINDFULNESS

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Retreat on mindfulness, deep ecology & permaculture

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Page 1: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

DEEP ECOLOGY - PERMACULTURE - MINDFULNESS

Page 2: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

RetreatEuropean Institute of Applied Buddhism

23rd - 30th September 2011

Content of this Booklet

1 - dear friends2 - humanities

3 - the shambhala‘s4 - being environmental5 - the invitation

6 - 5 remembrances7 - permaculture

9 - ecological self12 - poetry for every day

14 - songs

Page 3: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

DEAR FRIENDS,

Let‘s wake up together. Let‘s move from being homo sapiens to homo conscius. Let‘s come together in this 7-day retreat to cultivate collective awakening and explore Deep Ecology. Let‘s look deeply to see that the world we inhabit - with all its life - is nothing less than an extension of

ourselves: the world we are.

We can join together to enjoy the conditions for happiness available in the present moment. We can learn how to take care of our inner and outer environment through mindful breathing, smiling, lying, sitting, walking, eating, relaxing, playing and cultivating brother-hood and sisterhood. We will discover concrete ways to apply the insight of Interbeing into our own daily lives, to establish an intimate conversation with Mother Earth and to cultivate understanding and love for our fellow beings. This retreat will offer us an opportunity to experience an interdisciplinary mix of presentations, sharings and workshops on the Five Mindfulness Trainings, Deep Ecology and Per-maculture. We will collectively contemplate the question „How can we join forces and find a way to live and work together out of our

innermost aspiration?“.

Our love and gratitude towards nature, our ancestors, present and future generations and all beings, will be expressed through the act

of planting trees and gardens at the end of the retreat.

Page 4: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

humanitiesDeep commitmenttowards inner growth

People sometimes ask me how our species can reconcile with planet Earth after all the harm we have caused. We can reconcile with Mother Earth by practicing walking meditation. On every step we can kiss the earth with our feet, with love, with the promise that we will stop our current course of destroying Mother Earth. If we continue abusing the earth this way, there is no doubt that our civilization will be destroyed. This turnaround takes enlighten-ment, awakening. The Buddha attained individual awakening. Now we need a collective enlightenment to stop this course of destruc-tion. Civilization is going to end if we continue to drown in the

competition for power, fame, sex, and profit.

One day during meditation, I was contemplating global warming. With some anguish, I asked Nature this question: “Nature, do you think we can rely on you?” I asked the question because I know that Nature is intelligent; she knows how to react, sometimes violently, to reestablish balance. And I heard the answer in the form of another question: “Can I rely on you?” The question was being put back to me: can Nature rely on humans? And after a long, deep breathing, I said, “Yes, you can mostly rely on me.” And then I heard Nature’s answer, “Yes, you can also mostly rely on me.” That was a very deep conver-

sation I had with Nature.This should not be a mere verbal declaration. It should be a deep commitment from everyone, so that nature can respond in kind. With collective insight we can reconcile with and heal our planet. Every one of us can do something in our daily lives to contribute, to protect and care for our planet. It is time for us to wake up together in order

to do something to change the situation.

We have to live in such a way that a future will be possible for our children and grandchildren and our own life has to be the message.

-Thich Nhat Hanh (in: The Art of Power)

Page 5: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

The Shambhala Warrior‘s Mind TrainingFirmly establish your intention to live for the healing of our world. Be conscious of it, nurture it, honour it every day. Be fully present in our time. Find the coura-ge to breathe in the suffering of our world. Allow peace and healing to breathe out through you in return. Hold a single vision, in the same thought, the transformation of yourself and of the world. Live your life around that edge, always keeping it in mind. As a bird flies on two wings, balance outer activity with inner sustenance. Follo-wing your heart, realise your own unique gifts. Cultivate them with diligence to offer knowledge and skill to the world. Train in non-violence of body, speech and mind. With great patience to yourself, learn to make beautiful each action, thought and word. Do not meet power on its own terms. See through to its real nature: mind- and heart-made. Lead your response from that level. Simplify. Clear away the dead wood in your life. Look for the heartwood and give it the first call on your time, the best of your energy. Put down the leaden burden of saving the world alone. Join with others of like mind. Align yourself with the forces of resolution. In the crucible of meditation, bring forth day by day the compassion, wisdom, skill and courage for which the world longs. Sit with hatred, until you feel the fear beneath it. Sit with fear, until you feel the compassion beneath that. Do not set your heart on particular results. Enjoy positive action for its own sake. Rest confident that it will bear fruit. When you see violence, greed and narrow-mindedness in the fullness of its po-wer, walk straight into the heart of it, remaining open to the sky and in touch with the earth.

Staying open, staying grounded, remember that you are the inheritors of thousands of generations of life. Staying open, staying grounded, be confident in the magic and power that arise when people come together in a great cause. Staying open, staying grounded, have faith that the forces of wisdom and com-passion will manifest through our actions for the healing of our world.

When you see the weapons of hate, disarm them with Love. When you see the fortresses of narrow mindedness,

breach them with truth. When you find yourself in dark clouds of dread,

dispel them with courage. When the forces of power seek to isolate us from one another,

reach out with joy. In it and through it all, holding to your intention,

let go into the music of life. Dance!

Page 6: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

Being Environmental

There are many teachings that can help us understand our in-terconnectedness with our Mother Earth. one of the deepest is a dialogue between the Buddha and a student. It is called the Diamond Sutra and it is the most ancient text on deep ecology.

//

Subhuti: “What should people do, if they want to cultivate the highest

mind and spirit possible?“

The Buddha: „We have to do our best to help every living being across the ocean of suffering. But after all beings have arrived the shores of liberation, no being at all has been carried. If you by that time will still be attached to words and notions of a „self “, a „person“,

a „living being“ and a „life span“ you will still suffer.

//

Life is one; we don‘t need to slice it into pieces and call this or that piece a „self“. What we like to call a self is actually made of nonself elements.

Look at a flower. Could it possibly exist without the rain, the sun, the soil, the gardener, the minerals or even without your consciusness? It could not exist, if only one of the above is not there. If one is missing the whole flower is missing, too.

Thich Nath Hanh

Page 7: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

Oriah Mountain Dreamer‘s InvitationIt doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for

your dream, for the adventure of being alive.It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon.

I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have be-come shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without mo-ving to hide it or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes wit-hout cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember

the limitations of being human. It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true.

I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not be-tray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trust-worthy. I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it is not pretty every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to

the silver of the full moon, “Yes!” It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or

how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to

be done to feed the children. It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me

and not shrink back. It doesn’t interest me where or what or

with whom you have studied.I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Page 8: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

mindfulness _ the 5 remebrancesThis is the practice of the Five Remembrances, designed to help us recognize fear and practice sitting with it. You face the truth. You bring the seed of fear up and you face it and embrace it with your mindfulness. This needs courage. By doing this you reduce the strength of fear and the seed of fear becomes weaker.

This practice helps us accept old age, sickness, and death as reali-ties, facts that we cannot escape. We have to learn to accept the end of this civilization of ours. If we can accept it, we will be more peaceful. We accept our own death, we accept the death of our civilization. We touch the truth of impermanence and then we have peace. When we have peace, there will be hope again.

With this kind of peace we can make use of the technology that is available to us to save this planet of ours. With fear and despair we‘re not going to be able to save our planet, even if we have the technology to do it. It`s possible to die peacefully, with love, if we have the insight of interbeing in us and we know how to touch our true nature of no-birth and no-death.

Breathing in, I know I am of the nature to grow old.Breathing out, I know I cannot escape old age.

Breathing in, I know I am of the nature to get sick.Breathing out, I know I cannot escape sickness.

Breathing in, I know I am of the nature to die.Breathing out, I know I cannot escape dying.

Breathing in, I know one day I will have to let go of everything and everyone I cherish.

Breathing out, there is no way to bring them along.

Breathing in, I know that I bring nothing with me except my actions, thoughts, and deeds.

Breathing out, only my actions come with me.

Page 9: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011
Page 10: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

An introduction toPermacultureHistory

Permaculture is a design system based on ethics and design princi-ples which can be used to establish, design, manage and improve all efforts made by individuals, households and communities towards a sustainable future. The permaculture flower uses the evolutio-nary spiral path to link together the key domains required for this change.These concepts are adapted from „Permaculture Principles & Pa-thways Beyond Sustainability“ by permaculture co-originator David Holmgren.

Intention

The 12 permaculture design principles are thinking tools, that when used together, allow us to creatively re-design our environment and our behaviour in a world of less energy and resources.

These principles are seen as universal, although the methods used to express them will vary greatly according to the place and situation. They are applicable to our personal, economic, social and political re-organisation as illustrated in the permaculture flower.

Each principle can be thought of as a door that opens into whole sys-tems thinking, providing a different perspective that can be under-stood at varying levels of depth and application.

Ethics

Central to permaculture are the three ethics: care for the earth, care for people and fair share. They form the foundation for permaculture design and are also found in most traditional societies.

Ethics are culturally evolved mechanisms that regulate self-interest, giving us a better understanding of good and bad out-comes. The greater the power of humans, the more critical ethics become for long-term cultural and biological survival.

For more information, turn to: Every Body on this planetExcerpts taken from http://permacultureprinciples.com to spread the word. thank you.

Page 11: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011
Page 12: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

Deep EcologyThe ecological self (by arne naess)

For at least 2500 years, humankind has struggled with basic ques-tions about who we are, what we are heading for, what kind of reality we are part of. Two thousand five hundred years is a short period in the lifetime of a species, and still less in the lifetime of the Earth, on whose surface we belong as mobile parts.

1. We underestimate ourselves. We tend to confuse it with the nar-row ego.

2. Human nature is such that with sufficient all-sided maturity we cannot avoid „identifying“ ourselves with all living beings, beauti-

ful or ugly, big or small, sentient or not.3. Traditionally the maturity of the self develops through three stages--from ego to social self, and from social self to metaphysi-cal self. In this conception of the process nature--our home, our immediate environment, where we belong as children--is largely ignored. Society and human relations are important, but our self is richer in its constitutive relations. These relations are not only relations we have with humans and the human community, but

with the larger community of all living beings.4. The joy and meaning of life is enhanced through increased self-realization, through the fulfillment of each being‘s potential. Whatever the differences between beings, increased self-realizati-

on implies broadening and deepening of the self.5. Because of an inescapable process of indentification with others, with growing maturity, the self is widened and deepened. We „see ourself in others“. Self-realization is hindered if the self-realiza-tion of others, with whom we identify, is hindered. Love of ourself will labor to overcome this obstacle by assisting in the self-reali-zation of others according to the formula „live and let live.“ Thus, all that can be achieved by altruism--the dutiful, moral considera-tion of others-- can be achieved--and much more--through wide-ning and deepening ourself. Following Immanuel Kant‘s critique,

we then act beautifully but neither morally nor immorally.6. The challenge of today is to save the planet from further de-vastation which violates both the enlightened self-interest of hu-mans and nonhumans, and decreases the potential of joyful exis-

tence for all.taken from: joanna macy. voice for peace, action and compassion

www.joannamacy.com

Page 13: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

wake up tree

with reverence to the buddha nature within all beings,

we wake-up‘ers from all directions have gathered to ex-plore the precious gift of life and our great potential to

live, in celebration of brotherhood and sisterhood.

aware of the suffering caused by unskillful actions in the past, present and future, we dedicate the wholeso-me energy of this moment of interbeing to this soil and

vow to nourish the seeds planted in us during this wake-up retreat.

may we cultivate the capacity to bear fruits of love and understanding. may this wake-up tree bear nourishing

fruits for our ancestors, present and future generations.

///we bow to all beings in gratitude.

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Page 14: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

poetry for daily life by Thich Nath Hanh

Poetry helps us to practice mindfulness in our daily lives and to look deeply. Reciting these short poems will bring awareness, peace, and joy to the simple activities we may take for granted, like eating a meal, washing our hands, taking out the garbage. The images are all real and practical. You might even create your own poems for the things which are important to you. We need more poetry in our daily lives, don‘t we?

Going Back To Your Breathing

Feelings come and golike clouds in a windy sky.

Conscious breathingis my anchor.

Waking Up

Waking up this morning I smile,24 brand new hours in the day.

I vow to live fully in each moment,And to look at all beings

With eyes of love and compassion.

Taking The First Step Of The Day

Walking on the Earthis a miracle!

With each mindful stepa flower blooms,

With each mindful stepa gentle wind blows.

Looking Out The Window

Looking out the window,how wondrous is life!

Attentive to each moment,my mind is clear like a calm river.

Page 15: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

Turning On The Water

Water flows from high mountain sources.Water runs deep in the Earth.

Miraculously, water comes to usand sustains all life.

Brushing Your Teeth

Brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth,I vow to speak purely and lovingly.

When my mouth is fragrant with right speech,a flower blooms in the garden of my heart.

Looking At Your Empty Bowl

My bowl, empty now,will soon be filled with precious food.

Beings all over the Earth are struggling to live.How fortunate I am to have enough to eat.

Serving Food

In this food I see clearlythe entire universe

supporting my existence.

Touching The Earth

Earth brings us into lifeand nourishes us.

Earth takes us back again.We are born and we die with every breath.

Watering The Garden

Water and sungreen these plants.

When the rain of compassion falls,even the desert becomes a vast fertile plain.

Recycling

In the garbage, I see a rose.In the rose, I see the garbage.

Everything is in transformation.Even permanence is impermanent.

Page 16: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

Songs / Lieder

I am open

I am open and I am willing

To be hopeless would seem so strange

It dishonors those who go before us

So lift me up to the light of change

There is hurting in my family

There is sorrow in my town

There is panic in the nation

There is wailing the whole world round

May the children see more clearly

May the elders be more wise

May the winds of change caress us

Even though it burns our eyes

Give me a mighty oak to hold my confusion

Give me a desert to hold my fears

Give me a sunset to hold my wonder

Give me an ocean to hold my tears

Page 17: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

the circle of life

We are circelingcirceling together

we are singingsinging our heart song

This is familythis is unity

this is celebration this is sacred.

Page 18: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

above and below

Above and below _and all around us all

Above and below _and all around us all

You are the essence of all the beauty in life

You are the essence of the love in my life

_Sacred source from within and below

Sacred source from within and below

nature is coolI love nature

nature is coolThe forest is my classroom

the earth is my schooltrees are my teachersanimals are my friends

and on this schoolall life depends

Page 19: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

silence is an ocean

Silence is an oceanlanguage is a rivera hundred voices inside sayingthat‘s enough for nowWhen the ocean calls to youdon‘t go to the riverlisten to the oceanthat‘s enough for now.

the little snailI‘m a little sna

il

I walk with tiny steps

I carry my house

everywhere I go

sing with me

the world is beautiful

let‘s smile, let‘s love

i am walkingI am walking, on a journeyto nowhere, takin‘ it easy,takin‘ it slow.No more worries,no need to hurry,nothing to carry, let it all go

Page 20: WKUP Deep Ecology Autumn Retreat 2011

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