Mindfully Facing Climate Change Endorsements

Mindfully Facing Climate Change Endorsements: Reactions to the concept of ‘climate change’ today are many and various, similar to the ways one can react to the diagnosis of a threatening disease—denial, anger, anxiety and numbness are common—but it doesn’t need to be this way. In this humble and thoughtfully presented book the author skillfully draws upon such classical Buddhist teachings as ‘The Discourse on Mindfulness’, ‘The Elephant’s Footprint’ and ‘The Seven Suns’, as well as mod- ern scientific studies, to show how this instability in the world can be a source of liberating insight rather than of fear or rage. In addition, through citing numerous pragmatic teachings and meditation techniques, the book shows us how we can change our hab- its and live in ways that conduce to the well-being of the planet, of our human community and of us as individuals. Climate change is indeed a challenging diagnosis but it can cause us to wake up, let go and unselfishly help the world—to live more fully and skillfully—which is a blessing indeed for all concerned. Ajahn Amaro This short book by Bhikkhu Anālayo, one of the world’s lead- ing authorities on early Buddhism, is unique among works on Buddhism and environment for its extensive attention to early Buddhist texts. His skillful exegesis of these passages provides lessons for our perilous age. He shows how Buddhists have con- nected morality to both environmental degradation and recovery; how we can use Buddhist perspectives and practices to deal with denial, anger, resignation, and other emotions provoked by contemplating climate change; and not only how Buddhism could help with the mitigation of or adaptation to climate change, but how a practitioner could use the challenges we face to grow spir- itually. A new story for the world requires that we change our minds, and Anālayo shows how Buddhist methods for cultivating mindfulness and practicing compassion can help us mitigate climate change and adapt to its progression. Daniel Cozort Rather than immediately focusing on climate change directly, Bhikkhu Anālayo first explores early Buddhism’s perspective on the Earth and environment within the context of the four Noble Truths, based on selected early Pāli texts and their Chi- nese parallels. His thoughtful set of reflections then culminate in the chapter on the Eightfold Path, ‘Walking the Path’, in which he focusses on various ways in which the Dharma is helpful in both facing climate change without losing one’s equanimity through such things as anger or resignation, and being mindful of ways in which one can reduce one’s carbon footprint through one’s everyday actions, and skillfully work to influence others to do likewise. Peter Harvey Bhikkhu Anālayo’s book is an extraordinary achievement. Thor- oughly familiar with early Buddhism both as a scholar and as a practitioner, he is at the same time fully aware of the imminent disastrous consequences of human-made climate change. Start- ing from the four noble truths as a scaffolding for his presenta- tion and from mindfulness as a central Buddhist practice, he an- alyzes the present situation and points out how a Buddhist should react and contribute to prevent further deterioration. To an ad- mirable degree, Bhikkhu Anālayo succeeds in suggesting crea- tive answers while faithfully preserving the spirit and the thought of early Buddhism. Lambert Schmithausen Mindfully Facing Climate Change Bhikkhu Anālayo Published by Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Barre, Massachusetts USA (www.buddhistinquiry.org) © Bhikkhu Anālayo 2019 ISBN 9781706719885 The cover shows the stūpa at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies; hornets have built a nest right above the head of the Buddha statue. Cover picture taken by Benjamin Engel. Cover design and drawings by Dido Dolmen. (www.didodolmen.it) As an act of Dhammadāna, Bhikkhu Anālayo has waived roy- alty payments for this book. Contents Acknowledgement 8 Foreword 9 Introduction 13 Relating to the Earth 17 The Four Noble Truths 18 Dukkha 20 The Five Aggregates 21 The Elephant’s Footprint 22 The Four Elements 25 The Earth 27 Contemplation of the Elements 32 A Mind Like the Earth 33 The Earth and Sentience 34 Humans and Animals 36 The Food Chain 39 Dependent Arising 42 The Beauty of Nature 45 Summary 48 An Ethics of the Mind 49 The Arising of dukkha 49 Mindful Self-reliance 50 Bad Governance 55 Ethical Decline 57 Ecological Decline 61 The Ten Courses of Action 65 Ethical Recovery 67 Ecological Recovery 69 Contemplation of the Mind 72 Internal and External Mindfulness 75 Denial 77 Anger 79 Resignation 81 Summary 82 Liberation of the Mind 85 Types of Liberation 86 The Role of the Divine Abodes 88 The Simile of the Saw 91 The Buddha and Anger 92 Communal Harmony 95 The Acrobat Simile 97 Compassion for Sentient Beings 99 Compassion as Non-Harm 101 Compassion without Grief 105 Compassion in the Eightfold Path 108 The Ethical Dimension of the Divine Abodes 110 The Radiation of the Divine Abodes 113 The Experience of the Divine Abodes 116 Summary 118 Walking the Path 119 Awakening 119 Drought 120 Desiccation 122 Conflagration 124 Future Decline 130 Dispassion 132 View 134 Intention 136 Speech 137 Action 142 Livelihood 145 Effort 146 Mindfulness 148 Concentration 149 The Middle Path 150 Mindfulness of Death 153 Summary 156 Conclusion 159 Appendix: Meditation 161 Contemplation of the Earth 162 Contemplation of the Mind 165 Cultivating Compassion 166 Contemplation of Impermanence 168 Summary 171 Abbreviations 173 References 174 Index 195 Acknowledgement I am indebted to Chris Burke, Bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā, Ann Dillon, William Edelglass, Linda Grace, Peter Harvey, Karin Meyers, Yuka Nakamura, Mike Running, and Lambert Schmit- hausen for commenting on a draft version of this book and to the staff, board members, and supporters of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies for providing me with the facilities need- ed for my practice and writing. Foreword As a Dharma teacher who is very concerned about climate, I have been aware for some time that practitioners are often re- sistant to hearing Dharma talks on this subject. I have been told at times that the topic is “too political” and “off point”— they have come to hear the teachings to be comforted in order to address their own personal suffering and hardly want to be asked to take on even more. They understandably seek to es- cape from the intensity and bombardment of sensational news filled with acrimony, divisiveness, and fear that one must work hard to avoid. But I wonder about the contradiction of engag- ing in practice while avoiding the truth. While wanting to offer words that can calm the mind and heart, I also take to heart the Buddha’s example that in order to truly be free we need to directly acknowledge dukkha so we can skillfully transform it into compassion and wisdom. I wres- tle with finding the balance between words that can soothe and support in facing the climate crisis and those that challenge us to wake up to the fact that we are like children playing with our toys without realizing that the house is on fire. So with deep appreciation I commend Bhikkhu Anālayo for addressing in Mindfully Facing Climate Change this crisis we are all facing on this planet. Sitting with Bhikkhu Anālayo one can’t help but be im- pressed and inspired by his knowledge of not only the Pāli dis- courses but their Chinese and Tibetan parallels as well. Even more, the inspiration that comes from witnessing his deep practice is invigorating. So it was with enthusiasm and profound respect that I sat with him at Spirit Rock on a weeklong retreat exploring the intricacies of the Ānāpānasati-sutta. 10 Mindfully Facing Climate Change However, I was completely unprepared for the teachings he gave on the last morning of that retreat. Sitting rock steady in the Dharma hall as usual, he began by saying, “This morning I am going to talk about climate change. Some people think that this is not an appropriate topic for the Dharma Hall. I want you to know that I think it is an important thing we should be talking about in our practice.” A deep hush came over the room. He then proceeded to give a powerful explanation about why this topic is so crucial and what our meditation practice and Buddhist teachings have to offer as we navigate this crisis facing all of humanity. I had no idea that this had been a topic of deep concern for this Buddhist scholar and meditation teacher. It gave me hope that someone so steeped in the teachings and such a respected voice of the Theravāda tradition was applying the Dharma in this way. At this time, with so many of us wondering how we can wisely approach the crisis of climate change, it is a real gift to see how Bhikkhu Anālayo applies the teachings as a way to hold this dire situation. He shows us how Dharma understand- ing and perspective can help not only with our personal practice but also can contribute profound wisdom for humanity as we all grapple with the situation. In these pages he explores in his own unique way how various canonical teachings such as the four noble truths, the four elements, the brahmavihāras (with a special emphasis on compassion), mindfulness, the eightfold path, and death contemplation can guide us in addressing the climate issue. What is particularly refreshing is Bhikkhu Anālayo’s way of crea- tively applying the teachings and canonical discourse references to the current situation.

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