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Eco-Dharma

Two New Podcasts from Sentient Planet

The Weight of Empathy With Lucas Spiegel
A Podcast from Sentient Planet

Lucas Spiegal with a cow
Lucas Spiegel

Hi everyone. I have started broadcasting Season 3 of my podcast project, Sentient Planet. The first episode is an interview with Lucas Spiegel, of Oregon, who recently published a splendid travel memoir – The Weight of Empathy.

Lucas’ global travels pre-pandemic, which began in Australia, gave him some incredible insight into our human relationship with animals, food and each other. His philosophy and photographs are breathtaking. (I devoured his book in one afternoon.) I found him to be a very gentle, sensitive and insightful soul to chat with.

You can listen to the podcast here.

And you can download a digital copy of The Weight of Empathy here.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe, rate and review the podcast – it helps it reach more people across the world. Thank you… ()

Ratifying Animal Sentience with Claire Bass
A Podcast from Sentient Planet

Claire with Pig
Claire with rescued pig

Season 3 of the Sentient Planet podcast continues with my latest guest, Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International – UK.

Claire is another lovely human being who is doing great work to end cruelty towards animals – especially the 88 BILLION we slaughter every year for food. It’s a crazy number that I cannot get my head around.

We also talk about the UK’s recognition of crabs, lobsters and octopus as sentient in a new Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill that will become law in early 2022.

You can listen here.

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2021 Term 3 Koans Online Zen Group Roshi Susan Murphy Sensei Kynan Sutherland Talks Teachers

‘It’s My Fault’

Teisho #6 from Term 3 of Taking Part in the Gathering 2021. Click here to listen to other talks from this event.

Teacher: Roshi Susan Murphy & Sensei Kynan Sutherland
28 November 2021

zen open circle · Go Straight Ahead
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2021 Term 3 Koans Online Zen Group Sensei Kynan Sutherland Talks Teachers

‘It’s My Fault’

Teisho #4 from Term 3 of Taking Part in the Gathering 2021. Click here to listen to other talks from this event.

Teacher: Sensei Kynan Sutherland
31 October 2021

zen open circle · It's My Fault
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2021 Term 3 Online Zen Group Roshi Susan Murphy Talks Teachers

‘Ripeness is all’

Teisho #3 from Term 3 of Taking Part in the Gathering 2021. Click here to listen to other talks from this event.

Teacher: Roshi Susan Murphy
17 October 2021

zen open circle · Ripeness is all
Categories
Eco-Dharma It's Alive Eco-Dharma

The Plight of the Murray Darling Basin

Aerial View of the Murray Darling Basin
Aerial View of the Murray Darling Basin

Get ready to hear about a musical revue titled ‘The Magic Basin’ that Ines and Bob are working on to tell the story of the Murray Darling Basin. There is only one human in this revue and he resembles a koala. Other dramatis personae include pelicans, cod, carp, a feral cat called Angus, a feral pig called Pork Barrel, and a cane toad called Barnaby.

Here is the link to the presentation on the Murray-Darling Basin by Ines, and it includes some very talented actors speaking for our rivers.

Ines’ talk includes an introduction summarising the key issues affecting the Murray Darling Basin. She writes that many of us have only a vague idea of what the Basin is and how important it is for our food security. If we eat citrus, nuts, grapes, rice, drink wine or almond milk, eat dairy products, wear cotton, chances are we are consuming the produce and the water of the Murray Darling Basin. The people of the Basin from the towns and localities, do not function as a community. They struggle to recognise a common interest, which is the health of the river system. And we struggle to recognise our common interest with them.

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2021 Term 3 Online Zen Group Roshi Susan Murphy Talks Teachers

‘It speaks in silence’

Teisho #2 from Term 3 of Taking Part in the Gathering 2021. Click here to listen to other talks from this event.

Teacher: Roshi Susan Murphy
26 September 2021

zen open circle · It speaks in silence
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Eco-Dharma It's Alive Eco-Dharma Roshi Susan Murphy

What is Sentience with Roshi Susan Murphy

A photo of Susan Murphy
Roshi Susan Murphy

The latest guest on my Sentient Planet podcast needs no introductions in this Sangha! Suffice to say I was delighted when Susan agreed to come on the show and just as delighted with the final production, which you can listen to here.

As usual, our Roshi is full of joy and generosity in this interview, tackling with ease the big questions surrounding sentience, our kinship with more-than-human animals and the impossibility of separating ourselves from our magnificent Earth reality.

I welcome your thoughts and feedback here or personally via sjwoodward@spiritnw.net.

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Covid-19 Koans Online Zen Group Sensei Kynan Sutherland Talks Teachers

‘I am sick because the whole world is sick’

Teisho #1 from Term 3 of Taking Part in the Gathering 2021. Click here to listen to other talks from this event.

Teacher: Roshi Susan Murphy
12 September 2021

zen open circle · I am sick because the whole world is sick
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2021 Term 2 Koans Online Zen Group Roshi Susan Murphy Talks Teachers

‘Ah, is it so?’

Teisho #6 from Term 2 of Taking Part in the Gathering 2021. Click here to listen to other talks from this event.

Teacher: Roshi Susan Murphy
22 August 2021

zen open circle · Ah, is it so?
Categories
Eco-Dharma It's Alive Eco-Dharma

Living Through Fire with Danielle Celermajer

Another powerful podcast from Susan Woodward and Sentient Planet: Dany is director of the Multispecies Justice Project at the University of Sydney. She has recently published “Summertime: Reflections on a Vanishing Future.”

Danielle Celermajer
Danielle Celermajer

Some of you are familiar with this Aussie author, who wrote this year’s unputdownable book, “Summertime: Reflections on a Vanishing Future.” Dany is also director of the Multispecies Justice Project at the University of Sydney. I felt very honoured when she agreed to be a guest on my Sentient Planet podcast. And boy, she gave her all as a voice for the wild and domestic animals we share this time and space with. I learned a lot from her generous, completely open retelling of what it was like to encounter the Black Summer bushfires and what they taught her about love.

You can listen here. My email: sjwoodward@spiritnw.net