A Letter to the Earth from Thich Nhat Hanh
Dear Mother Earth,
Every time I step upon the Earth, I will train myself to see that I am walking on you. Every time I place my feet on the Earth, I have a chance to be in touch with you and with all your wonders. With every step I can touch the fact that you aren’t just beneath me, dear Mother, but you are also within me. Each mindful and gentle step can nourish me, heal me, and bring me into contact with myself and with you in the present moment.
Walking in this spirit, I can experience awakening. I can awaken to the fact that I am alive, and that life is a precious miracle. I can awaken to the fact that I am never alone and can never die. You are always there within me and around me at every step, nourishing me, embracing me, and carrying me far into the future. Dear Mother, I make the promise today to return to your love and fulfill this wish by investing every step I take on you with love and tenderness. I am walking not merely on matter, but on spirit.
Thich Nhat Hanh
About Us
“You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment. In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is the highest form of prayer.”
It’s Alive! is an on-line Eco-Dharma group affiliated with the Zen Open Circle Buddhist Group in New South Wales. Group members are based in locations including States around Australia and in the USA. Our aim is to “To work on projects which address the climate emergency, to protect, sustain and save the natural environment and its many inhabitants, and to deepen our own connection with mother earth, and inspire others to do so.”
As climate change and the destruction of the environment and its inhabitants escalates critically, each one of us experiences ongoing grief and a great desire to DO SOMETHING towards supporting all life on this wonderful and bounteous planet earth. We do this by taking up a climate change/environment project right where we live, and sharing our project journey at supportive bi-monthly meetings.. We also post descriptions of our projects on the Zen Open Circle on-line magazine Bright and Dark , together with notifications about Action Sits and other environment/climate change events and resources. And most important for morale, we are posting the ‘Good News’ that is now beginning to happen as the world slowly wakes up to realizing what a precious and extraordinary jewel this planet earth offers.
Lizzie Finn
On this Page you will find:
How to get involved
Upcoming talks
Good News
Current projects
Calendar of action events
Resources and Links
How to get involved
If you would like to join or if you have any questions, email our group host lizziefinn@iprimus.com.au. You will be added to our email discussion list for this group.
It’s Alive posts Check out our Eco-Dharma posts on Bright and Dark (under Categories)
Waking up With a Community Wildlife Corridor: Work to Restore the Land
View a video of this talk here
In her talk ‘Waking up with a Community Wildlife Corridor: Work to Restore the Land’, Lizzie Finn describes how she was drawn into environmental activism for the first time 6 years ago to restore an essential urban bushland Community Wildlife Corridor running right in front of her home. The Liberal Government at that time moved in without warning one day with police, security guards and bulldozers to raze the bushland to the ground amidst screeching birds and the sound of giant trees crashing to the ground….and replace it with a 6-lane freeway. “Although I have always loved nature and wildlife, I had never engaged in committed action to help prevent or deter environmental destruction. On that day however, the Way itself brought that destruction to my front door and I was slowly and surely drawn into activism to do SOMETHING….ANYTHING…. to help support the environment and its inhabitants. This continues to be a journey of great learning, opening up a closer intimacy with the magnificent intelligence that inhabits all things”. Lizzie now works with the Cockburn Community Wildlife Corridor (CCWC) volunteer group with a team of seasoned campaigners and finds herself on a steep learning curve. She describes how effective this CCWC group has been in engaging the local community in land restoration work, and in advocating for the conservation of the corridor.
Additional video footage from Lizzie supporting her talk
2016 PROTEST TO SAVE THE LAND
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H36-Sc6Sls2gmKVV2wZ1Qoj_iBSNzMPE/view
WHY VOLUNTEER?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NerpkNUrQC5_5bet3238nLEMK3UiVGN9/view?usp=drivesdk
WALKING IN THE REHABILITATED BUSH
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bFT5P1noobvKbGIhrHKMXl9EcLtpTxM6/view?usp=drivesdk
Good News
Dyarubbin
Oonagh writes:
A few years ago, when flying into Sydney from the north, the plane circled around and around over the lower Hawkesbury river.
In that moment I looked down over the river at the most beautiful place I had ever seen, like a bird soaring over the Country I grew up in. My heart spoke to me loudly and I knew that I needed to make time for a project I had dreamed of making – to inspire love and care for the river Country.
By some amazing confluence, last Sunday I launched that project with a live performance and the release of the first of 11 audio walks along the river, in which over 100 participants share stories of the river Dyarubbin, her first people, colonising settlers, farming, floods, geology and ecology, underscored by music I have written. The project has been created under the guidance of the local Dharug community, is narrated by them, and tells the stories of their enduring presence as well as truths of frontier conflict, stolen generations and racism that followed colonisation.
Here is a direct you tube link to the first audio walk.
On the same Sunday came the great news that our new government would sign the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Only a few days earlier a river forum organised by Western Sydney University appointed a riverkeeper for the river, a voice – a small step towards rights for the river.
You will find more information on Oonagh’s project on the website of the Hawkesbury Regional Museum: here. Ten more audio walks will be released over the coming months.
New WA Reserve Acquired by Bush Heritage, in Global Biodiversity Hotspot
Ediegarrup Reserve is Bush Heritage’s newest acquisition on Noongar country in Western Australia in the global biodiversity hotspot of the Fitz-Stirling region. At 1,067 hectares it will see feeding areas and critical habitat restored for Malleefowl, Tammar and Black-gloved Wallabies and the nationally threatened Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, growing the ‘conservation corridor’ between connecting nature reserves between the Stirling Range and Fitzgerald National Parks. Bush Heritage will work alongside Noongar people to see the land restored, refuge enhanced, and cultural sites protected. See link for more information:
Bunnings Warehouse makes changes after SumOfUs members’ secret survey on Glysophate products
Last year hundreds of SumOfUs members from across the country conducted Secret Shopper Surveys on glyphosate products sold at Bunnings Warehouses. SumOfUs is a community of people from around the world committed to curbing the growing power of corporations. The Bunnings Files, were shocking. Toxic glyphosate products dominated shelves. Bunnings staff recommended glyphosate products to 53% of customers and only suggested the use of Personal Protective Equipment 3% of the time. Last year these findings were taken to Bunnings along with the signatures of over 45,000 SumOfUs members demanding action.
Recently Bunnings management admitted these findings have resulted in the company taking steps to improve staff training and product signage, so glyphosate-free products are more visible and staff are more aware of the risks. It’s not enough – Bunnings needs to stop selling toxic glyphosate products – however it is a step in the right direction.
Ecuador The First Country in The World Has Given Legal Rights to Individual Wild Animals
While some countries struggle to uphold human rights, Ecuador has forged ahead and ruled wild animals possess distinct legal rights, including the right to exist. See link for more information: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-first-country-in-the-world-has-given-legal-rights-to-individual-wild-animals
Commitments to improve performance across major Australian fisheries
Environment Minister Sussan Ley has ensured Australia’s most environmentally damaging fisheries have to put rules in place to reduce the harm they cause wildlife and ecosystems by the end of 2024. This is a huge win, requiring federal and state fisheries agencies to commit to improving their environmental performance or their fisheries’ ability to export will be revoked.
By the end of 2024 they will:
- Have independent monitoring (e.g. on-board cameras and human observers)
- Have a ‘fins-on’ rule for sharks caught in Western Australia
- Report all shark and ray species thrown back (i.e. discarded)
- Have improved measures to halt the decline and support recovery of endangered sharks and rays
In other good marine news, two new marine protected areas have been declared around Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. And they are huge! 99 percent of the parks are highly protected sanctuary areas of around 739,000 square kilometres, an area bigger than Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT combined. Together these form some of the largest marine sanctuary areas in the world.
The sanctuaries will protect marine life from industrial activities like fisheries and oil and gas exploration, and help build resilience to ocean warming and acidification. They will also bring Australia and the world another step closer to meet international ambitions to conserve 30% of our oceans in a network of highly protected areas by 2030 – known as 30 by 30.
Bans on Single-Use Plastic
From 1 March 2022, expanded polystyrene (i.e. styrofoam) food and beverage containers were no longer allowed in South Australia. Oxo-degradable plastics were also banned in the state. These are plastics with chemicals added so that they degrade quickly, but still persist as microplastics in the environment. Visit the website of the Australian Marine Conservation Society (marineconservation.org.au) for more information.
At a wider level, representatives of 175 nations endorsed a historic resolution at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi to begin negotiations on a global treaty to end plastic pollution by 2024. See links for further information here.
Panama Enacts a Rights of Nature Law, Guaranteeing the Natural World’s ‘Right to Exist, Persist and Regenerate’
Panama is the latest country to recognize the legal rights of nature, giving environmentalists a new tool to fight ecological harm. Panama joins a host of other countries in embracing a legal movement that gives land, trees, rivers, coral reefs and mountains unique legal rights, similar to humans, corporations and governments.See link for further information: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25022022/panama-rights-of-nature/
Ecodharma Today – Joanna Macy in Conversation with David Loy
Maxine alerted us to this discussion between Joanna Macy and David Loy about ecodharma as an essential aspect of the spiritual path today. In this wide-ranging conversation, Joanna and David bring forward the misunderstood, under-emphasized, and omitted gifts of the Buddha’s teachings for today’s troubled world. Joanna Macy, PhD is a scholar of Buddhism, systems theory and deep ecology. A respected voice in the movements for peace, justice and ecology, she gives trainings worldwide for eco-warriors and activists for global justice. David Loy is vice-president of the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center in Boulder, Colorado. He is a professor, writer, and teacher in the Sanbo tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism.Youtube Access link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqeSsiS_EqY
Eraring power station
Origin’s announcement that it will close its Eraring power station in 2025 is a sign of the momentum of change to cleaner and cheaper energy. Singlehandedly, this announcement will avoid up to 87 million tonnes of climate pollution. That is more than the annual emissions of 167 countries, including Austria, New Zealand, and Greece.
See link for further information: here
[https://www.nature.org.au/origin_saves_87_million_tonnes_of_climate_pollution_with_eraring_closure]
Final Victory as Bylong Coal Project Appeal Rejected
The epic legal battle to protect the pristine Bylong Valley in NSW from a massive new coal mine has been won, after the High Court declined to hear an appeal by the proponent.
See link for further information: https://www.edo.org.au/2022/02/10/its-over-final-victory-as-bylong-coal-project-appeal-rejected/?utm_source=Insight&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=2107
Great News for Rivers, Floodplains and Communities
The Upper House in the NSW Parliament has disallowed a government regulation that would have diverted hundreds of billions of litres of water from rivers, wetlands and downstream communities. This ruling has been described as the best decision possible for river health, First Nations peoples and downstream communities.
Floodplain harvesting regulation disallowance is a chance to renegotiate a settlement that works for all water stakeholders – NCC – Nature Conservation Council of NSW.
Can I Live? A film by Fehinti Balogun
Recommended to us by Ines Judd
When political action calls, how do we find ourselves answering? Fehinti Balogun asks us this and much more in Can I Live? a powerful film that explores a Black man’s journey to figuring out his place within the environmental activist movement.
Written and conceptualised by Fehinti himself, using a smorgasbord of creative elements including dramatic performance, animation, spoken word poetry and music to bring us into his mind, telling a tale that many of us can relate to when it comes to the topic of climate activism and our place within it; anger, frustration, confusion and overwhelm to name a few.
Fehinti reminds us that whilst there is hope, that hope comes alongside all of us doing the work to hold the powers that be accountable. This film is not only important, but necessary viewing for anyone who may feel burdened by the enormity of the conversation. See link https://stream.sydneyoperahouse.com/videos/theatre-complicite-can-i-live
Good News from Western Australia
How the decades-long fight to save WA’s old growth forests was finally won
The forest protest movement gained momentum in the 90s, when it became known as the Save the Old Growth Forest Campaign.
Dr Schultz says a turning point came when high-profile West Australians including West Coast Eagles coach Mick Malthouse latched onto the campaign.
“He stood under this karri looking up … and this photo ends up on the front page of the Australian weekend magazine,” she says, of one significant moment.
Check the full story of how the forest was finally saved here, on the ABC news website.
Current Projects
Click on the links below to find out more about these projects…
11 Stories From the River Dyarubin
’11 Stories From the River Dyarubin’ is 11 audio walks, sharing stories of the history, ecology and culture of 11 places along the Dyarubin, the Hawkesbury River and music inspired by them. An audio tapestry of voices, music and sound to enliven the listeners’ connection with the river.
Downloadable from 11 signposted locations along the banks of Dyarubin, ’11 Stories From the River Dyarubin’ is a collaborative public art work aiming to inspire, inform and deepen the listener’s experience of the river.
The project is currently in production, with a pre-release in May and full release and launch in November 2022 at Hawkesbury Regional Museum.
More info can be found at: https://www.oonaghsherrard.com/projects/11storiesfromtheriver/
The Way of Painting
Kynan introduced us to photographs of the stunning country around Castlemaine in Victoria where he lives, with vistas of huge granite rocks, forests, fields, waterholes and skyscapes. This is the country he visits once a week, with easel and paints, to engage in what he calls the Way of Painting, “I’ve always felt that there’s no way to save the earth without being deeply in love with it. So painting has been my way of deepening this love, bowing to the wonders of the natural world with each brushstroke. Painting is intimately aligned with my Zen practice, and I believe creativity has a huge role to play in giving shape to what I value most.”
Kynan’s talk ‘The Way of Painting’ is now available to It’s Alive Eco-Dharma Group and Zen Open Circle members. It has been posted as a Vimeo video right near the beginning of our It’s Alive Blog on Bright and Dark accessed via the URL https://brightanddark.net/itsalive/
The Murray-Darling Basin
Many of us have only a vague idea of what the Murray Darling 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.
Bob and Ines offer us a summary of the issues facing the Murray-Darling Basin, and dramatise it most poignantly in The Magic Basin, a Royal Commission on behalf of All Beings of the Murray Darling Basin, a magical being is held prisoner by an assorted gang of crooks for their own profit. Ines says, “Australia’s treatment of the Murray-Darling Basin is a mirror of humans’ treatment of the whole Earth. We have tried to dramatise this tragedy.”
Resources and Further Reading
Scott Hamilton & Stuart Kells Sold Down the River, how robber barons and Wall St traders cornered Australia’s water market
Richard Beasley Dead in the Water
Quarterly Essay Cry Me a River Margret Simons Issue 77 2020
Four Corners Cash Splash https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/cash-splash/11289412
Sentient Planet
“We explore species and examine the concept of sentience and what it means for our collective future.”(http://www.sentientplanetpodcast.com)
Sentient Planet is a new podcast by Susan Woodward that showcases the more-than-human animals with whom we share the Earth and the humans dedicated to their urgent defense and preservation. We explore species and examine the concept of sentience and what it means for our collective future. Click here for more information from Susan.
Following Through
An Eco-dharma educational resource development project. Author: Ric Streatfield
The aim of the project is to develop an educational resource which follows through from the Buddha’s insight into the biological causes associated with human suffering, and which is up to date and appropriate for our modern world. Click here for more information from Ric.
Deep Time Spiral walk and Earth Day
Maxine Ross
In early 2020 I had the deep privilege to take part in a ten-day Deep ecology Yatra on the inland track of the Abel Tasman in South Island NZ. The teachings of Deep Ecology are founded by the esteemed environmental activist and Buddhist teacher Joanna Macy.
As part of the Yatra we were led through the story of the formation of the earth accompanied by drum and didgeridoo. We walked and danced around a central fire pitas we let the story of the universe and smallness of our human existence sink in.
Earth day planning meeting 22nd April 2021. Our Climate action group meet in the park on the grass. There are lots of great ideas and the usual concerns of stalls, food and council permission to use the park. I suggest the Deep spiral walk as an activity to tell the Earth’s story. Its not about the stuff we do on the earth this is about our primordial connection to her. An activity that can change perspectives from the usual anthropocentric view. Too my surprise they agree and I am now charged with creating the walk in a public park. Frankly I am at a loss to see how this will unfold. But fortunate to have the assistance of two very practical and wholehearted women to form the Deep Time spiral walk team. And so begins the enactment of the walk for Earth day. Click here for more information from Maxine
Calendar of Action Events
As we become aware of Action Events scheduled for 2022, information will be posted here.
Action sits outside your local State or Federal MLA or Senator’s local office
The ARRCC is currently encouraging action sits outside your local State or Federal MLA or Senator’s office, particularly Liberal Government Offices seeing these as particularly beneficial at the moment when the Liberal Government is not as confident about winning the next election.
Click here to find your ARRCC nearest contact.. If there is not yet a contact for your particular area it is worth emailing someone at ARRCC listed as a staff member in your state to put you in touch with a local organiser.
For contact information for ARRCC and XR, click here.
Action Sits: Guidelines
You can organize your own action sit with other people you know or join another major group who are organizing action events e.g. XR, School Strike for Climate, or the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC). It is good to network with a local representative for these groups or a national rep and ask them to keep you posted on dates of events.
School Students Act for Climate Action
We are school students of all ages, races, genders, backgrounds and sexualities from every part of Australia. United by our concern for the future of the planet that we live in, we have bridged the thousands of kilometres that separate us to create the one of the biggest movements in Australian history. Australia is ranked last in the world on climate action. If we do not take action now, Australia risks being left behind, resulting in economic and climate impacts beyond what we can comprehend.
Resources and Links
Check the Good News from the Environmental Defenders Office.
Australian Earth Laws Alliance
Have you read the Declaration of the Rights of the Moon? Or heard information about Making Ecocide a Crime? These are but two of the many important interests of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA). AELA is a national not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to increase the understanding and practical implementation of Earth-centred governance in Australia, with a focus on law, economics, education, ethics and the arts.
AELA’s work is inspired by the theory and practice of Earth jurisprudence, which is a governance philosophy and growing social movement. Earth jurisprudence proposes that we rethink our legal, political, economic and governance systems so that they support, rather than undermine, the integrity and health of the Earth and of Australian Aboriginal people. There is a wealth of information and old and new webinars on this rich and exciting website. See the link for more information: https://www.earthlaws.org.au/about-us/
Posting to Bright and Dark
Guidelines for writing a post for It’s Alive can be found here.
Go to It’s Alive posts – to view posts from members