This Evening our Sangha here at Deer Park will practice sitting meditation and chanting up in the mountain next to our large White Buddha statue as the Full moon rise. Tomorrow morning we will bathe the Baby Buddha under the ancient Oaks, touching the historical Buddha and Buddha Nature in ourselves and in each other. In order to deepen our understanding and compassion we would like to share with you a letter inviting us to celebrate a Green Vesak. Monastics of Plum Village Tradition have participated together with other Buddhist Traditions in writing Green Vesak – Compassionate Climate Action. This post can be found at Global Buddhist Climate Change Collective Website.
Join us on Vesak and celebrate the birth of Gautama Buddha, his enlightenment and passing away. On this special day, we wish you peace, tranquillity and joy. We invite all sanghas to come together to acknowledge Buddha’s realization of dependent co-arising, which interconnects all things in the universe, by celebrating a Green Vesak.
Remembering Buddha on this day gives us the opportunity to consider that like the intricate petals of a lotus; our lives are inextricably interwoven with one another and with the natural world. In particular, this year we emphasize the threat of climate change – it is already seriously impacting economies, ecosystems and people worldwide. Left unchecked, it will cause tremendous suffering for all living beings.
Vesak is an opportunity for Buddhist sanghas to come together, affirming our root connection from the Buddha and to create deeper relationships across traditions. Together we can raise awareness on climate change, recognizing that a greater ecological awareness and awakening of consciousness is needed. As Buddhists we must appreciate all that we have in common and turn our pluralism and diversity into strength for greater Buddhist climate action, and changing. our lifestyles and expectations to protect our planet. “Cultivating the insight of inter-being and compassion, we will be able to act out of love, not fear, to protect our planet” (Buddhist Climate Change Statement to World Leaders (Oct 2015). Otherwise, “When the Earth becomes sick, we become sick, because we are part of her” (The Time to Act is Now (2009).
We can choose to awaken new disciplines to engage in a greener life.
” Without discipline, life is made up of successive indulgences and confusion based on aggression, passion, and greed.” Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Let Vesak inspire us to deepen relationships with one another and with nature, and to exercise and maintain new green disciplines. How fortunate for Buddha’s birth. Here a few simple things you can do to celebrate Green Vesak.
- Reach out to other local sanghas and talk about the risks and solutions to climate change. Discuss ways we can work together to influence action and reduce our carbon footprint on Vesak and throughout the year
- Walk or take public transport
- Switch to high efficiency light bulbs and appliances
- Turn off unused electrical appliances
- Reduce your meat consumption in favour of an ethical plant-based diet
- Recycle
- Abstain from excessive use of digital devices and spend more time with your loved one’s
- Use your own reusable water bottles, cutting down on plastic bottle waste. Use your own reusable bags, recyclable bowls, paper cups and plates
- Share our Green Vesak lotus image on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #GreenVesak
- Celebrate Green Vesak on Facebook by turning the lotus image above to be your Facebook profile (click on the lotus image above & save as image & post on FB).
May 2016
One response to “Celebrate Green Vesak”
These are wonderful, clear goals that I know I can do to help heal our beautiful planet. The earth gives of herself in so many ways, each and every moment, every day. Thank you so much for sharing ways and ideas we can use right away, to begin making a difference.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful practice.