The Dharma Teachers International Collaborative on Climate Change is a group of Buddhist teachers that seek to inspire Buddhist and laypeople alike to engage in solutions to the climate crisis by sharing the wisdom found in the Dharma. The group is now coordinated by One Earth Sangha.
The collaborative began at the Vipassana meditation teachers annual global conference in June 2013 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. For the first time at one of the annual meetings, a session was held on climate change. Out of that discussion a group of 25 Vipassana teachers from South Africa, Europe, Canada and the U.S. began to work together to discuss how the Dharma can help inspire Buddhist and non-Buddhists alike to engage in solutions to the climate crisis.
Although the first members of the collaborative were primarily Vipassana teachers, we seek and welcome the involvement of teachers from all Buddhist lineages. Click here to view the teachers that are involved.
Goals | Past Activities | News | Members
- First, by describing the insights offered by the Dharma into both the causes of the climate crisis and a pathway to reduce it to manageable levels, we seek to inspire Buddhist across the globe to actively promote and engage in solutions.
- Second, by sharing the same insights with the public, and by partnering with other Buddhist organizations, as well as spiritual, religious, and secular organizations from around the world, we seek to promote the fundamental changes in our economic, social, and political institutions required to reduce the climate crisis to manageable levels.
On of the initial results of the collaboration was a document describing 16 Core Dharma Principles Important To Address Climate Change and How Dharma Practitioners Can Engage.
In addition, in January 2014 the group released a document describing the insights the Dharma offers into the causes of and pathway to reducing climate change to management levels titled The Earth as Witness: International Dharma Teachers Collaborative Statement About Climate Change (PDF of The Earth as Witness in English--translations available here).
Endorsements were gathered from 100 Dharma teachers worldwide representing many Buddhist lineages prior to publically releasing Earth as Witness. It was then posted on the One Earth Sangha website where over 400 Dharma teachers, as well as over 800 Sangha members from around the globe, have now endorsed it. We are still seeking endorsements from teachers and Sangha members.
Click here if you would like to endorse The Earth As Witness.
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