Individual and collective action for the rebalancing,
protection and celebration of a healthy, living world.
As the lords of materialism wreak havoc on our natural world,
destroying rich ecosystems and threatening our very existence,
Touching the Earth warriors come together with the aspiration
to live within our planetary boundaries, retake our seat as good neighbours
in the community of life on Earth, and to grieve for what we have already lost.
activities and engagements that bring to light the need for Down-to-earth sanity
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When human beings live in harmony with the principles of heaven and earth, then the four seasons and the elements of the world will also work together harmoniously.
—Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche,
Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior
Why are we doing this work?
Climate Café
Climate Café offers a big space to bring all our disparate emotions, hopes and fears about our home planet’s climate dissonance. A space of empowerment for sharing feelings, listening, and witnessing. The idea is simple: meet with other people and take turns expressing and listening to what arises in us in response to our changing climate and the degradation of our ecosystems. No need to ‘fix it’ in these sessions, just share your heart.
Meeting ID: 802 274 6400
Passcode: sacred
If you are interested in holding a Climate Café at your local center, please contact Sara Demetry for more information:
[email protected].
Earth Salon
The Earth Salon is intended to bring us together to explore the greater implications of our bodhisattva vow. We hope to include guided practices, as well as guest speakers to focus on how our daily activities bind us or alienate us from the earth we share with all creatures. How do we rouse our intention? How do we move from intention to action? How do we build resilience and appreciation? How do we create a pathway for caring activity on this earth?
Together we will investigate these questions and more while looking at food & gardening, housing & construction, travel, clothing, energy, consumption, and many other areas that will undoubtedly arise during our conversations.
Join the Collective to receive notification and Zoom link for upcoming events.
Global Equinox Lhasangs
One of the most significant practices passed on to us by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche is lhasang – the ceremony of burning juniper to purify space and invoke the dralas, the enlightened energies of the natural world. Simply offering a stick of incense can be a lhasang.
Many of us in Shambhala are familiar with the drala principle. We understand that by connecting with the dralas we can help restore the health and vitality of the natural world. The purifying smoke of the lhasang carries our aspirations upwards and, at the same time, provides for the blessings of the dralas to flow downwards. Meeting the dralas in this way also creates an opportunity to deepen our personal connection to the earth and all living things. Now, with the earth in extreme peril, what better time to practice a collective, global calling on the dralas.
With this view, we hold a global lhasang ceremony with Shambhala Centers, formal and informal Groups, and individuals, performing lhasang in their respective time zones each Spring and Autumn Equinox. This creates a continuous smoke offering that circles the earth for 24 hours.
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Book Reviews
Touching the Earth Collective publishes regular book reviews on the Shambhala Times website exploring different facets of our uncertain ecological times.
website: https://shambhalatimes.org
Check out our review archive here.
We acknowledge the generous support of:
