Season 3 of Climate Magic opens with this interview with Plum Village monastic, Sister True Dedication. Sister True D, as she is often known, was a student of the Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh, and helped him write a book and design a course offering, both called Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. In this episode, Sister True D introduces us to Thich Nhat Hanh’s lineage of “engaged Buddhism,” and explains how Buddhist wisdom from 2,600 years ago applies to our climate crisis today. Part of this teaching is the ability to see how our actions today are the result of the actions of our ancestors since “beginningless time,” as she calls it. Then it also follows that we are ancestors too, and that our actions today are patterning the future– a way of understanding time that can give us great relief, gratitude, hope, and a sense of agency.
Shownotes
- Plum Village monastery and information about engaged Buddhism, Sister True Dedication, and Thich Nhat Hanh
- Global Optimism and Plum Village’s climate/nature leader retreats
- Sister True Dedication’s TED Talk
- Online course and book, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet
- Website describing the rescission of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s “Endangerment Finding”.
