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Climate Change as an Opportunity | Bhikkhu Anālayo

Feb 28, 2022

In this engaging discussion, Bhikkhu Anālayo, a renowned scholar-monk and expert in Buddhist studies, shares insights on confronting climate change through meditation. He emphasizes four meditation techniques that encourage mindfulness about our environmental impact. Anālayo challenges the belief that individual actions are insignificant in the crisis and advocates for death contemplation as a means to inspire action. He intertwines Buddhist philosophy with environmental responsibility, urging listeners to cultivate compassion and personal responsibility for a sustainable future.

55:34

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Episode guests

Bhikkhu Anālayo

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Episode notes

Intro

5min

Mindfulness and Climate Change

18min

Exploring Feeling Tone in Meditation Practice

2min

Mindfulness and Compassion in Meditation

8min

Compassion Meditation and Climate Change: Individual vs. Systemic Responses

2min

Mindfulness and Climate Change

23min

Embracing Personal Responsibility Amidst Climate Challenges

2min

Today’s guest makes an extremely convincing case that there are many self-interested reasons to look squarely at the reality of climate change. Bhikkhu Anālayo, who is originally from Germany, is a renowned scholar-monk, a faculty member at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and the author of numerous books on meditation and early Buddhism, including Satipatthāna: The Direct Path to Realization, which has been very influential with many of the teachers you’ve heard on this show, including Joseph Goldstein. This episode focuses on another of his books, called Mindfully Facing Climate Change.

This episode explores:

The four types of meditation Anālayo recommends for mindfully confronting climate change
Anālayo’s contention that meditation isn’t about ceasing the flow of thoughts, but rather ceasing our belief in the thoughts
The question of whether individual actions matter in the face of a global crisis
Anālayo’s compelling case for a kind of practice called death contemplation

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/bhikku-anālayo-422