Week 1
A simple “grief and gratitude” practice. Each day, notice one thing you are grieving and one thing you are grateful for. Ideally this is in the context of the natural world. Email or text your dharma friend daily.
The Five Mindfulness Trainings from Thich Nhat Hahn: Reverence For Life
Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in my way of life. Seeing that harmful actions arise from anger, fear, greed, and intolerance, which in turn come from dualistic and discriminative thinking, I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment to views in order to transform violence, fanaticism, and dogmatism in myself and in the world.
Article on Wendell Berry (gift link) Rewilding (what we discussed in class)
Week 2
What have you received from the natural world? What might a relationship, rather than consumption, look like?
Each day, notice one thing that you’ve received from nature.
Email or text your dharma friend daily.