Are we on the brink of ecological disaster? Climate
disruption is accelerating. Social cohesion is frayed. There is hope and
opportunity to restore our planet, “a great turning,” but we may also have to
go through “a great unravelling.” Buddhist Contemplative practice, western
Philosophy, Science and Literature, and the wisdom of Indigenous people will inform
our inquiry into how we and the whole web of life on Earth can live and prosper
into the far future.
Our learning objective is to engage environmental crisis through Contemplative Ecology, including meditative and contemplative practices and exercises from Tarthang Tulku. We will explore Anthropology, Psychiatry, Evolution, Epistemology, Systems and Complexity theory, the Wisdom of Plants, Indigenous ritual, Buddhist Philosophy and Western Phenomenology.
“Thank you for such a
wonderful class and I look forward to hearing how we go forward.”
Margaret M.
“I really appreciate
that the concept of Embodied Cognition is helping me to bring
together some different areas of interest/knowledge into a more coherent whole,
transparentizing and dissolving the partitions between them, helping me to
see connections.”
Simon C.
“I'm loving the way
the course is provoking connections in me!”
Simon M.
Classes meet online
for seven weeks, 1.5 hours a week. Classes are recorded and accessible for six
months. Each week features short presentations, experiential exercises, and
discussion
Week 1: Introduction to Deep Ecology
Week 2: Ecosystems are Places
Week 3: Embodied Knowing is Evolution
Week 4: Contemplative Ecology: Becoming Indigenous to a
Place
Week 5: The Work that Reconnects
Week 6: The Council of All Beings
Week 7: Re-Vision
Bob Dozor is the Medical Director of Lotus House - the Nyingma Senior Retreat Center at Ratna Ling. He holds a BA from the University of Chicago in the History and Philosophy of Science and an MD from the University of California, San Francisco, after which he practiced Family Medicine for 40 years. He has been a student of Buddhism since the 1960’s, a student of Venerable Tarthang Tulku since 1972, and a student and then instructor at Dharma College since 2018.
Carl Pilcher is retired from a career in space science. He holds a B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry, the latter from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.P.A. in International Relations from Princeton University. He was on the astronomy faculty of the University of Hawaii for a dozen years before becoming a NASA administrator for almost 3 decades. His professional arc took him from planetary science to serving as Director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. He began studying ancient teachings in 2015 with a Hindu teacher and joined the Dharma College community as a student in late 2021. Central to his interests are integrating ancient wisdom, particularly of non-dualism, with a modern scientific world view.
Rosalyn White has
studied meditation and Tibetan art under the guidance of the Tibetan Buddhist
teacher, Tarthang Tulku, since 1972. She holds a BFA in Fine Arts from the
California College of Art and a teaching credential from UC Berkeley. She has
been teaching classes in meditation and sacred art for over 40 years. She has
worked in the Nyingma Community since 1975, illustrating Dharma Publishing and
Yeshe De books and contributing designs for the Odiyan retreat center. She also
managed Dharma Publishing for two years, the Tibetan Aid Project for ten years
and Ratna Ling Retreat Center for seven years.
