Kaspa Thompson wrote and read out a dedication of merit prayer to end our recent online retreat with. Here it is:
We call upon all of our ancestors. We call on our birth ancestors and the ancestors of our chosen families.We call upon Shakyamuni Buddha, who set the dharma wheel turning in this age, and upon all of his disciples. We call upon the celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
We call upon our activist ancestors, those who had courage to act and speak and have gone before us.
We call upon ancestors from oppressed groups across the world, whose wisdom we pray we can honour and appreciate.
We call upon the great sages of all spiritual traditions.
We who are practicing today will become the ancestors of tomorrow. We invite our ancestors to add their merit to our own.
We pray for the well-being of all living creatures. We pray for the well-being of communities in the global south and indigenous communities who are already deeply affected by the climate crisis and ecological emergency. We pray that voices from those communities will be heard both on the world stage and in our own hearts.
We pray that we will become more and more aware of the systems of oppression and control that are around us and inside us, and that we are able to let go of those systems to make way for genuine connection, loving kindness and equity.
We pray that we can build strong communities of activists that include people from all over the world, and that we can find wise and courageous responses to the climate crisis and ecological emergency.
We pray that we will find the courage to tell the truth, to act now and to be the change we want to see. We pray for an immediate end to the use and extraction of fossil fuels.
We dedicate the merit of our time and practice together to living beings throughout the world affected by the climate crisis, and to climate activists from all communities.
May all beings be well. May all beings be happy. May all beings be free from suffering.