Impossible Rebellion Week One
Impossible Rebellion Week One Read More »
Events
Volunteers wanted: COP interfaith vigil
To pause, to pray, to meditate in the midst of action is a radical act.
Are you willing to help us build a community that provides space for that radical act?
A community that models the power of sharing a profound powerful intentional silence in the face of catastrophe?
Can you help us create spaces that invite people to pause, and ground themselves back into the mystery of the possible …………………
We would love you to join in with our quiet but growing murmuration of hope.
After the success of the Vigil in Parliament Square in September 2020 and building on our shared experience of creating intentional contemplative spaces within spaces of protest we hope to be able to take the Earth Vigil to Glasgow for COP 26 and we would love to gather as many rebels as possible around this idea in order to make it happen.
Current Situation
- A small group from XR Faith Bridge have been attending the zoom meetings in preparation for COP covering both ‘Camino to COP’ and ‘Earth Vigil’ and so after a number of discussions about where, when, and how, an outline for the Glasgow Vigil has emerged……
- Glasgow Friends Meeting House has been booked for storage and daily ‘in person’ updates on vigil place and time.
- A daily vigil space to be created according to the events of the day, needs/focus of actions and protest.
- Vigil to start on day one of COP (Nov 1st) – explore the possibility of an opening event which could involve invited speakers.
- Vigil to close with a through the night candlelit presence on the final evening of the conference – establish if evening before final day (Thursday) or end of the final day (Friday)
- Vigil to have built in flexibility to allow for changes/events/capacity throughout the 12 days.
- Vigil to have a signal chat and some form of outreach (flyer/QR code)
- Use existing Faith Bridge Banners and logos.
- An online Vigil space to be developed and enabled by a parallel Faith Bridge Group
Some of those who will be involved in the Earth Vigil will be out of action for organising from September 5th onwards because of their commitment to Camino to COP.
How to get involved
email hjburnett@msn.com for Glasgow Vigil.
email peter.clare@gmail.com for Online Vigil
Join our next Zoom Meeting at 6pm on Saturday July 17th https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85226408416?pwd=Zkh2Y1p0Tk15ZEFTL2pQekpNcFMyZz09
ID 85226408416
PW Vigil
Volunteers wanted: COP interfaith vigil Read More »
#moneyrebellion
XR Buddhists from across the UK yesterday took part in Extinction Rebellion’s Money Rebellion.
Despite the worsening climate & extinction crisis, banks continue to invest massively in fossil fuels. The money rebellion is to raise awareness and to put pressure on banks to defund fossil fuel and other harmful investments. One of the main targets was Barclays bank, who have invested $145 billion in fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement in 2015.
Find out how your own bank is doing here: https://switchit.money/
A letter from Buddhists Across Traditions about earth day
The letter below comes from our friends at Buddhists Across Traditions. We encourage you to attend their short sunrise and sunset meditations that they are putting together for Earth Day on the 22nd of April. They are also coordinating a film to showcase what all the Buddhist organisations are doing for the climate emergency and we will put something together on behalf of XR Buddhists. If you would like to contribute please contact info@xrbuddhists.com by the 27th of March. Please share this letter with your local Sanghas and Buddhist groups and encourage them to respond.
Dear Dharma Practitioners & Elders,
The earth is not just our environment. The earth is our mother.
(Dalai Lama XIV & Thich Nhat Hanh)
We hope this letter finds you safe, peaceful and happy.
The Earth and caring for the earth are fundamental to our Buddhist practice: the Buddha touched the earth on attaining enlightenment. You may be aware already how the destruction of nature and the resources of nature is impacting us all. Our respected teachers attribute this to ignorance, greed and separation from the earth and other living beings.
We are grateful for the numerous contributions Buddhists across all traditions and schools are making to address this. We write to you for us to collectively come together to show our commitment to our practice and the Earth- together we are one.
WE ARE THE EARTH – 22nd April, Earth Day
We invite you, along with your sangha practitioners, to come together on Earth Day to sit together and honour the Earth, generating the energy of healing, harmony and peace.
We are delighted to offer a communal online space at sunrise and sunset for practitioners across all traditions to sit together in harmony. Please join us with your sangha. We will be gathering to practice for 30 minutes at 0600 (sunrise) and 2000 (sunset) on Zoom. The zoom link for those meetings is here (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83386645643). There will be an opportunity for members to practice in accordance with their tradition. Please find attached some images to promote the event to your membership/practitioners.
We ask that you also encourage your members to take the opportunity to commit to some action to mark the day. A list of possible actions is included here.
Honouring Buddhist Earth Action Achievements
For this day we would like to take the opportunity to gather and showcase the numerous projects and commitments Buddhist groups, organisations and networks have been doing around climate, environmental justice and caring for the earth.
We would like to invite you to showcase your achievements, please send us a short submission (statements/presentations/videos) outlining what you have done/are doing by the 30th March. We will then consolidate all submissions, which will then be shared on social media on the day and also sent to relevant outlets. We will also send you a completed version for your own use on social media or other fora.
We will be honoured to showcase you in this way. Please do not hesitate to contact us on buddhistsacrosstraditions@gmail.com, should you have any queries.
We look forward to future collaboration as we work across traditions to take care and raise awareness of the preciousness of our Earth. We will be in touch again to see how we may unite for upcoming milestone events like the G7 conference and the global climate change conference – COP26.
May all beings live in harmony with the earth and one another,
Kamlo, Mikey, Rehena
pp
Buddhists Across Traditions
www.buddhistsacrosstraditions.org
Who we are: Buddhists across Traditions is a UK BPOC/BAME-centered collective (with white allies and currently white-led organisations) uniting Buddhist and Mindfulness groups in service of racial healing, social equity and justice. We recognise that our practices can blossom a radically different society.
A letter from Buddhists Across Traditions about earth day Read More »
Racial Healing Event
An event on racial healing for XR Buddhists. We will ask what this means in our lives, for us as activists, and for us in the UK.
This is a response to the current events including pandemic, the death of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protests in the UK and a growing commitment within XR to become more inclusive and diverse. There will be two short presentations by Satya and Avni, time in small groups for reflection on the questions, and Buddhist practice.
This follows on from an event hosted by Satya and Rehena in July
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lf-GppjMuHNUqsxMAvzBv6Y4j3kwul9Bx
Racial Healing Event Read More »
Waiting for COP26 or why there is a vigil outside parliament
By Katja
As I cycle towards Parliament Square, fond memories of past vigils come to mind- particularly of a chilly february morning at the lent interfaith vigil, and of the rebellion vigil.
When I arrive at the Vigil, there are 8 of us, some familiar and some new faces. This is the first Friday for this vigil, but a group called ‘Westminster Rebellion’ is organising a rota so that different XR groups are present at parliament every day the parliament sits, until COP26. Originally COP26 was supposed to happen this November in Glasgow, but then it got postponed November 2021 at the beginning of the pandemic – the conference centre in Glasgow is now a temporary hospital on stand-by for people suffering from Covid.
But back to Parliament Square. The faith vigil, which is happening mostly online at the moment, is being held in front of Westminster on Fridays, and today I am part of it. After freezing in February, I have come prepared this time. It turns out my many layers are not needed as it’s actually a mild day, the sun is coming out for a bit to greet us, it seems.
Sitting there we do attract some curiosity from passers-by. Some people are walking past, slowing down, looking. When I am not meditating I am trying to make eye contact. A few are stopping to talk to us, either in support or because they have questions.
I am actually doing a good chunk of meditation that afternoon, then I take a break and get into a conversation with a fellow vigiler. We talk about how this is different to meditating for example in front of a police line at a roadblock. Is this an effective action? We are not causing disruption today, but we are working with our minds in meditation, and sending a powerful signal – about unity as an interfaith vigil, and about the importance of acting on climate change.
I think for a while I used to run away from interfaith things, weary of difficult conversations about past and present injustices. But I have come to realise that people that are part of a faith or spiritual tradition often have a kind of superpower. At least that’s how I think about it now. Our actions come from a place of very deep conviction, or faith, and we also have the power of being part of a community. And when we come together, we do send a powerful signal of unity in divided times.
And then COP26. People say a major factor will be the next US government. But that’s not within my sphere of influence, so I keep focussing on what I can influence. And that’s why we sit here and meditate. And protest. And have conversations.
Reflecting that night at home I am being reminded of a sequence of offerings sometimes used for the mandala offering practice.
The outer offering, what other people can see, is us sitting there outside Westminster – a reminder to the government to act on climate change.
The inner offering, my sense experience, is one of calm and non-violence.
The secret offering, what this means to me, unity and non-separation.
May all beings be happy.
Katja is a member of XR Buddhists
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Buddhists Across Traditions: Black History Month
Buddhists Across Traditions presents four talks throughout Black History Month: Honouring our Ancestors, Healing Ourselves, Nourishing Ourselves and Celebrating our Ancestors.
For Black History Month-UK (October) we have curated a series of compelling events, assembling a diverse array of powerful, pioneering international Afrikan descent monastics, elders, teachers and practitioners from various traditions (Mindfulness, Buddhist, Afrikan spirituality & psychology) coming together to honour, learn from and celebrate Afrikan heritage contributions.
For joining details see our events calendar, or the Buddhists Across Traditions Facebook page.
XR Buddhists promote these events in the spirit of friendship and solidarity. Some XR Buddhists are members and facilitators within Buddhists Across Traditions.
Buddhists Across Traditions: Black History Month Read More »
Continuing Online Vigil
The online vigil offering during the recent XR Rebellion Vigil for the Earth was a powerful and much appreciated space for multi faith prayer and meditation sessions with practice focused on our love for the Earth and grief for life lost. The desire of many who were involved is to have something of this going forward.
Twice a week for one hour with input from various faith groups reflecting the diversity of tradition and practice within XR Faith Bridge we will create a space:
- To bear witness for the Earth
- To provide a regenerative space of spiritual resourcing for all who wish to share in it
- To enrich our spiritual practices by experiencing and sharing in each other’s traditions and practices
- To build a community of respect, support and friendship by creating a shared sacred space
- To prepare ourselves for the next period of rebellion
Sessions will take place on Sundays at 7pm and Wednesdays at 9 am beginning with offerings from different faith traditions on Sunday 27th September at 7pm. Please join us, you are welcome wherever in the world you may be.
The Zoom link for joining is a recurring link for each Sunday and Wednesday
https://zoom.us/j/5563941413?pwd=S0RIUnAzT25QM2MwVjhDQU9hejhVUT09
Meeting ID556 394 1413
Passcode if needed 246824
Continuing Online Vigil Read More »
XR Buddhists join Cardiff Faith Vigil for the Earth
“This vigil is beautiful in its simplicity and powerful in its intent – to come together as people from different faith communities and from all philosophies, and to sit together in our grief and our deep love for our planet.”
XR Buddhists in Cardiff are joining members of different faith groups from the 1st-4th of September, outside of Welsh Parliament, will hold vigil for our planet, whilst setting the intention for our government to act now against climate change. All are welcome, of all faiths and experience, we invite you to take your seat, breathe and sit with love and grief.
Where will we be?
- Join us on the steps of the Senydd building (Senydd Cymru – Welsh Parliament) in Cardiff Bay between 10am-6pm
- Welsh Parliament, Pierhead Street, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF99 1SN
- We will be holding signs with ‘Faith Vigil for the Earth’ and looking friendly!
- Any location changes will be announced in our telegram group: https://t.me/joinchat/MupYARiviEBLlSKs-mzRew
How do I join in?
- You can sign up on the rota here: https://signup.zone/D9TjkAPed2LAPz6gc
- Or turn up on the day, no preparation needed!
- For live updates join our telegram group: https://t.me/joinchat/MupYARiviEBLlSKs-mzRew
When is the Vigil?
- 1st-4th September, 10am-6pm each day.
- You can spend as much or as little time with us as you like. Take as many breaks as you need – there are lots of food shops and cafes nearby.
Will it be safe?
- This action is as non-arrestable as possible. We will not be blocking any roads, paths or causing disruption, we will be sitting outside of the Senydd building and do not expect to be moved on.
- We will also have a steward at all times to chat to the public, ensure social distancing and welcome anyone who joins us.
- We will have beautiful 2.5 metre ribbons between us for social distancing, as well as wearing masks. We will also have sanitiser.
Do I need to be part of XR Buddhists, Extinction Rebellion or faith group?
- No, this is open to all people, regardless of faith or group to sit in quiet solidarity with the earth.
What do I need to bring?
- You might want to bring something to sit on – a chair or cushion or blanket – suitable clothes (do check the weather for rain!) and something to drink and eat. Please wear a mask at all times. Also some hand sanitiser!
In love and grief, XR Buddhists Cardiff
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