The image of a tranquil meditator, far removed from the ups and downs of worldly life, is a familiar one, yet many practitioners are also awake to the challenges we face as a species, and feel called to act. Inspired in part by non-dual traditions of India, Arne Naess – father of the “Deep Ecology” movement – offered a framework for integrating these seemingly conflicted dimensions. Environmental leader Satish Kumar, taking up Arne’s work, has called upon us to go beyond it towards what he has coined a “Sacred Ecology”. The late Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, throughout his life but most recently in his posthumous title “Zen and The Art of Saving the Planet”, offers an answer to this call: he expounds a Zen perspective on “Engaged Buddhism” and the cultivation of Mindfulness in Daily Life. Through these practices we can give rise to great compassion and insight into the root source of not only our individual suffering, but also its collective aspect in environmental degradation, war and social fragmentation.  

In this online talk with Ven. Tenzin, we will explore these themes starting from his own experience as an ecologist studying the impact of climate change on rainforest biodiversity, and later as a meditator. He will touch on a model of the relationships between our senses and our thinking and unconscious, or “storehouse” minds, as they are understood in Northern Buddhist traditions such as the Zen and Tibetan. He will offer perspectives on how this store-consciousness model can be practically engaged as a process of deep healing, both individual and collective, enabling us to take action for positive change.

Speaker

Ven. Ngawang Tenzin (Dr. Alex Anderson) Ven. Ngawang Tenzin began with an ecologist’s understanding of interdependence, but the rainforest soon led him to Buddhist meditation. Now ordained as a monk in the Sakya Tibetan tradition, he has also studied and practiced meditation under Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh at Plum Village in France, at Mountain Spring near Sydney, and in Myanmar at Pa Auk Tawya. Also ordained in the Plum Village Order of Interbeing, an engaged Buddhist approach to the bodhisattva path, his practice is informed by Theravadin, Zen and Vajrayana methods of meditation and mindfulness, as well as Hatha yoga, Deep Ecology and his deep love of wild places. He currently lives in Australia, on Gumbaynggirr country on the Dorrigo Plateau, where he has a project to co-create community space for meditation, forest restoration and nature connection: http://www.gaiaforest.org.

Facilitator

Szeman Ng, Natalie Szeman worked in an international Green NGO as a community campaigner for several years. In 2013, she decided to further her understanding of the human-nature relationship. This led her to pursue a 2.5-year master's degree at the University of Freiburg, Germany, during which she conducted research in Argentina, Thailand, India and Italy on topics such as holistic sustainability, eco-village movements, spiritual ecology, healing in nature, and EcoDharma. Afterwards, she worked as a programme manager in an Innovative Education NGO, facilitating training sessions and focusing on the processes of learning. Currently, Szeman works as a senior officer for the KFBG Kadoorie Earth Programme. Additionally, she is pursuing a five-year master's programme in Dharma Psychology & Philosophy and leading groups that engage in natural healing and spiritual development during her leisure time.

Date
26 February 2025 (Wednesday)

Time
19:00-20:30 HKT (11:00 - 12:30 GMT)

Format
Zoom

Language
English (supports simultaneous interpretation in Cantonese and Putonghua)

Fee
Free (a donation to support our conservation work will be appreciated) 

Donations help cover essential expenses such as speakers’ fees, translation services and other resources. Additional donations support KFBG‘s ecological conservation and holistic education work. Please donate within your means, or still join us even if you are unable to contribute. Together, we can foster a transformative shift towards an ecological perspective.

Application
Please click HERE for online registration by 19:00 HKT, 26 February 2025

Note
● You will receive an auto-reply confirmation email upon registration with the Zoom link attached.
● In case of cancellation, you will be notified before the talk.

Enquiry
Email Ms Jamie Ngai at jamie.ngai@kfbg.org

Kadoorie Earth Programme (KEP) is an initiative co-created by KFBG and its network of collaborators and volunteers. By integrating the various strands of KFBG’s nature conservation, sustainable living and holistic education programmes, it provides life-transforming learning experiences that reconnect people with themselves, each other and the rest of nature and enable them to cultivate resilience in the face of global challenges.

Kadoorie Earth Programme Main Page