Mindfully green: A Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking

180 Pages·2008·9.725 MB·English

by  Stephanie Kaza

“I can’t recommend this book highly enough”
Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy
VLINDFULLYG
Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking
ral
STEPHANIE KAZA
iry

Mindfully Green
'
.
MINDFULLY GREEN
A Personal and Spiritual Guide
to Whole Earth Thinking
Stephanie Kaza
Shambhala
Boston & London
2008
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Horticultural Hall
300 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02113
www.shambhala.com
© 2008 by Stephanie Kaza
“Hearing the crickets at night” from The Dragon Who Never Sleeps
(Monterey, Ky.: Larkspur Press, 1990; copyright Diamond Sangha),
reprinted by permission of the author, Robert Aitken.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
987634321
First Edition
Printed in Canada
© This edition is printed on acidTree paper that meets the
American National Standards Institute Z39.48 Standard.
O This book was printed on 100% postconsumer recycled paper.
For more information please visit us at www.shambhala.com.
Distributed in the United States by Random House, Inc.,
and in Canada by Random House of Canada Ltd
Interior design and composition: Greta D. Sibley & Associates
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kaza, Stephanie.
Mindfully green: a personal and spiritual guide to whole earth thinking j
Stephanie Kaza.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
isbn 978'1'39030'383'6 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Environmentalism—Religious aspects—Buddhism, [Christianity, etc.]
2. Environmental degradation—Religious aspects—Buddhism,
[Christianity, etc.] 3. Human ecology—Religious aspects. I. Title.
GE40.K39 2008
333_72-dc22
2008017289
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
PART ONE
SEEKING GREEN PRINCIPLES
i. Reducing Harm 3
2. Being with the Suffering 13
3. Embracing the Deep View 33
PART TWO
FOLLOWING THE GREEN PATH
4. Entering the Stream 33
3. Engaging Skillful Effort 68
6. Seeking Wisdom Sources 82
PART THREE
ACTING ON GREEN VALUES
N
7. Understanding Energy 101
8. Working with Desire 120
9. Practicing Peace 137
Notes ijj
Further Resources ij6
VI
Acknowledgments
GRATITUDE FIRST TO MY TEACHERS ON THE PATHjtheir
guiding influence informs this book on every page. I am particularly
indebted to Robert Aiken, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joanna Macy, and Gary
Snyder for their green wisdom and full hearts. Thanks also to my
students and colleagues at University of Vermont who share my pas-
sion for this work. May we continue to inspire and encourage each
other s creativity as we think hard about what lies ahead.
A special thanks to writing friends Christian McEwen and Pa¬
tricia J. Anderson, who read earlier drafts of the manuscript with
attention and encouragement. Thanks also to my editor, Jennifer
Brown, who coaxed the book along to the finish line. Finally, my
deepest gratitude to Davis for his endless love and kind support.
VI1
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2017 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/mindfullygreenpeOOkaza