In the book, A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency, Joseph Goldstein wrote: “We have probably all had moments of what we might call a sudden awakening to the truth of global warming…Yet those moments can quickly pass, and the beginningless habit energies of forgetfulness, other desires, and basic ignorance re-surfaced once again.”

Today we will work with the inevitable waves of attention and inattention, action and inaction as we engage with — and, at times, disengage from — the climate crisis. Can we take a break from action without guilt and self-judgment? Can we find the energy to return to action after a long rest? These themes will be explored as a group through discussion and directed practice.

Bio: Kerry Nelson is a Spirit Rock Meditation Center Retreat Manager, workshop facilitator, writer and coach. Inspired by social justice movements, she graduated from Peace and Conflict Studies at UC Berkeley with a plan to contribute and has since worked with dozens of NGOs, labor unions, groups and individuals in the U.S., southern Africa, and the U.K.  Her current workshops, One Small Difference and One Small Planet: Climate Action as Practice, are offered through her website placeforpeace.org. She has helped start half a dozen affinity groups including Spirit Rock’s Green Group which for over five years has contributed to growing awareness in the dharma community on the urgency of addressing climate change. She has a 15-year long meditation practice, is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioners Program, and has trained as an instructor in Radiant Heart Qigong and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.