Dearest Friends,

Thank you for your presences and your participation in our most recent gathering.

In our last session, we continued exploring the expressions of joy in the dharma as a way of expanding our ability to meet, hold and transform the ecological crises of our times. In last week’s session, we focused on pāmojja—the gladness or satisfaction that arises when our minds are free from regret or when we observe the fruits of successful practice. In the context of ecological engagement, pāmojja can help us deepen our appreciation for the actions that we take towards healing our planet even when said actions don’t seem very significant to us in the larger scheme of things.

This week, we shifted our focus to pīti—the invigorating rapture and vibrant delight that uplifts the heart. In ecological contexts, pīti can energize us to continue the work of conservation, protection and restoration when we feel daunted and demoralized by the sheer magnitude of the challenges that we face. Here, we can see how cultivating joy isn’t an exercise in frivolity, but an expression of gratitude and commitment. In the words of the English writer William Somerset Maugham: “Nothing in the world is permanent, and we’re foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we’re still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it.”

SUGGESTED PRACTICE:

Sit quietly and take a few moments to attend to your breath. When you’re ready, recall a moment of ecological beauty. It might have been watching a moonrise. It might have been hearing the sound of a waterfall. It might have been catching the scent of wildflowers. Whatever the experience was, let its vibrancy fill your body. Be present to the uplifting, tingling and expansive sensations that arise when you remember this moment of rapture. Imagine this delight spreading outwards, connecting you to all the other beings who rejoice in the beauty of Mother Earth. Allow yourself to be buoyed by this energy, knowing that it will be the fuel that keeps the flame of ecological engagement in your heart ablaze.

RECOMMENDED POEM:

Mary Oliver’s Storm

REFLECTION PROMPTS: 

1. Recall a time when you felt delight in nature. How did that moment energize you?
2. How might cultivating pīti help sustain your engagement with ecological crises, especially when anguish, despair and fatigue set in?
3. In what ways can communities share and amplify this joy together, turning delight into collective strength for ecological action?