The teachings and contemplative practices that have been transmitted by Buddhist communities offer a wealth of urgently needed resources that could allow us to respond wisely and compassionately to this era of radical uncertainty, amidst the poly-crises and collapse of ecosystems as well as many of the social and economic structures. 

As we seek ways to apply those teachings and practices, we recognize a need for Buddhist spaces themselves to undergo a process of decolonization and/or re-indigenization. In this retreat, we acknowledge a history of Buddhism backed by imperial forces and look at the ways Buddhism has been marked by its alignment with imperial, patriarchal and anthropocentric structures. At the same time, Buddhism was embraced and historically integrated into many communities where the lifeblood of indigenous and animist modes of experiencing relationship to non-human kin, to land and to life itself. As they reach us today, these two divergent impulses—animist/shamanic/indigenous versus imperialist/patriarchal/anthropocentric—have been additionally refracted through colonial settler, white supremacist and neoliberal cultural impulses. 

In addition to the colonial historical context, this retreat is rooted in a wild love and gratitude for the living Earth community. When we open to this love, we also sense the desecration, habitat destruction, waste, and climate mutation wrought by an imbalanced Westernized global civilization. Our study of Animism comes together with our shared quest for the ethical and spiritual demands of being alive within such ecocidal violence. In what ways might animist relational worldviews and practices support such ethics? Might it encourage a more responsive modern Buddhism, free of bypassing and complicity.

During this retreat, we will call forth the many Buddhist practices where we hear the whispers or feel the dance of Buddhism’s animist roots. We will imagine what a North American Buddhism could look like if allowed to feed into streams of knowledge from the indigenous communities native to these lands, if only they had not been crowded out and shouted down by settler colonialism. We will listen to one another as we ask, what does or should a land-based Buddhist practice look like on Turtle Island.

This retreat will unfold collaboratively. Unlike some previous BESS Ecodharma retreats, there is no expectation that every attendee guide a session. Rather, each participant will be requested to describe an earth-based practice they might share, and we will weave together offerings from some participants. 

Damchö (Diana Finnegan) is the main teacher of Comunidad Dharmadatta, one of the largest Buddhist practice communities serving Latin America. With a seven-year study program, online meditation halls, weekly teachings and hybrid retreats, Comunidad Dharmadatta has been offering the Dharma in Spanish free of charge since 2009. After a career as a journalist based in New York and Hong Kong, Damcho was ordained as a Buddhist nun from 1999 through 2023. Damcho trained for a decade under various Tibetan Buddhist masters in India, and earned a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a thesis on gender and ethics in Sanskrit and Tibetan narratives about Buddha’s direct female disciples. She co-edited and translated Interconnected: Embracing Life in a Global Society and The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out. Her earth-centered approach locates gender and ecological issues at the very heart of Buddhist practice.

Karen Waconda-Lewis is a native from Laguna and Isleta Pueblos. She is the director for the Center for Native American Integrative Healing which offers traditional healing and ceremonies to serve all beings. Karen completed the Community Dharma Leader program at Spirit Rock, and is cofounder of the annual Native Healers' Silent Retreat and ABQ People of Color & Allies Sangha. Among her many activities, Karen often leads instructional sittings for dharma teachers and community programs in blending Native and Buddhist teaching nationwide.

Adam Lobel teachings focus on ecological thought and practice, the open awareness and elemental methods of Dzogchen Tibetan Buddhism and Bön, spiritual "warriorship," contemporary philosophy and "theory," and inoperative politics. His work in this world is learning to weave such practices together.

A professor of Ecopsychology, Buddhist and phenomenological psychology, and a Certified Focusing Professional, he is curious about cultural therapeutics for our collapsing society.  

You will find detailed information under the heading Our Retreats: What to Expect, How to Prepare, and On Retreat. This is a unique retreat and will have a different format than silent meditation retreats.