Fallen Water
At the intersection of Zen practice and Earth activism
NEW REPORT:
This collaboration by a couple dozen teachers working at the intersection of meditation and Earth activism describes ways in which meditation practice supports Earth activists and Earth activism, and ways in which meditators can take their practice into the world to help the Earth.
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Fallen Water
A novel of Zen and Earth
About the novel
A desperate fugitive on the run in the drought-ravaged wildlands of the Big Sur Coast fakes his way into a remote Zen monastery where playing monk is his only hope for staying free. Constant friction with the idiosyncratic monastics and the enigmatic female Zen Master force him to confront what he’s really running from and what freedom truly means. His unexpected self-discovery is deeply intertwined with the mystery that landed him there and with the embattled wilderness he loves.
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Get a print or ebook copy of Fallen Water for someone you love here.
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Ecodharma
What do you mean by ecodharma?
In the Soto Zen that I have studied, “dharma” generally refers to the teachings, but also to the practice of those teachings. Additionally, dharma can mean the many things of the world, or the truth of those things. In this sense, dharma can even be defined as “nature.”“Eco” can be put in front of many words to put them in the context of the Earth, or the wholeness of life, or nature generally.
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I view “ecodharma” as bringing together mindfulness, meditation, Buddhist teachings with the imperative to act to curtail threats to the wholeness of life on Earth. It is a term that calls meditation practitioners to take up Earth activism as a practice and is an offering to Earth activists of an ancient system of knowledge and practice that can help build deeper awareness, compassion, and much needed resilience.
But the more important question isn’t what I mean by ecodharma, but what it might mean to you.
Psilocybin Retreat
for earth activists
Retreat Info:
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I'm currently helping organize and co-lead what I believe will be a first-ever U.S.-based, legal, psychedelic therapy retreat for Earth activists.
It will take place June 23-29 at a psilocybin therapy center in Bend, OR and will be fully funded.
More information, including how to apply can be found here.
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Only for Your Benefit Honored One
The Dharma as Antidote for Climate Grief
and Activist Burnout
This recorded dharma talk and discussion that Tim led in 2022 features an ancient Chinese koan:
Dongshan and a monk were washing their bowls after breakfast and saw two cranes fighting over a frog.
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The monk turned to his teacher and asked,
‘Why does it always come to that?’
Dongshan answered, ‘It is only for your benefit, Honored One.’
Beginning Mindfulness
for environmental activists
From the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute
Based on neuroscience and recommended by hundreds of thousands around the world, Search Inside Yourself offers tools and practices for resilience, effective leadership, interpersonal communication and mental well being. This offering of SIY is customized exclusively for those working or volunteering in environmentalism and conservation.
Through a generous grant from the BESS Family Foundation, these in-person and online courses are available to environmental activists on a sliding scale.
Practice to Action:Earth Activism and Empowerment for Dharma Practicioners
a six-week course
Sessions are recorded if you want to join late.
This course, led by Tim, will take you through a five-step model for activism grounded in care, community, and empowerment. You’ll be given a chance to refine the issue or issues that motivate you to act, draw inspiration from those already making a difference, learn a wide set of very practical skills for transforming your concern for beings into effective action, and find specific opportunities to employ your new-found skills.
Sacred Sabotage: Direct Action and Spiritual Practice Amidst Ecological Breakdown
a talk by Tim at Harvard Divinity School
As the global climate system continues to break down, activists are responding with ever stronger action, at times including sabotage.
Is it "right"?
Does it work?
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Tim was invited to speak to the issue at the Harvard Divinity School in 2023.
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Tim made a movie
a little while back
pickAxe tells the story of what happens when people love the Earth and its beings so much, they will put everything on the line to protect it.
Arson didn’t stop us. Jail didn’t stop us. Threats of violence didn’t stop us. Even a brutal Oregon winter at 5000 feet didn’t stop us.
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About
a closer look
Tim Ream has spent most of his life trying to protect the wholeness of life on Earth. He’s done it as an outlaw, blocking roads and invading boardrooms; as an attorney, protecting endangered species and public lands; and now as a sometimes ecodharma teacher, helping activists build resiliency in the face of climate chaos.