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What would you ask a Buddhist teacher from Extinction Rebellion?

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by Bernat Font

The climate catastrophe: the challenge of the 21st century. “Who would have thought,” it occurs to me sometimes, “that this would be the great theme of my time?” But the information has been there since the day I was born, like a waiting room magazine that nobody pays attention to. Ignorance, Buddhism argues, is a main feature of ordinary human existence, and the old sutras hide verses that compare greed to a flood. Today I find it hard not to remember them.

In March I will have the pleasure of interviewing Yanai Postelnik, who has found a space in his very active “rebel” schedule to chat to me. And I want to gather your concerns and questions: What would you want to ask a meditation teacher who is also an Extinction Rebellion activist?

Yanai Postelnik has been teaching meditation classes and retreats for almost thirty years all over the world. He was a resident teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts; and is a member of the Gaia House Teacher Council in UK. You can read a piece by his on meditation here  and listen to his talks on Dharma Seed.

Two years ago he felt called to climate activism as part of his commitment to act for the benefit of all beings. Deeply engaged with Extinction Rebellion (XR), his conscience has led him to occupy the Waterloo Bridge, or to glue himself to the entrance of a hotel to protest a congress of the oil industry. He has been arrested on multiple occasions. Yanai says:

“The urgency of our circumstance requires sacrifice and I am called to risk my comfort, my privilege and even my liberty, to call the government’s attention to the danger and to the ecological, social and spiritual devastation that we face if we do not all act together, now, with courage and commitment.”

He seems to follow the words of Martin Luther King Jr: “Never be afraid to do what is right. Society’s punishments are small, compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

I have heard a few times that XR departs from habitual anger-motivated activism. Without being denominational, XR has a clear spiritual dimension and a psychological intelligence that leads, for example, to organizing sessions or rituals to come to terms with grief for the ecological catastrophe.

“What moved me about XR was the sense that we have to respond to everyone from a place of love—to not blame or shame even the apparent beneficiaries or perpetrators of destructive behaviors,” Yanai told Tricycle Magazine. In fact, Yanai has already given several talks under the title of “Love in time of extinction.”

Since this is a very current topic, whose waves are coming to the Buddhist and meditative shores (but perhaps not yet enough), I call for you to suggest themes and questions—the more specific the better. Many of us are seeing how we cannot continue without addressing this, but we may not only not know what to do, but also how it might fit with our practice or how to create a dialogue between these two areas.

  • What would you like to know?
  • Do you have messages of support?
  • Do you have doubts?
  • What would you like us to touch upon in the interview?

Please contribute your questions in the comment section. I will gather them and bring them to the conversation with Yanai Postelnik. I’m sure it will be a very interesting one!

Bernat Font climate change Extinction Rebellion Yanai Postelnik

8 replies added

  1. Barbara Doeleman - van. Veldhoven February 19, 2020 Reply

    Dear Bernat, it lifts my heart to see how you are sharing your time, effort and skills in service of taking care of the world we create. One of the main questions for Yanai for me is how we can invite ourselves and all human beings to really deeply understand the 4 noble truths in the context of climate change. So how not to react out of fear (rather it’s turning our head away or falling into anger) but responding wisely and skillfully to make a change. How to make a change in what can feel as un overwhelming disaster?

    Big hug, Barbara

  2. Marjan Ossebaard February 19, 2020 Reply

    Hi bernat, i’m interested in his view on how to break out of this locked in situation we are in.what we see now is that the change starts at bottom and we hope it spreads and then moves to the top.my question is is there another way from a Buddhist Point of view? I hope this makes sense, if not please contact me! Warmly Marjan

  3. Anna Rothfuß February 19, 2020 Reply

    Hello dear Bernat and dear Yanai,
    so this is a question I have: from Yanai’ s experience: does it make sense to join a political party to help to bring about change especially seeing, that the parties in Germany are at this point – in my opinion – much too slow in reacting to the crisis? Maybe it might be helpful to join anyway at least in my area? Concerning the XR acticities: I am shy of participating in them, because of my profession. It is licensed by the state and the license can be withdrawn should I get arrested. Also it might reflect badly on my husband’s job. What other acticities might be helpful? Tx for doing this. Lots of Metta. Anna

  4. Denis Bicanic February 19, 2020 Reply

    What new forms of dharma practice, beside the individual and group silent retreats, does the climate crisis ask for?
    Thank you both!
    Metta,
    Denis

  5. Caroline Hoffman February 20, 2020 Reply

    Hi Bernat and Yanai

    Thanks for this opportunity to ask questions:

    My question is:

    “How do you square up the potentially negative impact of the demonstrations on the wider community where they are held as well as any illegal activities with the teachings of the Buddha? Is there another way?”

    Warmest wishes

    Caroline

  6. Thimo Wittich February 26, 2020 Reply

    Hi Bernat and Yanai,
    my question is related to Caroline’s thoughts.
    What’s your take on the definition of violence in the connection with those actions? There is obviously an output of stress, coercion or compulsion to uninvolved third persons which could contradict some of the precepts.
    The question is certainly as old as the protest culture itself. It is characterized by the weighing of proportions, etc. But what is your Buddhist stance on this?

    Thank you both for investing your energy and time in this important topic.

    Warmly, Thimo

  7. David March 1, 2020 Reply

    Given that capitalism requires growth for a healthy economy, and that meeting the climate crisis will ultimately require limits on growth, and that centrally planned/controlled economies don’t seem to work, what economic system is sustainable without ecological destruction? Is there such a thing as a “Buddhist economy”? What would that be like?

    • Bernat Font March 1, 2020 Reply

      Thank you David. I will pose the question to Yanai, but in the meantime you may do some googling, for Buddhist economy is definitely a thing and several authors have written about it! Cheers.

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