This is the third post in a series that began March 19 exploring what we are TO DO about climate change.

When I ordained into the Order of Interbeing, Thich Nhat Hanh’s core community of Buddhist followers, I pledged to observe, study and practice fourteen spiritual guidelines or “Mindfulness Trainings.” These trainings bring to life the fundamental insights of Eastern Philosophy handed down through generations. Recently, when I examined the fourteen trainings while holding the question “what am I to do about climate change,” the text suddenly rose and fell in my vision with the mystery of a Magic Eight Ball; passages and phrases I had not previously digested in their entirety leapt forward while other words faded away; in this way a spiritual route forward, one based on values different from those of modern society, grew plain.

The first words to jump out in my awareness were, “observe life.” For the first time I realized the instruction is not to observe people, society, the media, or politics, but to take in the workings of life itself–the complex, interrelated web of existence that sustains our bodies, communities, and so much more. To do this, it makes sense to look beyond our daily realm at regular intervals to connect with natural processes larger than ourselves. Failure to open our hearts and minds to the rest of the universe means we relate only to others in our species. This isolation leads to humanity’s current pathology of narcissism: we think “we’re it” and “it’s all about us.” Equally important, we’d be wise to connect with what’s happening in our inner life because whatever is going on there is organic, untamed, and real. By looking at our internal struggles we come to understand the difficulties of being alive; this naturally leads to compassion for ourselves and–by extension–all sentient beings.

Next, the Mindfulness Trainings brought to the surface the truth of interbeing, the reality Martin Luther King, Jr. described when he said in his 1963 Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Interbeing is also inherent to the Gaia principle: the hypothesis formulated in the 1970’s by scientist James Lovelock that claims the elements of Earth co-evolved into this single, self-regulating, organic and inorganic planetary system and everything operates as a cell in a single living being called Gaia. I find interbeing a helpful framework when looking at the mess of climate change because I realize my inescapable connection to the whole and want to respond to the needs of others (both human and non-human) as an act of self-defense.

“Live simply” and “give generously” were the pair of powerful phrases that rose next in the text of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings. These are radical notions standing in bold contradiction to the values of today’s Industrial Growth Society. But, in my experience, a simple life in service to others is the very foundation of True Happiness. Do not misunderstand me here; I am not advocating any one of us be subjected to the physical and soul-eroding conditions of poverty. I am saying that most of us possess more than we need to be happy but we believe we need more: money, friends, time–you name it. Ancient teachings recommend we choose to want less for ourselves, practice contentment with what we already have, and freely share our personal bounty with those who are in need. If people in the wealthiest industrialized nations were to adopt these values and reorganize their lives, the climate threat would end in an instant. This is why I believe we can transform the climate crisis by living lives of True Happiness.

The Mindfulness Trainings also say we are to speak out and act–even when doing so threatens our safety. Our responsibility is to protect life, stop those who profit from the suffering of others. I don’t know about you, but this directive makes me very uncomfortable because it contains no wiggle-room. It doesn’t say we should sometimes get involved, schedule action for the future, or do only what is convenient or safe; it shouts, “do whatever you can do in this very moment, consequences be damned!” There is only one caveat: we are to act skillfully so we do not act on impulse or in ways that lead to more suffering. Skillful action emerges from collective insight. Therefore, we would be wise to gather people together or join others dedicated to non-violent action, cultivate deep understanding around the causes and conditions of climate suffering through compassionate dialogue and loving speech, and then go forward “as a river” to act for the well-being of all.

Click here if you’d like to read the Fourteen Mindfulness Training in their entirety.