Want To Save the World? Try Living Like a Monk!

Interfaith dialog has been around for a long time but the exchange between Buddhists and Catholics, especially from the monastics from these traditions, has been particularly lively and amiable. The Third Gathering of Buddhist and Catholic monks and nuns took place this past May at Gesthemani Abbey. The monastery, located in the appropriately named city of Trappist, Kentucky, hosted the latest conference. This time, the focus was on Monasticism and the Environment. The Conference Statement says:

We live in a time of environmental crisis and calamity, but also in a time when more and more people are coming together to respond to the suffering of the world. Our monastic interreligious dialogue has brought us to a new awareness of the social and spiritual relevance of ancient monastic traditions that have been sustained for millennia by Buddhist and Catholic communities. Together we celebrate our common monastic values of reverence for the sacredness of all things, contemplation, humility, simplicity, compassion and generosity. These virtues contribute to a life of nonviolence, balance, and contentment with sufficiency.

We recognize greed and apathy as the poisons at the heart of ecological damage and unbridled materialism. Throughout the centuries, monastic life has inspired generous personal, social and spiritual effort for the good of others. We give and receive in the spirit of gratitude.

We acknowledge our complicity in damaging the environment and will make a sincere and sustained effort to reduce our negative impact on the planet. We are committed to take more mindful, universal responsibility for the way we use and manage the earth’s resources. We resolve to develop our hearts and minds in ways that will contribute to a sustainable and hopeful future for our planet. We renew our commitment to the sacredness of the earth, relating to it as a community, not a commodity.

May our love for all beings and this world sustain our efforts and may our earth be revitalized. This is our prayer and commitment.

At the conference, monastics from all traditions presented a series of talks on topics from St. Benedict's Rule to discussions of dependent origination and interdependence. The way of life outlined in the above statement shows that we still have much to learn from our rich and ancient monastic traditions, East and West.