Triratna Earth Sangha - Conference 2025

Triratna Earth Sangha Conference | 12-14 Dec | An Inexhaustible Lamp: Dharmic Responses in an Age of Collapse | The Buddhist Centre (Online)

The image of the Inexhaustible Lamp occurs in the Vimalakirti Nirdesa, a Mahayana text: The Inexhaustible Lamp can be likened to a single lamp kindling thousands of lamps. All dark regions are illuminated, and yet the light is not exhausted. In the same way, a single Bodhisattva leads hundreds of thousands of sentient beings to liberation, inciting them to arouse the heart's aspiration towards incomparable supreme Enlightenment, and this activity of theirs is also inexhaustible.

In the past year or two we’re hearing less and less in the news about the Climate and Ecological Emergencies. And yet we all know that they continue and intensify – this summer was the warmest on record in the UK – and may lead to collapse. How do we live with this awareness? Where do we find resilience in turbulent times? What are the radical Buddhist approaches for transformative adaptation? What perspectives can the Triratna Buddhist Community offer?

This year's conference will showcase papers, workshops, guided meditations, pujas, music, poetry and the visual arts.

Who are we?

A group of Triratna Order members, Mitras and Friends worldwide who are deeply concerned about the climate and ecological crises we face and see it as part of their practice to do something about them. We are all too painfully aware of the Buddha’s core teaching that actions have consequences. The accelerating destruction of ecosystems in the natural world caused by greed, hatred and ignorance is causing untold suffering to beings of many kinds, and we feel that it is our duty as Buddhists to do what we can to raise awareness of the plight of the planet, demonstrate an alternative way of life based on stillness, simplicity and contentment and act to relieve suffering where we can. Facebook group.

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Draft Programme

(for speaker bios see below)

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The speakers

Dhivan, Bristol, UK

Dhivan is a Triratna Order member, ordained in 2004, and author of This Being, That Becomes: the Buddha’s Teaching on Conditionality (Windhorse Publications, 2011). With a background in academia, he is one of the Triratna scholars. Since 2022 he has been co-leading retreats on Animist Dharma at Dhanakośa, and giving talks and leading study on related themes at the Buddhafield Festival.

David Loy, Boulder, Colorado, USA

David Robert Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is a prolific author, whose essays and books have been translated into many languages. Website: davidloy.org

Jem Bendell, Bali, Indonesia

Through founding the ‘Deep Adaptation’ movement and writing the ‘Breaking Together’ book, Jem is known for working on collapse risk and response. After decades working on sustainability at the international level, he quit his full Professorship to focus on enabling discussion about the metacrisis while pursuing activities in Indonesia. Locally, that includes co-founding Bekandze Farm School (www.bekandze.net) on organic farming, and co-hosting devotional song circles. Internationally, it includes the Metacrisis Meetings initiative, at www.jembendell.com.

Sanghasiha, London, UK

Sanghasīha has led Buddhism and Deep Ecology residential and camping retreats, workshops and retreat days for over ten years. He has a particular interest in Deep Listening as a way of connecting deeply with the natural world and believes that environmental activism is an essential activity for the engaged Buddhist.

Sagaravajra, Devon, UK

Sagaravajra has spent the last 15 years creating a small Pure Land in a field. Hridayabija, or “Seed of the heart”, is the name of his glorious "forest garden" in east Devon, in the west of England.

Guhyasakhi, London, UK

Guhyasakhi is a recently retired Senior Educational Psychologist now focusing on growing food organically and living more self-sufficiently. Ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2021, she brings a lifelong interest in holistic healing, ecology and contemplative practice.

Drawing on her background in mindfulness, bodywork and trauma-informed therapy, she integrates inner and outer transformation—supporting wellbeing through connection with nature, community and the living world.

Sanghajata, Cambridge, UK

Sanghajata lives in Cambridge UK where she teaches meditation and is part of the Cambridge Earth Sangha. She was ordained 10 years ago. When she was younger she marched, joined various organisations and was very active in her local community as she saw what was happening around her, that is the destruction of the earth through human neglect and greed and the destruction of each other through cruelty and war. Along with at least a million other people she marched against the war in Iraq.

Amarasingha, Mexico City, Mexico

Amarasingha holds a veterinarian and a master's degree in science (specialized in wildlife medicine) and a doctorate in bioethics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She has taught bioethics and philosophy of science courses at various UNAM faculties. Her research interests include bioethics, zooethics and ecoethics, and Buddhist philosophy, with several international publications.

San Francisco Buddhist Center Green Sangha, USA

The San Francisco Buddhist Center Green Sangha is a small affinity group that meets monthly to discuss climate action and Buddhism. We aim to create a space for the sangha to creatively engage with others around climate change and environmental justice. One of our goals is to contribute Dharmic perspectives and ethical action to the collective response to climate change. We envision the cultivation of awareness of the interplay between institutionalized social injustice and climate change, and the flowering of wisdom and compassion to help create and maintain a healthy, diverse, clean and cool planet. We host occasional events that are open to the public, including meditation in public spaces, organizing fundraisers, giving talks at sangha night, participating in nonviolent activist events, and more.

Narapa, Cumbria, UK

Working in the humanitarian aid sector Narapa saw first hand the impact of climate and societal change in countries such as Angola and Lao (where he was introduced to Buddhism!). A Mountain Leader, Mindfulness Teacher and Chaplain he works with veterans and others with PTSD often using nature based activities.

Margo van Greta, Findhorn, UK

Margo van Greta is a pioneer of holistic spirituality. Originally from the Netherlands, she has lived and worked in Ecovillage Findhorn, a Spiritual Community in Scotland, since 1991. She facilitates courses in The Work That Reconnects, mostly online, including facilitator training. She is passionate about integrating spiritual practice into daily life and created Heartbeat Findhorn: Inner Work for Outer Action, offering mostly online courses www.heartbeatfindhorn.com. She has been a Buddhist practitioner since 1987, mostly through the Gelugpa lineage FPMT fpmt.org and started the Buddhist group Togme Sangpo www.togmesangpo.org.uk.

Cittapala, Somerset, UK

Cittapala is from Somerset in the UK. He is a long-standing member of the Triratna Buddhist Order.

Yogaratna, Cambridge, UK

Yogaratna works as a dementia carer in Cambridge, UK. In 2006 he got interested in responding to climate change as spiritual practice, including low carbon living. Since 2014 he has engaged with more activist responses, working particularly with BP or not BP?, Extinction Rebellion Buddhists, and Defend Our Juries.

Aryaka, Stockhom, Sweden

Aryaka is trained in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Recently he has done a one year course in Ecopsychology. Aryaka first came in contact with the FWBO in Stockholm/Sweden in the early 1980s. He was ordained in 2002 and has been teacher and chair at the Stockholm Buddhist Centre. He has led several ecodharma courses at the centre and at Dharmagiri retreat centre.