Calls for Spirited Action | American Friends Service Committee

Calls for Spirited Action | American Friends Service Committee


Calls for Spirited Action
Join us each month from September through May as we engage in conversation about the work of AFSC, and how Quakers can be involved in evolving movements for social change. These monthly calls are an opportunity to learn from AFSC staff and others about specific focus issues and campaigns, and hear ideas of how to get involved. Each one is also an opportunity to speak with other Quakers from the around the country about strategies for how to engage in collective social change work.
We will begin our new series of calls this September.
Find out more about the subject and presenters for these monthly calls, below.
Each call will be held from 8:30-9:30pm ET.
You can join by dialing 866-740-1260
and entering access code 2419995#.

Upcoming Calls

May 19th

Love knows no borders: 
Accompanying the movement for migrant justice and transformation 
with Jenn Piper & Pedro Rios

Please register here.

Listen to past calls

September 17th: 
9 Ways Your Meeting/Church Can Work With AFSC for Just Peace 
with Lucy Duncan and Greg Elliott

October 15th: 
Quakers Social Change Ministry Part I 
with Kierstin Homblette, Lucy Duncan, and Greg Elliott

November 19th: 
Quaker Social Change Ministry Part II 
with Kierstin Homblette and Greg Elliott

December 17th: 
Quaker Social Change Ministry Part III 
with Lucy Duncan and Greg Elliott.

January 21st: 
Barriers to re-entry and how Friends can support returning citizens 
with Lewis Webb, Jr.

February 18th: 
Shared Security and building peace in an interdependent world 
with Aura Kanegis and Raed Jarrar.

March 17th: Working for just and lasting peace in Israel & Palestine 
with Steve Tamari.

April 21st: Humanize Not Militarize 
with Mary Zerkel.

Find more audio clips from past calls on the 
Calls for Spirited Action archives page

The Lamb's War: Quakers, Nonviolence, Gandhi, and Jesus - Enfranchised Mind

The Lamb's War: Quakers, Nonviolence, Gandhi, and Jesus - Enfranchised Mind

The Lamb's War: Quakers, Nonviolence, Gandhi, and Jesus

by Robert Fischer, April 5, 2014 I have a very empirical approach to my mysticism. Some people judge mystics by their ability to say mystical-sounding things: it’s a kind of spirituality-as-performance-art. One example of this is Julian of Norwich, whose fans tend to be excited about the way in which see communicates her divine revelations. Other people judge mystics by the way the mystics carry themselves. An example of this is the Dali Llama, whose gentle, charming, affable presentation communicates a touch of the divine to his fans. But the way I see it, if someone is really in touch with the divine underpinning of all reality, then there should be some kind of practical upshot. A mystic should know something that the rest of the world struggles to comprehend. A mystic should leave a trail likeFermat’s last theorem: their message should seem right, but be beyond our ability of the world to comprehend at the moment. Given enough time, however, we should expect to be able to prove the mystic right.

The way I figure it, Jesus was a mystic like this. He had this scandalous, bizarre idea: all things will be better if we did not respond to evil with violence, but with love. This was his message and his claim. One of the great embarassments of Christianity is that a Hindu man was the one to prove that Jesus was right. Jesus said it, but Gandhi proved it worked two millenia later. Tolstoy, among other Christians, managed to make theological sense of the bizarre claim.   
J.C. Kumarappa, a Christian and one of Gandhi’s close supporters, described the experience of living through Gandhi’s proof of Jesus' message: this is why I have their accounts in my anthology. The anthology also includes Bayard Rustin’s 22 Days on a Chain Gang, which proves it out yet further by applying Jesus' lesson within the context of a prison. Yet it is Gandhi who first proved the power of nonviolence at an epic scale, and in doing so Gandhi proved Jesus' fundamental social teaching to be absolutely accurate.

One of the things that I love about Quakerism is the fact that they took Jesus absolutely seriously early on, and they still do. Christian mystics throughout the ages have found a kind of intuitive confidence that Jesus was right when he taught nonviolence: the early Christians martyrs certainly knew it, and Quakers certainly figured it out, and so did early Pentacostals. Within Quakerism in particular, there is long history of Christians being those who wage the “Lamb’s War”: to be a Christian is to be a combatant, a soldier, personally committed to the front lines of a war against Evil. Evil is all-pervasive, having infiltrated our governments, our churches, and ourselves.

The Enticement of Evil

That infiltrating power is the most powerful weapon that Evil has against us. That inflitrating power convinced us that Jesus could not have possibly meant what He said, and that clearly our only way to defend ourselves against Evil is to partake in it—but, of course, in a lesser extent. We will do evil things, but we will do less evil than the bad guys, and therefore it will work out in the end. In this way, Christ’s very followers become agents of Evil. Quakers recognized this power, and so they rejected the idea that violence is the only resort when things get ugly. Combating that infiltrating maneuver is one of the fronts where I fight the Lamb’s War. I love this QuakerSpeak interview of George Lakey which highlights how this is playing out, and the fact that we are (finally!) gaining ground on this front:

I firmly believe that the Achille’s heel of the violence paradigm is its collateral damage. To that end, institutions like Quaker House of Fayetteville are absolutely essential, because they give voice to the silent victims of the violence paradigm: murdered spouses, abused children, and traumatized veterans. These are the costs that we pay by participating in our lesser evil, but the very existence of our self-victimization creates a cognitive dissonance: after all, these are supposed to be are heroes…but how can the system which produces these heroes also produce child abusers and rapists? How can the experience that proves our heroes leave them broken, homeless, and strung out? How can the institution of heroes be actively engaged in the suppression and oppression of its own people?

“But What Choice Do We Have?”

Once there starts to be cracks in the violence paradigm, people still won’t surrender it without an alternative. Gandhi called constructing this alternative “constructive programme”, and Jesus called the alternative “the Kingdom of God”. Building the kingdom of God is going to include building up a way of responding to conflict and to evil. Far too many anti-war activists have a good answer when the violence paradigm demands, “Well, what’s your alternative?” It is hard work to construct these alternative solutions and to communicate them out to the world. Accomplishing this will take more than just theory or praxis, however: it will take witness and evangelism.

Two organizations that do great work on this front are Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP/NvPf), an institution of professional nonviolent soldiers, and American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947 for (among other things) the reconciliation work at the end of World War Two that made possible the united and peaceful western Europe that we have today.

Pressing Forward

Gandhi may have beaten Christ’s followers to proving out the power of nonviolence on an international scale, but contemporary Christians are taking up our predecessor’s slack. To fight this war, you start inward and push outward. First and foremost, identify how the violent paradigm works within yourself, and be able to answer to yourself the question, “But what choice do we have?” 
1] There’s a great opportunity coming up to hear the AFSC describe how a nonviolent US foreign policy would work: to hear it, hop on the call on April 14, 2014, from 7:30-9:30 EDT. 
2] The Metta Center has two great podcast series which make up a collegiate-level course in nonviolence: PACS 164A and 164B. 
3] My anthology, Voices of Christ, is intended to help make sense of Christ’s message and help you move into the proper frame of mind.

Once you have started transforming yourself, it is time to press your advantage through your relationships. Form relationships with individuals and institutions dedicated to lovingly combatting violence in its myriad forms, and work through those institutions and relationships to transform the lives of those we encounter. The church calls this evangelism: Jesus calls it making disciples.

This is our work, and it is not easy work to do. But the great news is that Christ has already told us the ending: love wins. Evil will pass away, and God’s love will persist eternally. We just have to play our part to make it happen.

 Previous: On America, Appropriation, and Belly Dance

Next: Being the Real You 

화해와 용서는 불가능한가? [용서의 심리학] – 전성기N

화해와 용서는 불가능한가? [용서의 심리학] – 전성기N

화해와 용서는 불가능한가? [용서의 심리학]

2016.05.13 · 이달희 (상담 및 심리치료사. 전 대교 잡지편집국장) 작성

 
 
 

업보의 수레바퀴를 벗어나기 위하여

부처님 오신 날을 맞으며 고통의 근원이라는, 사람의 착한 마음을 해치는 세 가지 번뇌, 탐(貪)·진(瞋)·치(癡)—탐욕·성냄·어리석음—삼독(三毒)으로부터 벗어나 자비와 용서를 통해 마음의 평화와 자유를 얻을 수 있다는 말씀을 생각해본다. 좋은 말씀 늘 마음에 담고 살고자 하나 그마저 제 뜻대로 잘 되지 않아 끊임없이 상처받고 또 탐욕과 분노와 어리석음으로 흔들리며 사는 것이 우리 인간이다. 방송을 하는 정목 스님이 언젠가 내게 이런 메일을 보내주었다.

“중생심으로 반복되는 이 무지의 행진은 언제나 끝날는지요? 우리 한 사람, 한 사람이 작은 깨달음을 얻을 수만 있다면 존재계의 의식은 피어나는 꽃처럼 활짝 개화할 것입니다. 사바세계의 모든 원한은 오직 자비로서만 해결할 수 있다 하신 부처님 말씀이 더욱 깊이 가슴에 와 닿는 날들입니다. 용서하기를 통해 우리가 배울 수 있는 것과 얻는 것은 무엇일까요? 과거의 기억과 고통에서 일어서려면 용기가 필요하며 과거의 미움과 원망으로부터 결연히 걸어 나와야 합니다.

그것이 어떤 상처일지라도, 그리고 어떤 끔찍한 기억일지라도 과거는 이미 지나갔으니 거기에 사로잡히지 말고 우리는 매순간 새로운 생명으로 탄생해야 합니다. 용서는 종교의 전유물이거나 특별한 사람만이 할 수 있는 어떤 것이 아니라 인간이 보편적으로 지녀야 할 제2의 천성이자 덕목입니다. 충동적으로 행동하는 것은 과거에 묶여 있는 습관 때문이고 과거의 습관은 우리의 삶을 제약하고 방해합니다.”

얼마 전 입적하신 법정스님은 어느 해 봄 정기법회에서 이렇게 설법하셨다.

 “죽음 앞에서는 모든 것을 다 받아들이지 않을 수 없습니다. 인생의 종점에서는 용서 못 할 일은 없습니다. 한 세상 업의 놀음에서 풀려나야 됩니다. 용서는 내 입장이 아니라 저쪽 입장에서 생각하는 것입니다. 용서를 거쳐 저쪽 상처가 치유될 뿐 아니라, 굳게 닫힌 이쪽 마음의 문도 활짝 열리게 됩니다. 용서하는 사람은 너그럽습니다. 일단 마음의 문이 열리고 나면, 그 문으로는 무엇이든 다 드나들 수 있고 받아들일 수 있습니다. 무거운 짐을 부려 놓고 가볍게 살아야 합니다. 얽히고설킨 업(業)의 관문에서 벗어나십시오. 그물에 걸리지 않는 바람처럼 그렇게 살 수 있어야 합니다.”

사람과 사회의 불건강함은 각 구성요소들 간의 원활한 소통의 장애, 그리고 불균형과 부조화로 인해 나타난다고 할 수 있다. ⒸLightspring/Shutterstock

풀리지 않은 매듭을 안고 이 세상을 떠나면 생의 수레바퀴에서 그 업보(業報)를 끌어안고 다시 고통의 늪에서 헤어날 수 없다는 것이다. 그런 자연의 이치를 깨닫지 못하며 하루를 살아가는 범부들이 너무나 많은 탓인지 고통의 수레바퀴는 이전 세대로부터 지금 세대, 또 다음 세대로 끊임없이 대물림 되어 집단과 개인 무의식 속에 자리 잡고 멈출 줄 모른다. 아니 멈추지 않고 계속 굴러야만 하는 것이 자연의 이치인 것 같다.

사람과 사회의 불건강함은 각 구성요소들 간의 원활한 소통의 장애, 그리고 불균형과 부조화로 인해 나타난다고 할 수 있다. 그렇다고 하면 지구 위에서 우리 인류의 역사 속에서 어느 한 순간 평화로웠던 적이 없지 않았나 싶다. 우리가 이 세상에 나와서 가는 길을 스스로 선택하지 못한다는 것은 자연의 이치로 어쩔 수 없는 일이라고 한다면, 이 세상을 살아가는 잠시 잠깐의 세월동안에라도 내 뜻대로 욕심 부리지 않고 성내지 않고 지혜롭게, 건강하고 행복하게 살아 갈 수는 없는 걸까.

미국의 긍정심리학자 William Compton은 ‘용서할 능력이 없으면 화 ․ 분노 ․ 상처가 사람들의 삶을 모두 소모해버릴 것이고, 영원히 증가하는 적개심과 복수심이 순환될 것’이라면서, 노벨 평화상 수상자이기도 한 남아프리카공화국의 투투 대주교의 말을 인용한다.

“인간의 존재가 지속되기 위해서는 절대적으로 용서가 필요합니다.”

남아공의 첫 흑인대통령이 된 만델라는 투투 대주교를 ‘진실 화해 위원회’ 의장으로 임명했었다. 이 위원회는 인종 차별 정책으로 학대받은 사례를 파헤치고, 희생자들이나 그 가족들이 명예를 되찾고 배상을 받도록 도왔다. 위원회는 그동안 진실을 말하고 행동에 옮겼던 양심수들 모두를 사면 받게 해 주었고, 많은 사람들이 이 위원회를 통해 아픔을 치료받고 위안을 받았으며, 희생자들은 자신의 죄를 인정한 가해자들을 용서하기도 했었다. 우리도 그런 아픔의 역사가 있었고, 그 아픔을 치유하고자 하는 많은 시도들이 있었다. 그 상처들이 말끔히 아물 수 있기를 진정으로 바란다.

용서를 통한 치료적 접근과 방법론이 종교를 비롯한 여러 차원에서 제시되어왔다. ‘잘 살아가기(Well-being)’를 모색하기 위해 최근 주목받고 있는 ‘긍정심리학’은 그중에서도 합리적인 대안들을 제시해주고 있어서 심리학을 전공한 ‘온전한 건강’ 테라피스트이자 연구자로서 눈길이 많이 간다.

진정한 용서 또는 용서 아닌 것

용서란 무엇을 어떻게 하는 것이라고 정의되고 있는가. 미국의 심리학자 로버트 인라이트(Robert Enright)와 동료들은 <용서에 대한 심리학(The psychology of interpersonal forgiveness)>에서 이렇게 연구결과를 밝히고 있다.

“용서는 부당하게 우리를 상처 입힌 사람을 향한 분노와 부정적 판단, 그리고 무시하는 행동을 할 권리를 버리려는 의지와 함께 동정과 아량, 심지어는 그 사람을 향한 사랑까지도 품는 것이다. 이 정의에는 정서적(분노 극복하기), 인지적(부정적 판단 바꾸기), 그리고 행동적(무관심 종식시키기)인 여러 측면들을 포함한다. 일반적으로 용서에 대한 정의는, 상대방의 부당함의 정도에 상관없이, 그 일을 통해 얻은 상처와 분노, 공격성을 극복하는 것을 가리킨다. 용서는 상대방이 나의 용서를 받아들이거나 아는 것과 무관한, 나의 개인적인 행위이다.”

이들은 또한 무엇이 용서가 아닌지에 대해서도 언급하고 있다.

“용서는, 정의롭지 못한 일을 단순히 참거나 잊는 것이 아니며, 우리에게 상처를 준 사람을 향한 분노를 멈추기 위해 부인이나 억제를 사용하는 것도 아니다. 진정한 용서는 상처를 망각, 부인, 혹은 최소화하거나, 이미 일어난 사건을 묵인하는 것이 아니다. 용서는 우리에게 행해졌던 범죄를 인지하고 받아들이며, 이를 초월하기 위한 방법을 찾는 것이다. 진정한 용서는 우리에게 행해진 잘못과, 그 잘못을 저지른 사람 모두를 놓아주는 것이다.”

손에 아주 작고 얇은 가시라도 박혀 있으면 신경이 쓰여 마음은 물론 몸까지 불편해지고 습관과 성격까지도 바뀔 수도 있다. 위생적인 처치를 못하고 있으면 곪아 버려 생명의 위협을 받을지도 모를 일이다. 그러니 가시를 일단 뽑아야 한다. 상처 준 사람에 대한 분노를 품는 것은 가시를 끌어안고 사는 것과 마찬가지다. 마음의 상처가 곪으면, 나무로 말하자면 옹이와 같이 마음 속 응어리가 된다. 분노로부터 비롯되는 복수심을 놓지 않으려는 태도는 손에 박힌 가시를 그냥 내버려 두는 것과 같다.

용서는 우리에게 행해졌던 범죄를 인지하고 받아들이며, 이를 초월하기 위한 방법을 찾는 것이다. 진정한 용서는 우리에게 행해진 잘못과, 그 잘못을 저지른 사람 모두를 놓아주는 것이다. ⒸAfrica Studio/Shutterstock

최근 심리학에서의 연구결과를 보면, 용서는 슬픔 ․ 불안 ․ 분노에 대한 열망을 줄여주고, 개인적인 안녕감을 회복시켜줄 뿐만 아니라, 용서에 대한 경험은 상처 받은 개인으로 하여금 그 상처에서 회복하여 갈등을 극복하고 건강하게 기능할 수 있도록 해준다고 밝히고 있다. 긍정심리학의 창시자인 마틴 셀리그만Martin Seligman은 이렇게 말한다.

“용서하지 않는다는 사실만으로 가해자에게 보복하는 것은 아니다. 용서란 원한을 말끔히 지우는 일이 아니다. 기억 끝에 달려있는 꼬리말만 긍정적으로 바꾸는 데 지나지 않는다.”

누구도 과거로 돌아가 그 분노를 유발한 사건이나 사태를 바꿀 수는 없다. 다만 과거에 대한 나의 태도와 생각만을 바꿀 수 있을 뿐이다. 상처는 그대로일지라도, 이를 어떻게 받아들이냐에 따라 내 삶은 달라질 수 있다.

그러한 고통이 내 삶의 체험 속에 없다면, 삶의 굴레 속에서 또다시 그런 일과 맞닥뜨렸을 때 더 나은 선택의 지혜도, 기쁨과 행복의 순간의 아름다운 체험에도 감사할 줄 모르고 그냥 지나쳐 버릴 수 있지 않을까. 그렇다면 삶에서 체험하는 고통의 순간마다, 삶의 고통을 체험하는 그 장(場)마다, 삶의 고통을 체험하게 해주는 그 ‘누군가’가, 더 나은 나의 삶을 창조하기 위해서 정말 특별한 의미가 있는 것이 아닌가 감사해야 할 사건이고 대상인지 모를 일이다.

용서와 자비의 마음은 그런 긍정의 마음으로부터 비롯되는, 고통의 굴레로부터 벗어날 수 있는 열쇠임을 잊지 마시길 바란다. 김수환 추기경께서 바보의 마음으로 사랑을 전하신 것처럼, 바보처럼 내게 상처 준 사람과 화해의 손길을 먼저 내밀고, 마음을 열어 용서함으로써 헛똑똑이들이 아니라 바보들의 ‘온전하게 건강한 사회’가 되었으면 하는 바람이다.

Amazon.com: Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution (9780313364099): Leslie E. Sponsel: Books

Amazon.com: Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution (9780313364099): Leslie E. Sponsel: Books

Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution

by Leslie E. Sponsel  (Author)

4.8 out of 5 stars    8 customer reviews

----

Product Details

Hardcover: 285 pages

Publisher: Praeger (July 19, 2012)

---

Biography

Leslie E. Sponsel earned the BA in Geology from Indiana University (1965), and the MA (1973) and PhD (1981) in Biological and Cultural Anthropology from Cornell University. Over the last four decades he has taught at seven universities in four countries, two as a Fulbright Fellow. In 1981 he was hired to develop and direct the Ecological Anthropology Program at the University of Hawai`i. His courses include Ecological Anthropology, Environmental Anthropology, Anthropology of Religion, Spiritual Ecology, Sacred Places, Anthropology of Buddhism, Ethics in Anthropology, and Anthropology of War and Peace. Although retired since August 2010, usually he still teaches one course each semester and then devotes the rest of his time to research and publications.



From 1974 to 1981 Sponsel conducted several trips to the Venezuelan Amazon to study human ecology with the Yanomami and other indigenous societies. Almost yearly since 1986 Sponsel has made research trips to Thailand to study various aspects of Buddhist ecology and environmentalism together with his wife, Dr. Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel. In recent years their work in northern Thailand has focused on exploring sacred caves.



Among Sponsel's extensive publications are more than two dozen journal articles, three dozen book chapters, 29 entries in seven different scientific encyclopedias, and two edited and two co-edited books, most peer-reviewed. Henceforth he will focus on publishing other books integrating his previous articles and chapters on several different subjects. Next up is the book Natural Wisdom: Exploring Buddhist Ecology and Environmentalism. He is developing the Research Institute for Spiritual Ecology (RISE) and its website as founding Director:



http://spiritualecology.info.



The website for his most recent book, Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution

(July 2012, Praeger), is http://www.spiritualecology.info.

-----

BOOK ENDORSEMENTS





"This is a subject that should have been documented long ago--this wise and careful book fills an important gap, and does it with real power." Bill McKibben, author Eaarth



"This book is a tour de force. No one has attempted to bring together such a wide range of people and movements under the rubric of Spiritual Ecology. The result is deeply engaging for scholars and activists alike. Sponsel has given us a gem." Mary Evelyn Tucker, Forum on Religion and Ecology, Yale University



"Sponsel, a noted scholar of ecological anthropology, traces a broad, ecumenical "religion of nature" from deep roots in the past to modern advanced thinkers. He argues persuasively that we would not have an environmental crisis today if we treated the earth with respect and reverence. The book offers a fascinating tour through the spiritual landscape, and its extensive notes give readers a rich guide to further reading and reflection." Donald Worster, author of A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir (2008)



"Spiritual Ecology is essential reading today, when most of the world seems swept up by the economic dimensions of the environment. Providing a welcome antidote to the current materialistic approach, Leslie Sponsel's keen reminder of the spiritual component of nature is both timely and a reminder that the most effective reasons for conservation come from the heart, not from the wallet." Jeffrey A. McNeely, Senior Science Advisor, International Union for Conservation of Nature



"Leslie Sponsel's new book is an excellent guide to spiritual ecology. It is much more: it is an evocation of spiritual ecology--its forms, its dynamic development, and its promise for the contemporary world. Dr. Sponsel, a leading authority on this field, provides a historical overview of the development of ecological and environmental visions in religion from earliest times to the present. He surveys major religions, and, in particular detail, modern writers who have developed new philosophical understandings of religion-environment relationships. This book serves both as a wonderful introduction to the field and an inspiring essay on the basic tenets, values, and goals of spiritual ecology." Eugene N. Anderson, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of California Riverside



"I am delighted with this inspiring panoramic introduction to the remarkable people who have personally contributed to the on-going "quiet revolution" that will help solve our contemporary problems of conflict, poverty, and environmental degradation. This source book could only have been produced by an anthropologist with firsthand experience with life in the tribal world and in the ancient great civilization cultural traditions of South and Southeast Asia. This is an absolute treasure trove of cross-cultural ideas and sources for beliefs and practices that respond constructively to global environmental problems and related social justice issues. I immediately went to the library and the Internet to learn even more about particular organizations and people. As an anthropologist who has been concerned with indigenous people and the environment for many years, I am especially pleased with how sensitively Sponsel treats the "ecologically noble savage" issue, and the well-deserved importance he gives to animist beliefs generally." John H. Bodley, Washington State University



"At a moment in history when political and technological solutions to the environmental crisis has been shown to have their limits, Leslie Sponsel has compiled a wonderful collection of essays on a spiritual approach to ecology. Fundamentally re-envisioning the relationship between the human and nature, Spiritual Ecology draws on the wisdom and practical insights of global spiritual traditions from antiquity to the present. This is a foundational text that includes inspirational classics as well as critical essays that explore how a spiritual ecology can deeply inform our debates about our relationship to our planet." Duncan Williams, School of Religion, University of Southern California



"Humans possess an inherent inclination to find meaning and purpose through their relation to the world beyond themselves, to what we call nature. This marvelous and informative book explores this need from its roots in tribal cultures through its expression and distortion in the modern era. It is only recently that people have come to believe human progress and civilization means transforming and transcending our evolutionary roots in the natural world. This book importantly explores and leads the way toward a new movement, "spiritual ecology," bringing us back to our spiritual roots in nature." Stephen R. Kellert, Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies



"As Sponsel so ably demonstrates, there has always been a dimension of environmentalist thought that is founded on the understanding, explicit or implicit, that nature is sacred. As activists and policy makers seek ways of averting environmental disaster, the time is overdue for this mode of thought to enter the mainstream. This much needed book provides the kind of understanding that might help it to do so." Kay Milton, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland



"In a world where religious beliefs are too often seen as the source of deadly tension and violent conflict, Leslie Sponsel's Spiritual Ecology offers a helpful and healing contrary view. Aptly subtitled, A Quiet Revolution, this provocative collection of essays serves as key resource and guide to the global sources of inspiration, thought, and action that collectively constitute a life-sustaining path for humanity." Barbara Rose Johnston, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Political Ecology



"Awareness that the natural world is our essential ground of being, to be revered as sacred, goes back to the dawn of the human journey. Today this awareness returns in the growing recognition that we cannot fully face or adequately respond to what our species is doing to the biosphere without a spiritual apprehension of our non-separateness from it. That is the quiet revolution to which Leslie Sponsel's Spiritual Ecology brings a fresh and fascinating overview. To the unfolding history it provides, this lean and lovely book takes the archetypal form of Tree, letting us follow--from roots to branches, leaves and fruit--the organic emergence of our native wisdom."

Joanna Macy, Ph.D., author, Active Hope: How to Face the Mess we're in Without Going Crazy.



"Sponsel beautifully integrates the different dimensions of spiritual ecology: theology, morality, social movement, and personal experience; and he does so with a fine eye to its global and multicultural nature. This always clear and often moving book deserves wide readership and serious attention."

Roger S. Gottlieb, Professor of Philosophy, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, author of A Greener Faith and Engaging Voices



"Leslie Sponsel's "Spiritual Ecology" is a great guide to the wide landscape of the environmental movement. The book brings together the scientific, philosophical, political and religious aspects of environmentalism. If you want to see a bigger picture of the multi-dimensional view of sustainability and spirituality, then this is the book for you; it is informative, educative and evocative." Satish Kumar, Editor-in-Chief, Resurgence magazine



"Spiritual Ecology is a must read for anyone interested in having harmonious and peaceful relationships with (M)other Nature. As we rewild our hearts we must feel the deep interconnections that exist between ourselves and other beings and diverse and magnificent landscapes. The quiet revolution must begin and end in our heart. We suffer the indignities to which we subject animals and Earth and everyone benefits when we openly and widely express dignity, respect, kindness, compassion, peace, and love." Marc Bekoff, University of Colorado; author of The Emotional Lives of Animals, Wild Justice, and The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons For Expanding Our Compassion Footprint.



"Whether one agrees or disagrees with the themes or theses presented within this book, it is bound to become one of the foundational texts in the spiritual ecology movement. It is written in a dramatic manner with personal insights from ethnographic research along with details regarding the main personalities, both religious and secular, who have contributed to this movement." Raymond Scupin, Director, Center for International and Global Studies, Lindenwood University.





Awards:



Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution, was the winner in the Science category at the annual Green Book Festival, San Francisco, CA, May 17, 2014.

----Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution

by Leslie E. Sponsel  (Author)

4.8 out of 5 stars    8 customer reviews





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Product Details

Hardcover: 285 pages

Publisher: Praeger (July 19, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0313364095

ISBN-13: 978-0313364099

Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #896,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

#501 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Geography

#1639 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Human Geography

#2434 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Ecology

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Biography

Leslie E. Sponsel earned the BA in Geology from Indiana University (1965), and the MA (1973) and PhD (1981) in Biological and Cultural Anthropology from Cornell University. Over the last four decades he has taught at seven universities in four countries, two as a Fulbright Fellow. In 1981 he was hired to develop and direct the Ecological Anthropology Program at the University of Hawai`i. His courses include Ecological Anthropology, Environmental Anthropology, Anthropology of Religion, Spiritual Ecology, Sacred Places, Anthropology of Buddhism, Ethics in Anthropology, and Anthropology of War and Peace. Although retired since August 2010, usually he still teaches one course each semester and then devotes the rest of his time to research and publications.



From 1974 to 1981 Sponsel conducted several trips to the Venezuelan Amazon to study human ecology with the Yanomami and other indigenous societies. Almost yearly since 1986 Sponsel has made research trips to Thailand to study various aspects of Buddhist ecology and environmentalism together with his wife, Dr. Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel. In recent years their work in northern Thailand has focused on exploring sacred caves.



Among Sponsel's extensive publications are more than two dozen journal articles, three dozen book chapters, 29 entries in seven different scientific encyclopedias, and two edited and two co-edited books, most peer-reviewed. Henceforth he will focus on publishing other books integrating his previous articles and chapters on several different subjects. Next up is the book Natural Wisdom: Exploring Buddhist Ecology and Environmentalism. He is developing the Research Institute for Spiritual Ecology (RISE) and its website as founding Director:



http://spiritualecology.info.



The website for his most recent book, Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution

(July 2012, Praeger), is http://www.spiritualecology.info.



Comments on the book and/or website are most welcome and appreciated at

les.sponsel@gmail.com. Please specify subject as SE Commen



___________________________________________________________________







BOOK ENDORSEMENTS





"This is a subject that should have been documented long ago--this wise and careful book fills an important gap, and does it with real power." Bill McKibben, author Eaarth



"This book is a tour de force. No one has attempted to bring together such a wide range of people and movements under the rubric of Spiritual Ecology. The result is deeply engaging for scholars and activists alike. Sponsel has given us a gem." Mary Evelyn Tucker, Forum on Religion and Ecology, Yale University



"Sponsel, a noted scholar of ecological anthropology, traces a broad, ecumenical "religion of nature" from deep roots in the past to modern advanced thinkers. He argues persuasively that we would not have an environmental crisis today if we treated the earth with respect and reverence. The book offers a fascinating tour through the spiritual landscape, and its extensive notes give readers a rich guide to further reading and reflection." Donald Worster, author of A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir (2008)



"Spiritual Ecology is essential reading today, when most of the world seems swept up by the economic dimensions of the environment. Providing a welcome antidote to the current materialistic approach, Leslie Sponsel's keen reminder of the spiritual component of nature is both timely and a reminder that the most effective reasons for conservation come from the heart, not from the wallet." Jeffrey A. McNeely, Senior Science Advisor, International Union for Conservation of Nature



"Leslie Sponsel's new book is an excellent guide to spiritual ecology. It is much more: it is an evocation of spiritual ecology--its forms, its dynamic development, and its promise for the contemporary world. Dr. Sponsel, a leading authority on this field, provides a historical overview of the development of ecological and environmental visions in religion from earliest times to the present. He surveys major religions, and, in particular detail, modern writers who have developed new philosophical understandings of religion-environment relationships. This book serves both as a wonderful introduction to the field and an inspiring essay on the basic tenets, values, and goals of spiritual ecology." Eugene N. Anderson, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of California Riverside



"I am delighted with this inspiring panoramic introduction to the remarkable people who have personally contributed to the on-going "quiet revolution" that will help solve our contemporary problems of conflict, poverty, and environmental degradation. This source book could only have been produced by an anthropologist with firsthand experience with life in the tribal world and in the ancient great civilization cultural traditions of South and Southeast Asia. This is an absolute treasure trove of cross-cultural ideas and sources for beliefs and practices that respond constructively to global environmental problems and related social justice issues. I immediately went to the library and the Internet to learn even more about particular organizations and people. As an anthropologist who has been concerned with indigenous people and the environment for many years, I am especially pleased with how sensitively Sponsel treats the "ecologically noble savage" issue, and the well-deserved importance he gives to animist beliefs generally." John H. Bodley, Washington State University



"At a moment in history when political and technological solutions to the environmental crisis has been shown to have their limits, Leslie Sponsel has compiled a wonderful collection of essays on a spiritual approach to ecology. Fundamentally re-envisioning the relationship between the human and nature, Spiritual Ecology draws on the wisdom and practical insights of global spiritual traditions from antiquity to the present. This is a foundational text that includes inspirational classics as well as critical essays that explore how a spiritual ecology can deeply inform our debates about our relationship to our planet." Duncan Williams, School of Religion, University of Southern California



"Humans possess an inherent inclination to find meaning and purpose through their relation to the world beyond themselves, to what we call nature. This marvelous and informative book explores this need from its roots in tribal cultures through its expression and distortion in the modern era. It is only recently that people have come to believe human progress and civilization means transforming and transcending our evolutionary roots in the natural world. This book importantly explores and leads the way toward a new movement, "spiritual ecology," bringing us back to our spiritual roots in nature." Stephen R. Kellert, Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies



"As Sponsel so ably demonstrates, there has always been a dimension of environmentalist thought that is founded on the understanding, explicit or implicit, that nature is sacred. As activists and policy makers seek ways of averting environmental disaster, the time is overdue for this mode of thought to enter the mainstream. This much needed book provides the kind of understanding that might help it to do so." Kay Milton, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, Queen's University Belfast, Ireland



"In a world where religious beliefs are too often seen as the source of deadly tension and violent conflict, Leslie Sponsel's Spiritual Ecology offers a helpful and healing contrary view. Aptly subtitled, A Quiet Revolution, this provocative collection of essays serves as key resource and guide to the global sources of inspiration, thought, and action that collectively constitute a life-sustaining path for humanity." Barbara Rose Johnston, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Political Ecology



"Awareness that the natural world is our essential ground of being, to be revered as sacred, goes back to the dawn of the human journey. Today this awareness returns in the growing recognition that we cannot fully face or adequately respond to what our species is doing to the biosphere without a spiritual apprehension of our non-separateness from it. That is the quiet revolution to which Leslie Sponsel's Spiritual Ecology brings a fresh and fascinating overview. To the unfolding history it provides, this lean and lovely book takes the archetypal form of Tree, letting us follow--from roots to branches, leaves and fruit--the organic emergence of our native wisdom."

Joanna Macy, Ph.D., author, Active Hope: How to Face the Mess we're in Without Going Crazy.



"Sponsel beautifully integrates the different dimensions of spiritual ecology: theology, morality, social movement, and personal experience; and he does so with a fine eye to its global and multicultural nature. This always clear and often moving book deserves wide readership and serious attention."

Roger S. Gottlieb, Professor of Philosophy, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, author of A Greener Faith and Engaging Voices



"Leslie Sponsel's "Spiritual Ecology" is a great guide to the wide landscape of the environmental movement. The book brings together the scientific, philosophical, political and religious aspects of environmentalism. If you want to see a bigger picture of the multi-dimensional view of sustainability and spirituality, then this is the book for you; it is informative, educative and evocative." Satish Kumar, Editor-in-Chief, Resurgence magazine



"Spiritual Ecology is a must read for anyone interested in having harmonious and peaceful relationships with (M)other Nature. As we rewild our hearts we must feel the deep interconnections that exist between ourselves and other beings and diverse and magnificent landscapes. The quiet revolution must begin and end in our heart. We suffer the indignities to which we subject animals and Earth and everyone benefits when we openly and widely express dignity, respect, kindness, compassion, peace, and love." Marc Bekoff, University of Colorado; author of The Emotional Lives of Animals, Wild Justice, and The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons For Expanding Our Compassion Footprint.



"Whether one agrees or disagrees with the themes or theses presented within this book, it is bound to become one of the foundational texts in the spiritual ecology movement. It is written in a dramatic manner with personal insights from ethnographic research along with details regarding the main personalities, both religious and secular, who have contributed to this movement." Raymond Scupin, Director, Center for International and Global Studies, Lindenwood University.





Awards:



Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution, was the winner in the Science category at the annual Green Book Festival, San Francisco, CA, May 17, 2014.













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5.0 out of 5 starsBecause the secular approach is simply not enough

By Roger E. Breisch on February 20, 2014

Format: Hardcover

Perhaps the author says it best: "More often than not secular approaches to ecocrises have proven insufficient although certainly necessary. Perhaps a spiritual approach will serve as a catalyst to finally turn things around for the better because the ecocrisis is ultimately a spiritual and moral crisis."



By now it must be clear we are in desperate need of new ways to envision the problems we face...and new ways to listen for solutions. While there are those who argue that spiritual traditions are responsible for humanity's moral and ethical separation from nature, Les Sponsel shows otherwise. He helps the reader walk the path of history, and illuminates the ideas and people who have, over the centuries, tried to show us the error of our ways.



I loved what he taught me about the role played by luminaries such as The Buddha, St. Francis of Assisi, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir and Rudolf Steiner...and I value having been introduced to the current vanguard carrying the torch of spiritual approaches to our ecocrisis.



I particularly appreciate learning of the diversity of thinking throughout human history, and how that rich blend of thinking continues today. Clearly, the future, if we are to witness it, requires very new ways of envisioning the species and its relationship to the rest of nature.



If you wish to learn more about the context of how spiritual thought relates to ecology, this book is essential reading.

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5.0 out of 5 starsSpiritual Evolutionary Consciousness

By James L. Facette on November 26, 2013

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

For some time I have been focused on the dire predictions for humanity, the more-than human community, and the planet, as a result of the seemingly inexorable march of Climate Change/Global Warming toward irreversible tipping-points. It is indeed devastating to realize that we humans are undoing the creative Earth evolution of four billion years in a few short centuries. Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution has opened for me a renewed hope that we can indeed reverse the downward slide by focusing on the positive possibilities, envisioning and reshaping of ourselves, pursuing a shift in consciousness. The questions for humanity are: What is Nature? What is the place of humans in Nature? What should be the place of humans in Nature? We must remember how to be a human being in relationship to the natural world, to our home. Here is some optimism in what otherwise so often appears to be a rather dismal world with an ever more dismal future for humankind and Gaia.



“The author tells us: “The key message of the book is twofold. First secular approaches to environmental concerns are absolutely necessary and have made great strides, but they have not been sufficient. Second, the multitude of diverse approaches under the rubric of spiritual ecology may well be the last chance for the survival of our species. We are likely to see whether or not the intellectual and practical components of spiritual ecology will help turn the environmental situation around for the better within a few decades, especially in the face of the increasing pressures of global climate change (assuming that this does not reach a catastrophic tipping point). Perhaps a spiritual approach will serve as a catalyst to finally turn things around for the better because the ecocrisis is ultimately a spiritual and moral crisis.



The book is revolutionary, non-violent and decentralized—a devastating critique of the industrial growth society as a seriously unsustainable, maladaptive, dysfunctional, and destructive system. “Only in the long term will the passage of time reveal the destiny of the human species and the planet. But ultimately the matter is simple: a choice between ecocide or ecosanity”!



A quote from the profound thinker, writer, revolutionary dissident and former president of Czechoslovakia Vaclav Havel testifies: “What could change the direction of today’s civilization? It is my deep conviction that the only option is a change in the sphere of the spirit, in the sphere of human conscience. It’s not enough to invent new machines, new regulations, new institutions. We must develop a new understanding of the true purpose of our existence on the Earth. Only by making such a fundamental shift will we be able to create new models of behavior and a new set of values for the planet”.

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5.0 out of 5 starsPacific Primate Sanctuary has purchased Dr. Sponsel's book to ...

By LLW on February 22, 2016

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

Pacific Primate Sanctuary has purchased Dr. Sponsel's book to provide our interns with a global spiritual perspective on the rehabilitation and conservation work we are doing for endangered primates at our Sanctuary. "Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution" should actually be required reading for all students and members the public who wish to end the mass destruction of our planet and the Beings we share it with.

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5.0 out of 5 starsBrilliant book by a pioneering intellectual

By C.F.G. on September 8, 2012

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

As a doctoral student dedicated to improving the quality of life for humans and all other species, and as someone who has been in personal contact with Dr. Les Sponsel, I can attest that this book is visionary, necessary, and compelling.



Dr. Sponsel is almost single-handedly responsible for creating and popularizing the scientific study of how human interaction with the environment eflects and affects our spiritual, emotional, and physical health.



He is the rare kind of scholar that every graduate student loves to have as a graduate advisor and mentor. Dr. Sponsel doesn't just write and research about ethics, spirituality, and our life on this planet, he works 24/7 to help our world, his students, and academia.



Dr. Sponsel's breadth of knowledge, attention to detail, academic expertise, and courage are among the reasons this book contains a unique exploration of the multi-faceted interface between humans and the earth.



In this book you'll find plenty of new information, perspectives and opportunities to truly understand the power of humans to turn our planet into a Garden of Eden, or a paved-over, ruined paradise.



I was especially moved by the book's very appropriate closing chapter, which focuses on ecology and the Dalai Lama. This chapter is a brilliant summing up of what I get from this book, which is that humans have reached a level of power and technology that allows us to behave as gods. What we do to each other and the planet is a moral and spiritual issue that each of us can consider personally and intellectually.



Will human powers be used to further the goals of angels, or devils? Will we cannibalize this planet and all its creatures in our relentless desire to build more shopping malls, or will we become kinder, gentler and more compassionate towards each other, other species, and the earth?



Dr. Sponsel's book will help you answer those questions, and build a better future. Order a copy today.

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Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars

Because the secular approach is simply not enough

By Roger E. Breisch on February 20, 2014

Format: Hardcover

Perhaps the author says it best: "More often than not secular approaches to ecocrises have proven insufficient although certainly necessary. Perhaps a spiritual approach will serve as a catalyst to finally turn things around for the better because the ecocrisis is ultimately a spiritual and moral crisis."



By now it must be clear we are in desperate need of new ways to envision the problems we face...and new ways to listen for solutions. While there are those who argue that spiritual traditions are responsible for humanity's moral and ethical separation from nature, Les Sponsel shows otherwise. He helps the reader walk the path of history, and illuminates the ideas and people who have, over the centuries, tried to show us the error of our ways.



I loved what he taught me about the role played by luminaries such as The Buddha, St. Francis of Assisi, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir and Rudolf Steiner...and I value having been introduced to the current vanguard carrying the torch of spiritual approaches to our ecocrisis.



I particularly appreciate learning of the diversity of thinking throughout human history, and how that rich blend of thinking continues today. Clearly, the future, if we are to witness it, requires very new ways of envisioning the species and its relationship to the rest of nature.



If you wish to learn more about the context of how spiritual thought relates to ecology, this book is essential reading.

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5.0 out of 5 stars

Spiritual Evolutionary Consciousness

By James L. Facette on November 26, 2013

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

For some time I have been focused on the dire predictions for humanity, the more-than human community, and the planet, as a result of the seemingly inexorable march of Climate Change/Global Warming toward irreversible tipping-points. It is indeed devastating to realize that we humans are undoing the creative Earth evolution of four billion years in a few short centuries. Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution has opened for me a renewed hope that we can indeed reverse the downward slide by focusing on the positive possibilities, envisioning and reshaping of ourselves, pursuing a shift in consciousness. The questions for humanity are: What is Nature? What is the place of humans in Nature? What should be the place of humans in Nature? We must remember how to be a human being in relationship to the natural world, to our home. Here is some optimism in what otherwise so often appears to be a rather dismal world with an ever more dismal future for humankind and Gaia.



“The author tells us: “The key message of the book is twofold. First secular approaches to environmental concerns are absolutely necessary and have made great strides, but they have not been sufficient. Second, the multitude of diverse approaches under the rubric of spiritual ecology may well be the last chance for the survival of our species. We are likely to see whether or not the intellectual and practical components of spiritual ecology will help turn the environmental situation around for the better within a few decades, especially in the face of the increasing pressures of global climate change (assuming that this does not reach a catastrophic tipping point). Perhaps a spiritual approach will serve as a catalyst to finally turn things around for the better because the ecocrisis is ultimately a spiritual and moral crisis.



The book is revolutionary, non-violent and decentralized—a devastating critique of the industrial growth society as a seriously unsustainable, maladaptive, dysfunctional, and destructive system. “Only in the long term will the passage of time reveal the destiny of the human species and the planet. But ultimately the matter is simple: a choice between ecocide or ecosanity”!



A quote from the profound thinker, writer, revolutionary dissident and former president of Czechoslovakia Vaclav Havel testifies: “What could change the direction of today’s civilization? It is my deep conviction that the only option is a change in the sphere of the spirit, in the sphere of human conscience. It’s not enough to invent new machines, new regulations, new institutions. We must develop a new understanding of the true purpose of our existence on the Earth. Only by making such a fundamental shift will we be able to create new models of behavior and a new set of values for the planet”.

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5.0 out of 5 stars

Pacific Primate Sanctuary has purchased Dr. Sponsel's book to ...

By LLW on February 22, 2016

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

Pacific Primate Sanctuary has purchased Dr. Sponsel's book to provide our interns with a global spiritual perspective on the rehabilitation and conservation work we are doing for endangered primates at our Sanctuary. "Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution" should actually be required reading for all students and members the public who wish to end the mass destruction of our planet and the Beings we share it with.

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5.0 out of 5 stars

Brilliant book by a pioneering intellectual

By C.F.G. on September 8, 2012

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

As a doctoral student dedicated to improving the quality of life for humans and all other species, and as someone who has been in personal contact with Dr. Les Sponsel, I can attest that this book is visionary, necessary, and compelling.



Dr. Sponsel is almost single-handedly responsible for creating and popularizing the scientific study of how human interaction with the environment eflects and affects our spiritual, emotional, and physical health.



He is the rare kind of scholar that every graduate student loves to have as a graduate advisor and mentor. Dr. Sponsel doesn't just write and research about ethics, spirituality, and our life on this planet, he works 24/7 to help our world, his students, and academia.



Dr. Sponsel's breadth of knowledge, attention to detail, academic expertise, and courage are among the reasons this book contains a unique exploration of the multi-faceted interface between humans and the earth.



In this book you'll find plenty of new information, perspectives and opportunities to truly understand the power of humans to turn our planet into a Garden of Eden, or a paved-over, ruined paradise.



I was especially moved by the book's very appropriate closing chapter, which focuses on ecology and the Dalai Lama. This chapter is a brilliant summing up of what I get from this book, which is that humans have reached a level of power and technology that allows us to behave as gods. What we do to each other and the planet is a moral and spiritual issue that each of us can consider personally and intellectually.



Will human powers be used to further the goals of angels, or devils? Will we cannibalize this planet and all its creatures in our relentless desire to build more shopping malls, or will we become kinder, gentler and more compassionate towards each other, other species, and the earth?



Dr. Sponsel's book will help you answer those questions, and build a better future. Order a copy today.

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