Personal sustainability: We are Nature! A Daoist perspective and contemplative exploration in a Canadian university

• In Event: Highlighted session: Education for sustainability and recovery of our spiritual and child-like Self: the promise of contemplative methods and pedagogies

Proposal

Daoist cosmology holds that the human body is a microcosm of the universe and as such connection with the universe is available through contemplative practices and inner work. In the Daoist view the individual at birth is given a pure innate self that is of the Dao that over one’s life becomes hidden or clouded beneath layers of cultural, familial, and personal conditioning. This conditioning hides the true nature of oneself and one’s intimate connection with the universe. It is through a process of inner contemplative work and everyday lived emotional experiences that reveals the disconnect between one’s innate self and our conditioned self so that we can then clear away layers of conditioning. Through our lived experiences and our ability to accept and transform we are thereby provided the opportunity to shed our conditioning. The outcome of this shedding process is that we become more aligned with our innate self and nature. We as individual human beings live more sustainably in all aspects of our lives: physically; emotionally, mentally, socially and spiritually. When we are aligned with our innate nature and the Dao, we innately influence on others to be more attuned with themselves and nature thereby contributing to broader sustainability. This is all can be summed up in Gandhi’s quote: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. This presentation will elaborate on these ideas. In addition examples will be presented of how meditation and developing emotional intelligence skills can be introduced in the classroom to assist students connect with their innate self.

Authors

• Neha Shivhare, Simon Fraser University

• Tom Elwood Culham, City University of Seattle in Vancouver