Learning from Other Traditions

28 Jun 2020

Keeping It Simple: Gaian Dietary Norms

Michael Pollan said it best: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”

21 Jun 2020

Introducing “Digesting,” a new Gaian variation of Tonglen

by Erik Assadourian | posted in: Gaian Practices and Rituals, Gaian Prayers, Learning from Other Traditions | 1

What do a Children’s Scifi Novel and a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Have in Common?
Answer: They both suggest a similar way to draw in suffering and send out relief.

17 May 2020

Encountering an Essential Lesson in the Church Forests of Ethiopia

by Erik Assadourian | posted in: Gaian Beliefs and Purpose, Growing the Gaian Community, Learning from Other Traditions | 2

How a religious system has played a key role in preventing total deforestation of Ethiopia and what we, Gaians, can learn from this.

3 May 2020

What is the Sound of Gaia Breathing? And other Gaian Kōans.

by Erik Assadourian | posted in: Gaian Parables, Learning from Other Traditions | 0

Kōans are riddles and stories that help deepen understanding. Could they be used to cultivate our deeper understanding of Gaia?

21 Mar 2020

May be, or The Luck of the Virus

by Erik Assadourian | posted in: Gaian Parables, Learning from Other Traditions, The Quickening | 2

What if we applied Taoist and Zen wisdom to the coronavirus pandemic?

The Gaian Creed

“We believe that the Earth, Gaia, is a living being. That Gaia is at the same time composed of the vast diversity of life and is alive in Her own right. We understand that we depend completely and utterly on Gaia and are part of Gaia. We recognize that current human actions are fundamentally altering Gaia and that if pushed too far, Gaia will shift from Her current state to one inhospitable to humans and millions of other species. Therefore, we commit to living radically sustainable lives—even to an extent that it may alienate us from our kin, our communities, our cultures. We commit to sharing our philosophy and bringing others to understand and embrace their relationship with Gaia and help heal Gaia—and in the process, themselves, their families, and their communities.”