Greta Gaard on Mindful Ecofeminism (#112)

About the Guest

Greta Gaard began practicing Vipassana meditation in 1995 at Common Ground Meditation Center in Minneapolis, MN. An early proponent of ecofeminism, Gaard has written extensively to illuminate the linkages of race, gender, sexuality, species and environmental justice, publishing six books and over 90 articles on ecofeminism, including several that articulate a mindful ecofeminism: “Beyond Gary Snyder: Buddhism’s Influence on U.S. Environmental Literature.” (2013), “Mindful New Materialisms‚” (2014), “Mindful Ecocriticism” (2020), and “(Un)Storied Air, Breath, Embodiment‚” (2021). Her presentation on “Humans, Animals, and Non-Harming” is available on the Dharma Voices for Animals website, and her most recent book is Critical Ecofeminism (2017). As a Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Gaard uses both mindfulness pedagogy and happiness practices in all her writing classes.

In the episode we discuss:

  1. Shifting anger to compassion to fuel activism
  2. Bringing a dharma perspective and resources to activism
  3. The Interconnection of Buddhist key concepts and feminist teachings
  4. Connecting and reconciling Buddhist teachings with social justice
  5. Balancing our contemplative practice with our practice in the world
  6. Cultural narratives and views of happiness have led to exploitation & climate change
  7. What view of happiness do we need to heal this earth?