“Invigorate your response to the planetary crisis by grounding your practice in our updated expression of the Buddhist eightfold path.” Monastic Academy
In 2020 I started a discussion with the fine folks at the Monastic Academy, USA to take part in their 3 months residents program. Drawn in by their approach to the Dharma that combines Western and Eastern practice modalities to forge a new type of Buddhist Monastery for our times: one that creates wise leaders to meet the Climate Change Moment.
COVID-19 came and swept aside my ability to get to the Monastery so when they invited me to test run their online MAPLE FUNDAMENTALS course I jumped at the opportunity.
The course allowed me to bring together my previous work in overlapping fields:
- Joanna Macy’s – The Work The Reconnects.
- Marketing and media work for Extinction Rebellions Spring Up Rising here in Australia.
- Working with the Dalit and Ambedkarite community in India.
- Training as an art therapist
- Running an under 35s group for Triratna Melbourne
- Time in Monastery at Suan Mokkh Monastery across 2008-2010 in Thailand.
See the video above for that my experience of the course was and if you should take it. To save time the answer is yes, you would benefit from taking the course. Especially if your interest extends to see these domains further interwoven:
- Buddhist Practice
- Climate action
- Meditation
- Group processes
- Therapeutic modalities
- Leadership and coaching
All the best,
Max