Contemplative Rebels NSW take a contemplative approach to the planetary ecological emergency through activities like silent sitting or walking meditation. We are a group of Extinction Rebellion. We’d love you to join us in meditation.
This is a group for anyone who takes a contemplative approach to this planetary ecological emergency through such activities as silent meditation, walking, writing, prayer, thinking deeply and compassionate action. It is not intended to be a substitute for working in other ways to address this emergency, but is intended to be an opportunity for people of any faith or belief (including non-belief) to gather together in silence for the beings of the earth. Some people in Contemplative Rebels also participate in other XR actions, others may not. But don’t be fooled into believing that sitting still is not real action. Sitting still, in silence is in itself a disruptive act. It is disconcerting for many onlookers to be confronted by people who do not react, who are not triggered by taunts or threats, but just sit calmly and unmoved. When this silence is internal as well as external, it can seriously disrupt our habitual thought patterns and allow us to listen deeply and reconnect to our true nature. It is no surprise to find that Indigenous peoples, including Australian Aboriginal people, tend to be far more comfortable with extended periods of silence than most non-Indigenous people. This is no accident. If you want to connect, you must listen to the living Country wherever you are.
A meditative practice can help us to maintain a calm, non-violent and non-despairing approach to our action. Joanna Macy, another Buddhist, with whose workshops here in the 1980s and 1990s were transformative, and whose work informs XR’s regenerative approach, wrote about how such an approach enables us ‘to come to see with new eyes our place in the web of life, our connections with all beings through space and time, the kind of power that is ours for creating a sustainable civilization.’ For anyone wishing to join us please see events on our Facebook page or visit: https://ausrebellion.earth/events
Please bring something to sit on when you come to a Contemplative Rebels action e.g. cushion, chair. See XRWA Contemplative Rebels for examples of actions: https://www.facebook.com/contemplative.rebels/