“We have already done such immense damage to the environment that it is almost beyond our power to heal it. … I advised all the monasteries and the wider public with whom I have a connection to engage actively wherever they could to protect the environment.

Building on this, and combining the Buddhist tradition and our respectful attitude to the environment with contemporary science and practice, I have directed the following guidelines.They are but a small drop in a huge ocean. The challenge is far more complex and extensive than anything we alone can tackle. However, if we can all contribute a single drop of clean water, those drops will accumulate into a fresh pond, then a clear stream and eventually a vast ocean. This is my aspiration.
–HH the 17th Karmapa, from the foreword of his Environmental Guidelines for Karma Kagyu Buddhist Monasteries, Centers and Community

Link to the PDF of the Guidelines to read more of the Foreword, and to read his tender poem, “An Aspiration for the World.”

The photo is of the book cover of The Future is Now, Timely Advice for Creating a Better World, by Karmapa, Ogyn Trinley Dorie (Hay House, 2009).

Posted: 11:11 11/09