Spiritual Practice and Climate Resilience
Connecting to Nature and my spirituality are my loudest callings. I’ve come to India to learn through experience how spiritual practices can support our responses to climate change and the capitalist-colonial machine that caused and continues the crisis. Rather than focusing on some broad “spiritual practice,” I have spent my time with tools from the Hindu knowledge system. This has mainly included meditating, eating ayurvedic food, yoga, chanting mantras, doing puja (ceremonies), and taking dips in Ganga Ma (Ganges River). In my experience, Hinduism (and many other practices) give us the tools to cultivate the awareness necessary to decolonize ourselves. The kind of awareness cultivated in these practices allows us to trust our intuition, feel interconnection, live creatively and authentically, break old thought patterns, and deeply connect to Nature. Only with awareness will we be able to step outside of the current paradigm and create a new one.
Spirituality is experienced differently for everyone. It’s also important to note, as many Hindus have told me, that Hinduism is not a religion because each person practices differently according to their dharma. As my yoga teacher Darshan Kotecha shared, "Hinduism offers tools to know and understand the self…At its core Hinduism is the study of self.” The "self" as used here, implies the many levels of self. From my practice, I have begun to touch the liberation of understanding the self.
What I will share in this story map is nearly entirely subjective and, in every aspect, incomplete. The spiritual journey is a lifelong journey. Once you think you've achieved the point of a spiritual practice, you have missed the point. Infinities exist within infinities. Before completing this project, I thought I would mainly share my personal experiences but, it doesn't feel right to try to capture and share these sacred moments. Many of them are beyond the limits of language anyway. Also, the point of spiritual practices is not in the realm of thinking. Logic can be profound, but it can only take you so far. The point of a spiritual practice is to experience the practice. When I am doing my practice, I am shifting my awareness from thinking to sensing.
"Logic will take you in many circles... The mind is a limit and will also help take you further. The mind is not the self."
A bit of context
India is a Motherland
"India is a motherland because the Rishis recognized the transcendent wisdom and the creative importance of Mother Nature." - Prakruti by Dave Svoboda
Why Rishikesh?
I chose Rishikesh as my main study site. Rishikesh is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas, Mother Ganga, the most holy river to Hindus (and me), flows through the city. It's called Rishikesh because it is believed the Rishis passed down the knowledge of yoga in Rishikesh first. Rishikesh is known as the birthplace of Yoga.
Why Varanasi?
Shortly after my original plan to stay at a work away outside of Rishikesh fell through, my Grandma’s boyfriend told me about Varanasi. He had come to Varanasi 30 or so years ago and had a profound transcendental spiritual experience after locking eyes with a man at the ghat. When he met with his tour guide after, he told him this is the kind of thing that happens in Varanasi. Chills ran through me, lifting the hair on my arms when he said this… So, I changed my plans and came to Varanasi before Rishikesh. Varanasi is known as Shiva’s city. It is the oldest living city and is said to be where Shiva manifested as a fiery pillar of light known as jyotirlinga. It is also where he and his wife Parvati made their adobe after being wed.
Varanasi is a city where all the senses are engaged fully and constantly. The only traffic law is the unsaid “go as fast as you can and honk a lot,” most streets are small, covered in dust, cow poo, and the smells of raw sewage. Yet, my attention was directed towards any of this. Walking through Varanasi awakens the sense that borders the metaphysical. The sacredness is palpable. When I was in Varanasi, my spiritual self felt most salient. It felt like my gaze was coming directly from my heart. The goal became to look at every being with love and compassion.
COP28 in Dubai
I came to India after attending COP28 where I put my attention on Indigenous perspectives. Indigenous perspectives hold profoundly efficient and effective ecological knowledge and, their lifeways offer the culture shift necessary to address the root cause of climate change - colonial capitalism.
Capitalism is a bulldozer; its operator is colonialism. As the machine ravages through our collective home, colonialism smiles as the satisfaction of domination soothes the qualms of destruction.
Capitalism is not merely an economic system nor is it only a machine of exploitative destruction that mobilizes colonialism. Capitalism functions as a culture.
- This is particularly obvious in the U.S. since our ancestral identities have been forgotten or systematically erased. If the U.S. is a melting pot of people, capitalism is the cultural cauldron.
Technology and government intervention alone cannot provide solutions for the climate crisis. Solving the climate crisis demands alternative ways of conceiving and being in the world (for societies assimilated to capitalism) because the machine has not only waged war against the Earth but also the knowledge systems that revolve around respect (and love) for Nature. Colonial capitalism requires a righteousness in domination that these ancient knowledge systems don't permit. Reclaiming knowledge systems that promote harmonious ways of life between Nature and people is a decolonial effort necessary to face climate change. This reclamation must be fulfilled by supporting the ability of people to practice their traditional ways of life. Individually, we can use the tools of the Hindu knowledge system to find our own way to live harmoniously with Nature spiritually and physically.
I’ve heard IP say over and over again, "We are not separate from Nature we are part of Nature.” This is echoed throughout the Hindu knowledge system. In Hinduism, there is recognition that our lives are a gift from Mother Nature. It's our duty to live life to the fullest to pay back this debt (Svoboda, 2005).
Western ideology that perceives humans and separate from Nature has put humanity at odds with Nature and it’s a battle we are not going to win. These ancient knowledge systems give us the precise paradigm needed to solve the climate crisis philosophically and practically.
Connecting to Nature through Spiritual Practices
Hinduism gives us the tools to experience for ourselves, that we are a part of Nature.
As Anand, a traditional Indian flutist I stayed with in Varanasi shared, “The tools of spirituality are Nature.” For example, when he is playing the flute, it becomes an extension of himself, and in this experience of connection, he is reminded that we are a part of Nature. Further, he shared, the wood of the flute used to be a tree, which like all living things (including us), is a divine weaving of the 5 elements. With awareness we can tap into our connection with all of them.
In my meditations, I have felt connection to the elements in my own body. It arose spontaneously as I was meditating in Ganga Ma. Each element was experienced as many sense passing through me. each element of creation felt like a distinct manifestation of the Divine. Since having this experience, I feel more awe, life feels more holy. I feel immense gratitude for the creativity of the elements in their many forms. I feel like a child of Mother Nature in blissfully profound way.
Thank you to all the elements, who have been weaved together in divine play to create all life. May the pure spirit of each element be awakened within my body, purifying me so the divine light can shine to me and through.
The Ganges River or Ganga Ma is the holiest river to Hindus. There is a diverse range of mysticism as to why she is holy. Some say that she is the materialization of Parvati. Some say that she was so powerful that she was going to destroy the world, so Shiva took her power and made her his crown, from which the water would trickly gently down his hair to purify and nourish the people.
To me, Ganga Ma is more than a river. Ganga Ma is the spirit of the water element, she's alive and pure in every single water molecule. Awareness activates what is already there.
I’ve also shared this interpretation with a few Hindus, who have felt the same thing.
In devotion (love + surrender) to Ganga Ma, I found moments of a liberating union. She takes away all that is not me and gives me so much. Slowly but profoundly, Ganga Ma guides me.
Ganga dips are puja for me, when I emerge from the water, I feel lighter. There is more space inside me. This practice has sparked a pure love for all that gives us life and for life itself. Ganga Ma is guiding me to sense the divinity in every being and live life in a way that honors the divine in every entity.
My heart is a temple, every heart is a temple. So, the task becomes to act in a way that honors the Divine in every being.
Spiritual practices mean nothing if you don't bring them to daily life. One cannot authentically connect to the divine, or their deeper self and then live in a way that disrespects them. The more we dissolve the I to experience the divine, the more we can live life in alignment with what we experience in devotion. If we are authentically connecting to something pure and true then, our spiritual ethics effortlessly align to support climate-resilient lifeways- from our consumption habits, the way we interact with each other, and everything we do. One grounded example is that, in my devotion to Ganga Ma, I have become very sensitive to my use of water. When I use water for anything, I bring my awareness to the energy of Ganga Ma. My relationship with Ganga Ma defines my consumption ethics. When I hold gratitude for the true role of Ganga Ma (water) in my life, it becomes effortless not to waste or misuse water.
If Hinduist knowledge systems teach people to be in harmony with Nature, why is India so polluted?
In traditional Indian culture, people were taught to create things that lasted for generations. Single-use items were rare and made out of raw, natural materials. However, when capitalism came to India, it assimilated people to abandon traditional lifeways with quick satisfaction and access to cheap, single-use goods. As it was described to me by my yoga teacher, Darshan, Indians have a deep cultural memory of tossing these single-use items because before capitalism came to India everything was made of raw materials it was fine to throw it. It would be recycled back to Nature. "This is a deep cultural memory many people don’t have awareness of."
Pleasure, Consumerism, and Spirituality
From an exhibit at COP28
Capitalism is a cultural system that creates hyper-pleasure-driven and individualistic people. All pleasures in this world are temporary: the chocolate bar is finished, the next iPhone comes out, you go through a breakup, and so on. Pleasure is not a bad thing. We ARE meant to enjoy this life. But when pleasure is primarily chased materially, we often find ourselves unfulfilled, and if we have the financial means in gluttonous consumption that destroys lifeways. Spiritual practices demand we reconsider in many ways, through each person's spiritual ethics.
At a kirtan I attended, my pleasure-seeking shifted dramatically. The kirtan singer told us Hari means divine, Krishna is all pleasure and Rama is all attractive. This song resonated as a deep call to put all my attraction to pleasure towards the divine. There is nothing in this life that can always satisfy me except for my relationship with the Divine.
Also, when one does a lot of sadhana, life becomes sadhana. Everything is a meditation. When I bring my awareness to everything I do, I enjoy pleasures more and with more satisfaction. It takes very little to tap into joy.
There are many energies we can connect to. There is a divine light so pure and complete in itself that nothing can taint it and it’s existing in everything and everyone. It is limitless, all love, and all healing. Connecting to that is the true joy of life for me and many others on the spiritual path. When one connects to this, they then want very little from the world. Just look at the pure bliss on these people’s faces.
Concluding Thoughts
The spiritual path is one of awareness which liberates us from illusion. When we see everything for what it is, physically and metaphysically, we automatically make compassionate and wise decisions. Awareness begins as observation. This basic ability to observe holds immense transformative and informative power both spiritually and practically. Indigenous and Hindu knowledge systems are based on observation, and because of this, they have made many discoveries that modern science is barely catching up to.
I’ve also noticed many spiritual people who I’ve crossed paths with have passion and vision for teaching. The thread for the vision is to liberate ourselves from the toxic capitalist culture to be in harmony with Mother Nature - which includes other humans. It is a call to empower future generations with an interdisciplinary education that gives children the tools to be aware- of themselves and the world around them. It is to give the children the tools to ask and answer questions both through themselves and from the world around them. To be aware of oneself is to see the captivity of one's mind and decolonize it. As teachers, we must learn captivity to teach liberation so that each generation can create and reclaim cultures that support the freedom and joy of every being.
Culture rises rhizomatically. Shifting culture begins within every individual. In every interaction, an exchange is made. As we emerge from the colonial and capitalist programming we have inherited, we exchange a piece of that new perspective which is elaborated on within each person's unique subjectivity. This exchange continues with everyone they interact with even if just in some small way. These small changes should not be dismissed but recognized as an important response to the climate crisis. Spiritual practices must be looked at as tools to gain the awareness and ethics necessary to change our life ways to respect Mother Nature.
