What is Eco Dharma?
Eco dharma (also written as ecodharma) is a contemporary development within Buddhism that applies dharma teachings—particularly interdependence, compassion, and non-attachment—to address the ecological crisis facing civilization. The term combines “eco” (ecology and environmental concerns) with “dharma” (the teachings of Buddhism and related spiritual traditions). As a framework, eco dharma views environmental degradation not merely as a technical or political problem but as a spiritual crisis rooted in humanity’s perceived separation from the natural world.
Three core components characterize eco dharma practice: meditating and practicing in natural settings to reconnect with the Earth; clarifying the ecological implications of traditional Buddhist teachings such as interdependence (pratītyasamutpāda) and the doctrine of non-self (anātman); and embodying that understanding through environmental activism. Unlike earlier forms of engaged Buddhism, eco dharma specifically responds to climate change, biodiversity loss, and the broader unraveling of living systems.
Origins & Lineage
Eco dharma emerged in the late 20th century as part of the broader engaged Buddhism movement. Joanna Macy, a scholar of Buddhism and systems theory, is widely recognized as a foundational figure—sometimes called “the grandmother of the whole ecodharma movement.” Beginning in the late 1970s, Macy developed what she originally termed “Despair and Empowerment Work,” later renamed “The Work That Reconnects,” which integrated Buddhist teachings with deep ecology, systems thinking, and Gaia theory. Her 1991 book Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory and subsequent works like World as Lover, World as Self (1991) and Coming Back to Life (1998, co-authored with Molly Young Brown) established theoretical foundations for the movement.
Other key figures in the American eco dharma scene include Zen teacher Robert Aitken (co-founder of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship), John Daido Loori of Zen Mountain Monastery, poet and environmental activist Gary Snyder, and Stephanie Kaza, whose 2000 anthology Dharma Rain: Sources of Buddhist Environmentalism (co-edited with Kenneth Kraft) became a seminal text. David Loy, a Zen teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition, published the influential book Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis in 2018, introducing the “ecosattva path” and articulating sixteen core dharma principles for climate action. Loy co-founded the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center near Boulder, Colorado.
Since the early 1960s, Buddhist practitioners and activists have applied core Buddhist tenets to environmental protection. The Eco-Dharma Centre in the Catalan Pyrenees, Spain (founded circa 2010), became a significant European hub for eco dharma retreats and training before entering a “fallow period” in 2020.
How It’s Practiced
Eco dharma practice emphasizes outdoor meditation and mindfulness in natural settings, reversing the common modern pattern of practicing indoors. Typical eco dharma retreats last ten days or longer and include seated meditation, walking meditation in nature, dharma talks, and small group sharing sessions, often conducted in noble silence. David Loy notes that while religious founders including the Buddha achieved awakening immersed in nature, contemporary practice has largely moved indoors—eco dharma seeks to restore that connection.
The Work That Reconnects, developed by Joanna Macy and collaborators including John Seed and Molly Young Brown, follows a spiral process with four movements: gratitude for the Earth, honoring our pain for the world, seeing with new eyes (systems thinking and deep time perspectives), and going forth into action. This methodology helps participants transform ecological grief and despair into constructive engagement.
The “ecosattva path,” articulated by David Loy, adapts the bodhisattva ideal to ecological action. Ecosattvas practice non-attachment to outcomes to prevent burnout, view their environmental efforts as offerings to the Earth regardless of results, and integrate personal transformation with collective action. Practitioners apply traditional Buddhist precepts—particularly ahimsa (non-harming)—to questions of consumption, food production, and ecological impact.
Eco Dharma Today
Seekers encounter eco dharma through specialized retreat centers, university programs, and grassroots organizing. The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Massachusetts offers programs integrating ecological awareness with dharma practice. Naropa University in Colorado established the Joanna Macy Center in 2015 and hosts conferences on The Work That Reconnects. The Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center conducts regular eco dharma retreats. One Earth Sangha and similar networks coordinate online and in-person eco dharma practice groups.
Academic programs now address eco dharma: Stephanie Kaza taught environmental ethics at the University of Vermont from a Buddhist perspective, while courses on Buddhist environmentalism appear at institutions worldwide. The movement has produced substantial scholarship in journals like Contemporary Buddhism, Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion, and Buddhist magazines including Tricycle, Buddhadharma, and Turning Wheel.
Practitioners engage eco dharma through climate activism, permaculture projects, forest gardening, anti-nuclear organizing, and climate justice work. The framework has expanded beyond its American origins to Europe, Asia, and Australia, with facilitators developing culturally specific applications.
Common Misconceptions
Eco dharma is not a distinct Buddhist lineage or school, but rather a contemporary application of existing Buddhist teachings. It does not claim that traditional Buddhist texts directly addressed modern environmental problems—scholars like Lambert Schmithausen have cautioned against selectively reading Buddhist history to fit Western environmental concerns.
Eco dharma should not be confused with nature romanticism or a belief that Buddhism has always been inherently “green.” Critical voices within Buddhism question whether teachings on detachment and renunciation might actually undermine environmental values like “sense of place” and ecological identity, as Stephanie Kaza has noted. The movement acknowledges ongoing debates about whether Buddhist non-attachment risks fostering quietism rather than the urgent action climate crisis demands.
Eco dharma is not limited to environmentalism divorced from social justice. Contemporary eco dharma increasingly integrates analysis of systemic oppression, racial justice, and collective liberation—recognizing that ecological and social crises are intertwined.
How to Begin
For those new to eco dharma, David Loy’s Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis (Wisdom Publications, 2018) offers an accessible entry point. Joanna Macy’s Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re In Without Going Crazy (co-authored with Chris Johnstone, New World Library, 2012) provides practical exercises and perspectives. Stephanie Kaza’s Green Buddhism: Practice and Compassionate Action in Uncertain Times (Shambhala, 2008) addresses the intersection of Buddhist practice and environmental ethics.
Beginners can start by simply practicing meditation outdoors, paying attention to sensory experience in natural settings. The Work That Reconnects Network offers online resources and facilitator directories. Many Buddhist centers now incorporate eco dharma themes into existing programs. Engaging with local environmental activism while maintaining a meditation practice constitutes a direct eco dharma approach—the integration of inner transformation and outer action defines the practice.