Dharma Bum Life Program - Master Slideshow

Thursday, July 2, 2009

In the Garden with Julia Dashe
















Permaculture presentation by Julia Dashe from the San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project (sandiegoroots.org)

“The first thing anyone should be taught about gardening when they are just beginning, is the process of composting,” Julia Dashe told our group one sunny afternoon while standing outside of the three compost bins at the Morse High School community garden. As we proceeded to ‘turn the bins’ with our shovels, putting air into the mixture, she explained that without the nutrients from the decaying organic matter, the seeds we had just planted could not survive. Compost is primarily formed from green and brown ‘wastes’ – dead plants, weeds, fruit peels, eggshells, dried leaves, paper, soil, a good watering and some mixing. Humidity, high temperature, and red worm castings all come together to produce a beautiful, dark brown batter rich in nutrients to recycle back into the garden.

This important lesson in the growth cycle of the garden can be applied to all of life – the transition from death to life, from destruction to creation, is just as important as the transition from life to death. Without some form of destruction and letting go of the old, there would be no room for growth and development for the new. Because every living being and the systems they are a part of go through numerous cycles of life and death in some way or another, ideally there should be no waste produced by the system. One creature’s poop is another’s house, and one dead animal can feed a whole family. This idea is the foundation to the permaculture movement, a 40-year old theory that began in agricultural design and is now flourishing as a completely sustainable approach to food, community and culture.

The Dharma Bums had the privilege to hear Julia speak about permaculture and sustainable gardening practices. She spoke of the vital need to carry on the once-traditional practices of locally grown food, while also incorporating new eco-friendly ‘green’ techniques so we can use our resources more wisely. For example, the current system allows huge industrial farms to economically plant row after row of the same species of corn, leading to the stripping of nutrients from the soil each year. However, permaculture suggests that we ecologically plant a mixed variety of plant species that can cohabitate with one another, allowing a sustainable and mutually dependent ecosystem to develop. Thus, the products of one piece in the system literally supply the needs of the neighboring elements, while doing little damage to the environment.

My experiences volunteering at the Terra Nova Garden at Morse High School and the City College Urban Farm in downtown San Diego have been truly life changing. Personally, I discovered that my passion and joy for life are recharged when I am in the garden connecting with all of the living creatures around me. I feel more alive when I am down-to-earth and meditating on the interconnectedness of all things, observing how there is an entire micro-ecosystem in just one square foot of dirt. Most importantly, I have taken these experiences out of the garden and into my daily life with the intention of being more mindful about how all of my actions affect the world around me. I believe that by practicing simple techniques that keep the whole system in mind, our society and communities can honor a sustainable approach to agriculture, local gardening, and the entire food system.

~ Dharma Bum Becky


Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Week 5 - Venerable Master Huei-Guang

Venerable Master Huei-Guang's talk started with a great question: "What is happiness?" and he proceeded to answer that question. Along the way, he covered a great deal of Buddhist thought including the Four Nobel Truths, the four types of enlightened beings, the five skandas and much more.

Though he tackled many deep topics, he kept the talk fun, and he spoke in a way so that we can take the knowledge and relate it to our own practice. For example, he tied the practice of patience into the modern mindset and how it relates to technology.

Finally, he related Buddhist thought to the practice of meditation, and he gave practical advice such as how morality is necessary to support the practice.

At the end of the talk, I felt like I had my head shoved full of the Buddhist Canon yet Venerable Master Huei-Guang looked as fresh as when he started. With good humor, he fielded a variety of questions. No matter how difficult or esoteric the question, he immediately grounded the topic and brought us back to the basics.

Dharma Bum Fred