A Gaian Catechism?

 

A catechism is a method of indoctrination that the Catholic (and later, Protestant) Church uses to induct (or brainwash?) its members by having them memorize and recite on demand the "right" answers to questions about the core doctrines of the church. 

However objectionable this method may seem to a freethinker like me who abhors any form of "tyranny over the mind of man" (as Jefferson put it), I must admit that the catechism method has been remarkably effective, over many generations, at gaining converts and training the young to accept, without question, a whole set of extremely question-begging propositions, and to adhere to these beliefs unshakeably throughout the rest of their lives--even if, from the viewpoint of honest critical inquiry, many these statements of belief are nothing more than self-serving balderdash. I have known, for example, some brilliant scholars and intellectuals who, having been life-long members of one or another fundamentalist church, are incapable of abandoning religious ideological claims--however question-begging--in which they have been indoctrinated since childhood.

It is thus with no small measure of irony that I propose the following catechism to train young minds in Gaian consciousness (not belief). In a sense, this could be seen as an anti-catechism, in that the purpose of such a catechism is to train young minds to see through constrictive ideologies and embrace reason, moral clarity, and the scientific method as a guide to deciding what they want to believe, and how they wish to act on those beliefs.  So here goes...a Gaian Catechism in progress: 

PART I: Definition of "Dharma" and "Gaia"

1.  Q: What is the Dharma? A: A Principle, a Precept, and a Practice.
• Q: What is the Principle?  A: This is because that is. As Martin Luther King said, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.  Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." This is demonstrably true at every level: physical, biological, social, and spiritual.
• Q: What is the Precept?  A: As Lao Tzu said, let us strive to "take care of everyone, and abandon no one; take care of everything, and abandon nothing." This guiding ethical precept derives logically from an understanding of the Principle.
• Q: What is the Practice? A: As the Buddha taught us, Breathe, Observe, and Let Go. Through this essential discipline, we come to realize the truth of both the Principle and the Precept.
2. Q. What is Gaia? A Myth, a Model, a Metaphor, and a Movement.
•  Q: What is Gaia as a Myth?  A: A personification of the living Earth as the Great Mother Goddess; an archetype with deep roots in ancient Greek culture and with close analogues in mythic and religious traditions all over the planet.
• Q: What is Gaia as a Model? A: A scientific theory of the coevolution of life with the atmospheric, hydrological, and geological conditions that in turn sustain life; the recognition, based on evidence, that life sustains and propagates the conditions that sustain and propagate life.
• Q: What is Gaia as a Metaphor? Based on Gaia as a model, it is an evolving cultural reappraisal of humanity's relationship with its biological support system; a way of thinking of ourselves as a part of, not apart from, "nature" or Gaia.
• Q: What is Gaia as a Movement: A general term for the sociocultural manifestations of Gaia as a model and metaphor. It includes but transcends the Environmental Movement, and includes not only Gaian theory, but Gaian praxis (i.e. permaculture or regenerative design) as well.

PART II: The Practice of Being Gaian:

1. Q: What are Axioms for Clearing the Mind of afflictive emotions? A:
• The Present is all there is.
• That that is, is.
• Nothing you've done, suffered or failed to do, has any necessary effect on what you CHOOSE to do in the present moment.
• There are only two states of mind: Mindful and Distracted.
• Therefore, there are only two ways of doing anything: Mindfully or Distractedly.
• Everyone gets distracted, all the time.
• Therefore we all need a workable method for returning from distractedness to mindfulness.
• Here is one such method. Try it if it works; if not, improvise.
2. Q: What is the Method? A: The Dharma Gaia Mantra: Contemplate, Practice, and Vow, on the breath, the following injunctions:
1. Reinhabiting the Present Moment:
• Breathe
• Observe
• Let Go
2. Reclaiming the Day: A Generic Daily Agenda:
• Be Well
• Do Good Work
• Keep in Touch
3. Revisiting our Life Agenda as Gaians:
• Learn Gaia
• Teach Gaia
• Heal Gaia
• Create Gaia
3. Q: What is the Gaian Categorical Imperative? A: In everything we do, we must strive to promote the health, competence, and resilience of ourselves, our community, and our living planet simultaneously.

Part III: The Three Essential Gaian Disciplines

1. Q: What is the first essential discipline for achieving equanimity, even in chaotic circumstances, by internalizing the Principle, the Precept, and the Practice? A: Tonglen meditation: taking in the pain and anguish of other beings, and breathing out healing and joy to them. As an advanced meditation method, this transformative practice requires proficiency in basic meditation practice (shamatha and vipassana) as a prerequisite. 
2. Q: What is the second essential discipline, for healing our society? A: Satyagraha: personal and political conduct based on Ahimsa (doing no harm) Satya (speaking truth to power) and Swaraj (self-discipline and self-reliance)--all conducted mindfully, strategically, and relentlessly.
3. Q: What is the third essential discipline for healing our planet? A: Permaculture: the ethical design of human habitation and human institutions in a manner that is symbiotic with, rather than parasitic upon, Gaia.  Based on the three core ethics of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share. Permaculture can be encapsulated in the following slogan:

Grow Gardens; Grow Community; Grow Awareness.