Plus, receive recommendations and exclusive offers on all of your favorite books and authors from Simon & Schuster.
LIST PRICE $18.99
Digital products purchased on SimonandSchuster.com must be read on the Simon & Schuster Books app. Learn more.
Get 30% off hardcovers with code MOM30, plus free shipping on orders of $40 or more. Terms apply.
Buy from Other Retailers
Table of Contents
About The Book
It may seem as though living ecologically and engaging in activism sacrifices our own enjoyment and happiness on the altar of doing the right thing. In this book, professor, naturalist, and Buddhist author Christopher Ives offers an alternative: a way of living that can actually be more fulfilling than the modern consumerist lifestyle. Rather than deprivation, it can bring us richness.
In Zen Ecology, Chris outlines his environmental ethic as a series of concentric circles, beginning with ourselves and then moving outward into our communities, all the while focusing on spaciousness, mindfulness, generosity, and contentment. At the individual level, we deal with distraction, clutter, and ecological harm. Here, Chris offers ways to help us pay attention, simplify our lives, and lower our impact. Then, we explore how to envision our home as a “place of the Way,” with Zen monastic life as a model for this—without having to be a monk! Next, we realize our embeddedness in nature and emplace ourselves in community with others, including other forms of life. Finally, we build on this basis to engage in activism to create a world that is more supportive of ecological health and spiritual fulfillment.
In this way, we avoid the two extremes of apathy and burnout, and uncover a way of living that is simple, joyful, embedded in nature, connected to others in community, and supportive of collective action.
Product Details
- Publisher: Wisdom Publications (March 11, 2025)
- Length: 272 pages
- ISBN13: 9781614299783
Browse Related Books
Raves and Reviews
“In this fresh Zen take on green values, Christopher Ives offers a way of living that is spacious, embedded in nature, embodied in presence, and rich in community. He draws on Buddhist approaches to support climate activism by cultivating what he calls ‘the green mental states’ of patience, generosity, non-harming, and compassion. Ives’s writing is clear, accessible, and personal, enriched by his many years of study and travel in Japan. Here you will find a treasure trove of resources to support a liberating practice of the Way through climate action.”
– Stephanie Kaza, author of Green Buddhism: Practice and Compassionate Action in Uncertain Times
“Chan master Yunmen said that the fruit of our practice is ‘responding appropriately.’ But how do we respond appropriately to something as intimidating as the ecological crisis? How can enhanced awareness and lifestyle changes lead to creative engagement with systemic issues? For Chris Ives, the Buddhist path is fundamentally ecological, and Zen Ecology offers the ideas, values, and practices that we need to address the greatest challenge that humanity has ever faced.”
– David Loy, author of Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis
“Drinking from the wells of the Zen Buddhist tradition, Chris Ives brings forth its rich treasures and offers practical guidelines to the reader for a more satisfying and meaningful way of life, while also suggesting ways we can take action together in addressing the deteriorating situation of our contemporary global society facing climate crisis.”
– Ruben L. F. Habito, guiding teacher, Maria Kannon Zen Center, and author of Healing Breath: Zen for Christians and Buddhists in a Wounded World
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Zen Ecology eBook 9781614299783
- Author Photo (jpg): Christopher Ives (0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit