OUR ORGANIC COMMITMENT

Every bite we eat becomes part of us: our blood, our cells, our energy. The food we eat connects us to the earth where it has grown and those who have worked to grow it for us.

When we are mindful of our food, we realise that there is a lot we can do to protect the environment, to reduce climate change and to reduce our impact on the lives of beings - human, plant and animal - which also rely on the natural environment for their habitat, their sustenance, their livelihood.

Eating ethically requires us to practice looking deeply: Where does this food come from? How has it been grown? What is the impact on the soil and ecosystem (Is the soil better or worse afterwards? Is the biodiversity of the area affected?) Who has worked to grow, harvest and distribute it, under what working conditions and have they been fairly treated? What is the carbon (or equivalent) created in its production and transportation?

How can we practice kaitiakitanga, the Maori concept of good stewardship of the natural environment, so that future generations will also be able to experience wellness in their body, mind and spirit?

Can we practice this not only here at Dharma Gaia but also at home in our everyday choices at the market, supermarket and cafe?

Learn more about compassionate eating on the Earth Holder Sangha website.

Read about the latest research from Project Drawdown on the impact of a plant rich diet in reducing climate change. 

Find out about Dharma Gaia's homemade rice milk and oat milk (reducing landfill waste and carbon miles).

support dharma gaia to offer organic and ethical food

Please see our donate page for information about how to make a one-off or ongoing contribution to support the organic fund, helping us nourish young people who come to live and work at Dharma Gaia as Volunteer Practitioners, our resident Sangha who keep the centre running, and all our retreatants and wider Sangha who visit, stay and share food with us.

The Five Contemplations

This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard and loving work.
May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive this food.
May we recognize and transform unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed and learn to eat with moderation.
May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that reduces the suffering of living beings, stops contributing to climate change, and heals and preserves our precious planet.
We accept this food so that we may nurture our brotherhood and sisterhood, build our Sangha, and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings.