Monks against mining

[Gillian]

‘Rise up’: monks urge WA towns to fight minerals exploration in vulnerable...

[Jhanarato]

Yeah, literally mining under our feet:

[Jhanarato]

Have a look at Alcoa’s mine site, located in the same forested region as Bodhinyana:

Be sure to switch on satellite view.

To be fair, Alcoa have been upfront with us, having meetings every so often to explain what they’re up to. As it happens, we at Kusala Hermitage have accepted grant money from the Swan Alcoa Landcare Program for revegetation. There was push back from some members of the BSWA regarding this. It’s something to consider going forward.

[Gillian]

There are allmost none of the fine old kauri trees left in this wonderful forest. Here’s one memoriaised at Dwellingup

And here is some of the forest at Bodhinyana

Here are two photos from my visit to Kusala Hermitage just before Vassa last year:

l

[sabbamitta]

@Gillian

And here is some of the forest at Bodhinyana

Are you currently in Bodhinyana, @Gillian, or have recently visited?

I’ve been walking through this forest for many hours while staying there for Vassa 2016. My neighbor in the women’s section who is a biologist and has worked setting up walking trails in the forest explained me a lot and showed me many beautiful spots. She made me aware of the beauty there, and also of the effects of mining.

The pics here are for the beauty part:

I found it very uplifting and conducive to my meditation to look at the beauty in the little things.

In case you are there, please give my warmest regards to all the monks who were present at the time and know me, and also to Amandus!

@Jhanarato

Yeah, literally mining under our feet:

I grew up in a mining region (coal mining). The area is densely inhabited, and many places here were (and still are) affected by the mining. There are many houses with cracks in the walls and uneven floors. There was even a hospital—that had originally been built for the mine workers (“Knappschafts-Krankenhaus”)—where you could literally slide down the corridors, with slopes of, I don’t know, 10% or so (perhaps a bit exaggerated)?

There used to be frequent (milder) earthquakes because of the holes under the ground, and when on the occasion of a somewhat stronger earthquake a piece of a church tower fell down they finally decided to stop mining—it ended in 2012.

[Jhanarato]

Great pictures, thanks. I’ve not actually gone for a walk in the area for years, as opposed to visiting for an evening’s talk now and again. On the upside, we began revegetating Kusala even before we finished building and moved in. One section in particular is doing really well and is a riot of colour now. That’s three years after planting.