The land is alive. Our relationships are alive. We commit to healing and nurturing both.

Here at Mountain Cloud, we are blessed to reside on 24 acres of high-desert woodland, sharing our space with many boundless beings in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Since the beginning of our Center, relationship to this land has been a key support for our practice and our path, and we in turn have tended to the land, something that has long been a part of Zen practice.

Since relationship with the Earth has been such a shaping force at Mountain Cloud, it made sense to bring even more intentionality to this part of our practice. This led us to Ecodharma. While ecology and Dharma are really one in the same, the label of Ecodharma brings a focus that can open doors for deeper embodied experiences which can then lead to more impactful action and a more liberated community.

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Land Acknowledgement

Mountain Cloud is based in O’ga P’ogeh Owingeh (White Shell Water Place), the unceded ancestral lands of the Tewa people, colonized as Santa Fe, New Mexico. These buildings were built with the sands and soils of these arroyos. We share this space with the bobcat, coyote, juniper, raven, pinon, cholla, Steller’s Jay, ants, and so many more. O’ga P’ogeh has and continues to be home to many Tribal communities including the Tewa, Keres, and Towa Pueblos, and the Jicarilla Apache. The descendants of these communities live in O’ga P’ogeh and in surrounding present-day Pueblos of Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, Ohkay Owingeh, Santa Clara and Tesuque (and others!). 

Mountain Cloud honors and celebrates the excellence and wisdom of these neighbors, friends, and relatives, both past and present, who have stewarded this land for generations and continue to do so. We recognize the centuries of forced displacement, settler colonialism, violence, and attempted genocide that exist in the land, culture, and peoples here and the continued existence of this legacy in modern colonial systems. Mountain Cloud recognizes that we benefit from this legacy of violence and commit to building trust with our tribal neighbors, repairing harm, learning and unlearning, and centering the knowledge and expertise indigenous to this land, in the spirit of humility, compassion, and liberation. 

This land is alive, our relationships are alive, and we acknowledge our connectedness and responsibility to healing and nurturing both. We commit in each moment to put this acknowledgement into action. 

One way you can move this acknowledgement into action is by contributing to the O’ga P’ogeh Land Tax. Mountain Cloud is an organizational contributor to the OPLT and encourages sangha members to contribute to the extent they are able as part of our ongoing commitment to action, repairing harm, building trust, and liberating all beings. Learn more here.

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Ongoing Ecodharma Programs

On the first and third Thursday of the month at 7pm MT, sangha members gather to delve into the question, “How can we, as Zen practitioners, respond to the current ecological crises with open hearts?” Through readings, discussions, and sharing of personal experiences, we support each other in our commitment to the healing of the world and welfare of all beings. New members welcome!

Once a month, one of our Wisdom Wednesday events is dedicated to the theme of Ecodharma. The evening includes meditation, a brief talk or practice share, discussion, and Q&A, typically facilitated by a senior sangha member or assistant teacher.

Upcoming talks:

Our weekly Thursday evening Dharma talks often have Ecodharma connections, either from guest teachers like David Loy, our Guiding Teacher Valerie Forstman, or another one of our suite of experienced Zen teachers. Stay up to date on each week’s topic through our calendar.

Upcoming Ecodharma talks:

None scheduled at this time; check our calendar page for updates, or browse past talks here.

Special Ecodharma Events

Sangha Work Days

Mountain Cloud’s garden has been eaten by gophers – which means Garden Work Days are on pause for 2025 until further notice. Stay up to date on sangha work days by signing up for our newsletter.

As part of our care for Mountain Cloud’s buildings and facilities, we are undoing various projects to mitigate the risk of fire on our land. Check out our calendar and sign up for our newsletter to be notified when work days are scheduled.


Further Ecodharma Resources

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