Satish Kumar

 

SOIL, SOUL & SOCIETY

The future well-being of humanity and the Earth is dependent on a new worldview in which the care of the planet, nourishment of the soul and the nurturing of the human community are integrated and seen as a continuum.

As the trinity of Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity, we need a new trinity for the age of ecology, which has wholeness, integrity and cohesion. I propose the trinity of Soil, Soul & Society.

Our reverence for the Earth, our care of the soul and a just order in society represent a vision of sustainability, spirituality and justice.

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When he was only nine years old, Satish Kumar renounced the world and joined the wandering brotherhood of Jain monks.  Dissuaded from his path by an inner voice at the age of eighteen, he left the monastic order and became a campaigner for land reform, working to turn Gandhi’s vision of a peaceful world into reality.

 

In 1973, he settled in England, taking the Editorship of Resurgence magazine. He has been the editor ever since (30 + years!). He is the guiding spirit behind a number of ecological, spiritual and educational ventures in Britain.  He founded the Small School in Hartland, a pioneering secondary school (aged 11-16), which brings into its curriculum ecological and spiritual values.  In 1991, Schumacher College, a residential international centre for the study of ecological and spiritual values, was founded, of which he is a Visiting Fellow. 

 

His autobiography, No Destination, has sold 50,000 copies and is published by Green Books.  Satish’s three other books, You Are, Therefore I Am – A Declaration of Dependence, The Buddha and the Terrorist and his latest book, Spiritual Compass, are also published by Green Books.   His latest book Earth Pilgrim was published by Green Books in 2009.

 

In 2008, Satish Kumar presented a 50-minute documentary on the BBC as part of the Natural World series. In the programme Satish introduced the Dartmoor scenes and sights that most inspire him and contemplated the lessons they hold for humanity. A highly acclaimed documentary that mixed eastern philosophy with the western landscape of Dartmoor; the programme was watched by over 3.6 million people.

 

 

Satish can be contacted at Resurgence,

Ford House, Hartland, Bideford, Devon EX39 6EE. 

E-mail: Satish@Resurgence.org