On September 11 th , 2022, Dharma Drum Young People group invited Mr. Kyle Lemle, a forester, organizer, facilitator, strategy consultant, and musician, to share his work and vision with us through an interactive interview.
As a forester, Kyle travelled around the globe to work on restoring forests in many countries. From pine forests of the Himalayas to the mangroves of Southeast Asia to the urban forest in San Francisco, Kyle shared with us the connection he saw not only between trees and humans, but also between one forest and another. He also touched upon the concept of spiritual ecology and discussed the relationship between our inner and outer environments. According to Kyle, when we find harmony between the two, we can then be more mindful of our actions, as they would then be more aligned with our intentions.
Combining his passion for environment and social justice, Kyle co-founded the Lead-to-Life project that transforms guns to shovels, which are then used to plant trees at sites where gun violence happened and many lives were lost. The families of victims were invited to watch the guns being melted down and recast into shovels. They then used the re-casted shovels to plant trees at sites where their loved ones passed. Through this experience, Kyle witnessed the healing power of life and Nature.
Being a musician by nature, Kyle played a song of his, called “Remember Me”, which celebrates our relationship with Nature, leaving the audience moved in a way that was never seen before.
After sharing his experience, Kyle led a triad activity that allowed us to reflect to each member’s vision from the perspectives of a citizen of the earth as an ancestor and future resident. Through this activity, participants had an opportunity to see the vertical connections we have with our ancestors and future generations and to reflect on the impacts we can make in our daily lives. Kyle’s work emphasized our relationship with each other and Nature. Seeing the connection that we have with ourselves, others, and Nature reminds us to be more mindful of the impact that our actions bring. On top of this, Kyle’s talk also inspired us to think about what we can do in our daily lives to make the world a better place.
Please click here to see the recording of this talk!
Written by Monica Ho 2022.09.28 Photo: Dharma Drum Vancouver Centre