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The Way Out Is In

Joanna Macy’s Message of Hope

The Way Out Is In

Plum Village

Education, Religion & Spirituality, Buddhism, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

0.00 Ratings

🗓️ 21 July 2025

⏱️ 87 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Dear friends, In memory of Joanna Macy, who passed away on July 19th, we are republishing episode #12 of The Way Out Is In podcast series, with an introduction by Jo Confino. A scholar of Buddhism, systems theory, and deep ecology, Joanna Macy (1929 -2025), PhD, was one of the most respected voices in the movements for peace, justice, and ecology. She interweaved her scholarship with learnings from six decades of activism, had written twelve books, and laught an empowerment approach known as the Work That Reconnects.  In episode 12 (November, 2021), presenters Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and lay Buddhist practitioner and journalist Jo Confino were joined by Joanna Macy to discuss the relevance of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings to the crises we face today as a species; the energy of simplicity; truth-telling and the power of facing the truth; the grounds for transformation; impermanence; interbeing. Joanna recollects what Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings and activism have meant to her, and shares a special meeting with him in the early 1980s, during a UN peace conference, when Thay read one of his essential poems in public for the first time. Joanna’s activism, forged during many campaigns, and her practice and study of Theravada Buddhism, shine through in her priceless advice about facing the current social and ecological crisis, grieving for all creation, and finding the power to deal with the heartbreaking present-day reality. She also addresses how grief and joy can coexist in one person, and how to be present for life even in the midst of struggle.Their conversations will take you from the current “great unravelling” and the “gift of death” to Rilke’s poetry; the magic of love as solution; active hope; the contemporary relevance of the ancient Prophecy of the Shambhala Warriors; the possibility of a “great turning”. And can you guess her aspirations at 92? Could a swing be just the perfect place to discuss the evanescence of life?Brother Phap Huu shares a lesson in patience from Thay, and adds to the teachings of touching suffering, recognizing and embracing the truth, consumption of consciousness, finding balance, and smiling at life.  Jo reads a special translation of one of Rainer Maria Rilke’s Duino Elegies, expands upon some of Joanna’s core books and philosophies, and recollects “irreplaceable” advice about overwork.   The episode ends with a guided meditation by Joanna Macy. Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/ And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/  With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/  List of resources   Lotus in a Sea of Fire (1967)https://plumvillage.org/books/1967-hoa-sen-trong-bien-lua-lotus-in-a-sea-of-fire/ Call Me By My True Nameshttps://plumvillage.org/books/call-me-by-my-true-names/ Celestial Bodhisattvashttps://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/buddhas-and-bodhisattvas-celestial-buddhas-and-bodhisattvas Rainer Maria Rilkehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Maria_Rilke  Duino Elegieshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duino_Elegies  The Tenth Elegyhttps://www.tellthestory.co.uk/translatedpoemduino10.html The Book of Hourshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Hours  Satipaṭṭhānahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satipatthana  World as Lover, World as Selfhttps://www.parallax.org/product/world-as-lover-world-as-self-a-guide-to-living-fully-in-turbulent-times/ ‘The Shambhala Warrior’https://www.awakin.org/read/view.php?tid=236  The Shambhala Warrior Prophecyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14dbM93FALE  Bardohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo  ‘Entering the Bardo’https://emergencemagazine.org/op_ed/entering-the-bardo/  Maitreyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitreya  Ho Chi Minhhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_M

Transcript

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0:00.0

In honour of Joanna Macy, who recently passed, we're republishing an episode of The Way Out Is In

0:07.0

called Grief and Joy on a Planet in Crisis, Joanna Macy on the best time to be alive.

0:14.0

It's just such a joy to have interviewed Joanna and for her to have left so much wisdom for us all to be able to integrate

0:26.7

into our lives at this moment. And so before we start, I'm just going to read a couple of things

0:34.7

she said which are so relevant to her passing. She said, I have a great appetite

0:41.3

for life. I love hiking and skiing and cooking up a great meal. And so this grief can co-inhabit

0:48.3

me along with a lot of joy. And I think maybe that the joy becomes so great, there's so much love that comes pouring through, that I think it's because I'm not trying to protect myself from knowing things that are painful.

1:01.0

I'm not putting any conditions and what I let into my heart.

1:05.0

And here I think the teachings of Tikna Tanaanao are so relevant.

1:08.0

Do not be afraid of it. Do not be afraid of your pain for the world.

1:13.6

Do not be afraid of the suffering, but take it. That's what Bodhisattva learns to do,

1:20.1

and that makes your heart very big. The only thing we have to watch out for is we pick and choose.

1:26.7

Say, well, I'll just take that. Thank you.

1:30.4

I'll take it when I want a little bit of hot fudge sauce on it. I think I'll have that.

1:35.7

It's like that great poem of the Fifth Patriarch, you know. Life is only difficult for those who

1:41.3

pick and choose. You just take it. And the first thing that came to my mind

1:46.5

is that this is the great gift of death. Death walks with us and that is the great mystery.

1:53.8

And I love the way it's put in the writings of the Dharma that death is certain, but the time of

1:59.0

death is uncertain. And it's like a double whammy.

2:02.8

You're going to die and you don't know when. It could be in five minutes or 50 years.

2:08.6

So this keeps us kind of an edge of presence. It helps us to be present. What if you are to live

2:15.0

forever? Oh, it would be so boring to have that. You know, the concoction is that we are impermanent. Look at these hands. They're all covered with wrinkles, as is my face. I am mortal. I have a good chance to be in my old age. It's wonderful. At least I'm experiencing it that way.

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