What is Silent Rebellion?

Silent Rebellion has two strands. 

The online meditation is at 9.30am (UK time)every Saturday, guided by an experienced meditation teacher. For the Zoom link, subscribe to the newsletter or email jez@silentrebellion.org. [Note that the Zoom link has changed wef 5th June 2021 - see the newsletter]

In the real world Silent Rebellion is at 11.30am on Christ's Pieces, Cambridge each Saturday. 

The 27 of us who came along on Saturday morning experienced a breathtakingly beautiful nature meditation led by Suryamani.

Pictured below are some of the meditators (or their playful dogs).

33 of us celebrated the tenth Silent Rebellion with a beautiful metta bhavana meditation with a nature theme, led by Suryamani.

It felt like a meaningful start to the weekend. 

Anantamati led 20 of us through a Metta Bhavana (loving kindness) meditation, helping us connect positively with ourselves and with others and the earth. 

Meditation teacher Yogaratna used radical stories to inspire the 23 of us present to tap into our positive emotions in this sometimes violent world. 

24 of us were taken on an amazing journey by meditation teacher Sarvajit, with a strong climate emergency / activist tone supporting our love for: ourselves however much we are able to do, for those who don't act and for those who are causing the climate breakdown.

The feelings in the 'room'  were almost tangible, with 30 of us being guided so beautifully into our hearts by Suryamani.

Love in action was the theme, and 30 of us certainly witnessed it with Anantamati's support. 

Plum Village Buddhist Order member Joy Magezis led the 31 of us in a beautiful meditation based on a Love Letter to Mother Earth by Thich Nhat Hanh. 

Triratna Buddhist Order member Yogaratna helped 25 of us to listen for those subtle responses from our heart. 

Vilokini, a very creative member of the Triratna Buddhist Order led 34 of us through a meditation on the ‘Brahma Viharas’ or positive emotions. 

Meditation teacher Sagaraghosa led 31 of us through a practice that helped us open up to loving kindness. We experienced what happens when we hold the way we feel about ourselves in a spacious awareness. 

Living simply was the theme for the meditation that Anantamati led 19 of us through.

Experienced Buddhist practitioner and Extinction Rebellion activist Stephen Wyard led 26 of us through a meditation practice where we cultivated equanimity. 

Buddhist teacher and XR activist Suryamani led a profoundly moving meditation for 19 people on this precious human body. 

Silent Rebellion returned to face the world again! 

On Saturday morning 17 people sat physically-distanced on Christ's Pieces to show love for life and their choice of contentment over consumption. 

The meditation marked almost a year since Silent Rebellion launched on the same central Cambridge spot, leading to six more events in a variety of shopping centres until the pandemic lockdown interrupted things.

The intervening six months has seen the compassionate community meditate together online on 15 occasions, with Silent Rebellion now reaching a total of 700 physical and digital participants and witnessed by countless shoppers and passers-by.

On this latest occasion Buddhist teacher and Extinction Rebellion activist Suryamani led a meditation which created a strong sense of stillness both in the busy park and live online for those who were unable to attend in person. 

Despite the rain, eight of us meditated together on Christ's Pieces on Saturday morning, with another 10 following online guided beautifully by Surymani. 

A beautiful and windy setting for Sarvajit to give a short talk on social engagement and lead a 40 minute meditation for the 14 of us on location and another 13 online. Subscribe to the newsletter to read and hear it again. 

On a cold and windy morning eight of us sat on Christ's Pieces accompanied by another 15 online. Anantamati guided us through a meditation based on The Guest House by Rumi, helping us to feel our emotions arising in the body and not to be being overwhelmed by them - while being witnessed by many passers-by. 

A sunnier early morning brought 15 of us out to meditate in the beautiful setting of Christ's Pieces. 

On the day when the printing of some newspapers - controlled by a handful of powerful billionaires who feed us stories that suit their interests - was disrupted by Extinction Rebels, we found that we could connect with the truth of our experience. 

Freeing the truth was the theme Suryamani took up her guided meditation for 13 more who joined us online. 

By meditating along the path at Christ's Pieces on Saturday, 19 of us expressed our solemn intention to protect the planet for all living beings. 

And that was the theme of Sarvajit's meditation to those who logged on from home. He led us through a meditation based on XR's Solemn Intention Statement. "The first time I heard it, I was truly inspired by its principles and the links with my own Buddhist values", he said. 

if you subscribe to the newsletter you can listen to and read his talk and guided meditation.

Our first double Silent Rebellion day was enjoyed by 11 online at 9.30am and another 11 sitting in glorious weather in Christ's Pieces later in the morning. 

Online Anantamati gave a talk about hope in a time of despair and guided a 40 minute meditation. 

A cold, wet and windy Saturday morning didn't stop 10 silent rebels from sitting physically-distanced on Christ's Pieces, having our compassionate contemplation witnessed by many hundreds of passers-by. 

For 13 more who participated online earlier in the day, Joy Magezis of the Plum Village tradition, gave a reading and meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh on our Interbeing with the Earth and all the essential elements of life and the universe. 

Meditating in the heavy rain at Christ's Pieces last Saturday, seven of us enjoyed the sense of being at one with nature as people poured through the park between shopping centres.  

Another 16 of us joined the earlier session online, led through a beautiful loving kindness meditation by Yogaratna. 

In our 10th consecutive Saturday morning sitting on the grass of Christ's Pieces, 11 Silent Rebels enjoyed feeling resourced and balanced with the earth, with each other and with the crowds of passing shoppers. 

In the warmth of our homes earlier that morning, Sarvajit gave a talk to another 16 meditators, sharing his thoughts on how to deal with overwhelm in relation to climate activism. 

His talk and meditation were inspired by the retreat he'd just returned from, led by senior Triratna order member Vessantara. You can read Sarvajit's talk here.

In the fragile natural beauty of Autumn, 15 of us meditated in the passing presence of hundreds of people.

In a particularly lively and busy central Cambridge, 11 of us communicated loving kindness towards ourselves and others by meditating in silence together. 

And earlier that morning, another 15 connected online through a beautiful talk and led meditation by Anantamati, bringing out how friendship can be forged through silence.  

Enjoying the sensations of the rain falling on us, nine sat in the park last Saturday's during a long, heavy downpour witnessed by the constant flow of pre-lockdown shoppers.

Earlier that day, 13 of us were guided through a serene loving kindness meditation by Suryamani. We allowed the brightness from yellow leaves become more and more universal within us.  

46 & 47. Saturday 5 December outside and online
Glad to be back outside 10 of us sat in meditation on Christ's Pieces. 

48 & 49. Saturday 12 December outside and online
After making some banners, 8 of us sat in meditation on Christ's Pieces, embracing the water element. 

50 & 51. Saturday 19 December outside and online
Eight of us sat sending loving-kindness to Christmas shoppers, and enjoying the sunshine for a change!