Lawrence Ellis

Biography

Lawrence Ellis is a social change agent who uses activism, conscious business, and engaged spirituality as vehicles for individual and collective transformation. His current work is in (a) creating communities of love and caring that (b) use spiritual, political and other transformational practices, to (c) support movements for justice, peace, sustainability, etc. In particular, his emerging focus is on transforming our global economic system and its impact on four interrelated areas: environmental degradation, economic injustice, weakening of democratic institutions, and identity-based oppression.

He practiced Thien (Vietnamese Zen) for years in the communities around Thich Nhat Hanh, and co-founded the Mindfulness, Diversity & Social Change Sangha. For three years he served as the Buddhist Peace Fellowship representative to two interfaith committees for workers' rights, where he engaged in activities such as civil disobedience to transform oppressive working conditions. Currently Jack Kornfield is mentoring him on his path to becoming a Buddhist Teacher. Of AfricanAmerIndian (African-American & American Indian/First Nations) Heritage, Lawrence weaves elements of his African, African-American and First Nations wisdom & mastery traditions into his teaching.

In the world of business, he was a Director with one of the oldest firms in the US specializing in managing organizational & community change. Currently he is the convener of a network of twenty highly regarded, conscious-enterprise consultants who use their skills to support building values-based organizations, healthy communities, and dynamic movements (online at www.pathstochange.net.)

His activism has focused on numerous human rights and ecology issues. He is an invited member of the Reinventing Revolution community of activists convened by Julia Butterfly Hill - http://www.ecotopia.org/ehof/hill/bio.html. Aya De Leon - http://www.ayadeleon.com. Taj James, and Van Jones http://www.ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=25&contentid=27.

Lawrence received his Masters from Oxford University, while on a Rhodes Scholarship, studying the application of Gandhian Non-Violence to individual and large-scale change. Gandhi's grandson invited him to be a delegate to an international yatra (pilgrimage) in India commemorating Gandhi & King.