artwork by Jaqueline Kramer
Interbeing
The sun has entered me.
The sun has entered me together with the cloud and the river.
I myself have entered the river,
and I have entered the sun
with the cloud and the river.
There has not been a moment
when we do not interpenetrate.
But before the sun entered me,
the sun was in me—
also the cloud and the river.
Before I entered the river,
I was already in it.
There has not been a moment
when we have not inter-been.
Therefore you know
that as long as you continue to breathe,
I continue to be in you.
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Call Me by My True Names (1993)
FROM THE KITCHEN
Dear Peacemakers,
In our modern world, it is not uncommon to feel disconnected, isolated, and even fragmented. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s above poem, Interbeing, beautifully illustrates the idea of interdependence and oneness; everything is connected.
ZP’s founder, Bernie Glassman envisioned a community where people could practice together and serve others, seeing ourselves not separate from the other. The hand is not separate from the body.
We are grateful now for the opportunity to come together in person and online as we engage with and learn from great Teachers, poets, artists, activists and each other at Bearing Witness Retreats, Peacemaker Circles, Core Trainings, Councils, meditation sessions, and other offerings. As we gather in community, we can practice recognizing our interbeing, the sun in the flower.
With Gratitude,
Clotilde Wright
Some Upcoming Zen Peacemakers' Events
Bearing Witness to Racism in America
April 25 - 30
Selma - Montgomery, Alabama
We vow to be touched by both the joys and the pain of the Universe. There is a part of us we don’t want to touch, but perpetrator and victim are not separate. Some of these children pictured here are alive today. Join us to bear witness to racism in America.
HIGHLIGHTED AFFILIATES & FRIENDS EVENT
Journey to The Holy Land with Zen Peacemakers Affiliate Holy Land Trust
“Traveling with Holy Land Trust is not just a sojourn; it is an opportunity to forge meaningful connections with the land and its people. This program fosters cultural exchange, mutual understanding, and solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Holy Land Trust believes in the power of tourism to transform trauma into hope.
As Holy Land Trust extend this invitation, they underscore the vital role your visit plays, especially in these trying times. Recent events in Gaza have underscored the need for solidarity and support. The Holy Land, while safe and welcoming, is grappling with the impact of reduced tourism. Hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops, integral to the local economy, await your patronage. Holy Land Trust’s mission is to create profound experiences for international tourists seeking to explore the beauty and complexity of Palestine.”
PEACEMAKER CIRCLES
A Conversation with Jane Hirshfield: Everything Changes; Everything is Connected; Pay Attention
Wednesday, April 24th, 12:00pm Eastern Time
Hirshfield writes “some of the most important poetry in the world today” - (The New York Times Magazine)
Jane Hirshfield and Geoff Shōun O'Keeffe will be talking about the Three Tenets, the way poems carry the values of right speech in their marrow, right action in the realms of both biosphere and social compact, and compassionate attention as the ground of change.
The Sound of One Hand Slapping, brought to you by the Bird Who Knows Everything
Thursday, April 11th, 12pm Eastern Time
Ara "Tutu" Fitzgerald will introduce a new character (The Bird), screen an updated version of a short film created by Ara, Clare Byrne and Peter Cunningham. ("Pilgrimage"). And we will consider together the wisdom of reusing for the upcoming election, some older political ads, featuring the Ghost of P.T. Barnum (Vote!). P.T. threatens to join us for the chat.
TARA, MOTHER BUDDHA OF GREAT LOVE
Thursday, April 18th,12pm Eastern Time
Join Roshi Ilia Shinko Perez in practice. When we visualize emptiness as the Mother of Great Love, this visualization opens our hearts to the experience of the unconditional love that abides in the Universe. The Practice of Mother Tara of Great Love can heal those places in us which are still in need of receiving unconditional love.
WAY OF COUNCIL
Bearing Witness Council: A focus on Gaza with Barbara Wegmüller Rōshi, Jorge Koho Mello, & Sensei Grant Fuku Couch
April 15th, 12:00 PM Eastern Time, Zoom
Join ZP Spirit Holders in a Way of Council focusing on Gaza. In Council, we come together in a small group in a profound way. We create a shared liminal space that is safe, confidential, and perhaps sacred. We each listen and speak from the heart, encountering and experiencing one another gently and with awareness. We are not solving problems or debating issues or making plans. We are making a healing space for each of us to hear and be heard, see and be seen.
ZEN PEACEMAKERS CORE TRAININGS
Many in our community belong to local practice centers in various traditions where training is available. Others have elected to join the Zen Peacemaker Order two-year training program. With our Zen Peacemaker Core Trainings offering, we want to make the very most important and fundamental Zen Peacemaker practices of meditation, Council, and the Three Tenets easily available to everyone.
These Core Trainings are free, offered at different times to support work and school schedules, and repeated quarterly. These can be taken à la carte and repeated as you wish.
"As someone relatively new to Zen study, I find these classes invaluable and engaging! Many thanks for the programming you create, it has been a huge help to my studies and practice.” - Josh Cretella (Core Training - Three Tenets)
Council is one of our most important core Zen Peacemaker practices. We share Council during our Bearing Witness retreats most every day. In Council, we come together in a small group in a profound way. We create a shared liminal space that is safe, confidential, and perhaps sacred. We each listen and speak from the heart, encountering and experiencing one another gently and with awareness. We are not solving problems or debating issues or making plans. We are making a healing space for each of us to hear and be heard, see and be seen.
ZEN PEACEMAKERS AFFILIATE EVENTS
VIDEO: A CLOUD NEVER DIES
ZAZEN
Experience a connection with your personal landscape through the transformative power of online meditation sessions with the Zen Peacemakers. Whether you're part of a local sangha or other spiritual community, we invite you to join us in this virtual space where we can gather across geographies and time zones.
Join us for these online meditation sessions and experience the profound benefits of collective mindfulness. The Zen Peacemakers are here to support you on this transformative journey.
Monday - Friday
10:00 - 10:40 am US Eastern
MORE INFO HERE
Haiku
Monthly Haiku Page
Please participate in our Haiku Poetry Challenge
OFFERING
The Bernie Koans
Edited by: Ken Byanlin, Francisco "Paco" Lugovina, Christopher Panos
‘It’s just my opinion, man’, as Bernie would say. We all have our opinions about Roshi Bernie Glassman. To some of us he is the stern head monk at Zen Center of LA; to others, he is the socially engaged Buddhist who built up the Greyston Bakery and Foundation. To others he is the founder of Zen Peacemakers International and the instigator of bearing witness plunges on the city streets and at Auschwitz and to others he is the clown, the founder of the Order of Disorder. He is all of these and more. As the stories in the book show, he is Bernie, the mensch, who spent his life feeding the hungry ghosts of society and teaching that Zen is to realize the oneness and interconnectedness of life.
-Gerry Shishin Wick, grateful Dharma brother and disciple of Roshi Bernie
Thank you for reading this week's Zen Peacemakers' newsletter.
We look forward to connecting at upcoming events, on social media, and via email.
With gratitude,
The Zen Peacemakers Team