UK Zen Peacemakers

An Ending and a Beginning...

2011-07-29T12:26:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,

I'm writing today from Bern in Switzerland, from the beautiful house of Barbara and Roland Wegmueller. I would like to let you know that this will be - for the moment - the last post for this "UK Zen Peacemakers" blog, after four years of postings. Please find future blogs at www.greatheartsociety.blogspot.com

After many interesting discussions this week here in Switzerland, I've decided to focus our work on the Great Heart Circle in Leicester, and no longer keep one blog open for both this and wider UK Zen Peacemakers activities. At present there is no Peacemaker Circle still going in the UK, since our Steward Steve Suleyman Hart brought the North of England Circle to a close last month. There may well be new ones in the future (and so future posts for this blog!)

The Great Heart Circle will be continuing as usual on the first Thursday of every month in Leicester. Email greatheartzendo@gmail.com for details. Although we'll no longer be using the name "UK Zen Peacemakers" as well as "Great Heart Society", we will still be connected to the wider Zen Peacemakers community, and if anyone would like to train further in the Zen Peacemaker Circles please contact Barbara at barbara@zenpeacemakers.com

Thankyou for following us on this blog for the past few years - it's been fun making the postings. If a new ZP Circle begins, this Blog may be back...!

With love,

Chris Zangtsal Starbuck
Bern
Friday 29th July, 2011

"This too is wonder"

2011-07-18T12:40:00.001-07:00

In the past month, two pioneers of Zen Buddhism have passed away.

On 15th June, Charlotte Joko Beck died at the age of 94. Her last words were reported to be "This too is wonder!" Although this wasn't actually true (internet Chinese whispers!), it is really a quote from her and a lovely way to remember her. She was a great Zen teacher, who explored the approach of shikantaza in modern life.

And then yesterday, 17th July, John Crook, scientist and first Dharma successor of Master Shen Yen of Taiwan, passed away aged 81. He was a teacher in the Chinese Chan traditions of Lin-chi and Cao-Dong (Japanese: Rinzai and Soto), and like Joko Beck he developed forms and approaches to explore Zen in modern life.

May their efforts and inspiration continue to bring happiness to the World.

Zvonko Radikovic Ordained in Thailand

2011-07-14T01:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Folks,

You may remember Zvonko Radikovic, the Croatian war veteran who's been corresponding with us for a few years now? People from UK and European Zen Peacemakers helped raise money for his flight to Thailand last year.

I'm delighted to let you know that this week he's received full ordination as a Buddhist monk (bhikkhu) in the Thai Theravadin tradition, studying with experienced meditation teachers there! His new name is Cattamaro Bhikkhu - sitting front right on this photo...

Thanks once again for everyone who helped out financially or with good thoughts to Cattamaro's wish to train over there. The Thai meditation tradition is very valuable and beautiful, and I'm delighted we're able to be connected to them in this way.

With love,

Chris Zangtsal Starbuck
UK Zen Peacemakers

Leicester Great Heart Circle, 7th July

2011-07-08T02:05:00.001-07:00

Last night we held our monthly Great Heart Circle in Leicester. It was a relaxed gathering of five regulars, beginning with guided relaxation led by Natalie and peaceful walking meditation in the chapel garden.

As a theme, we talked about the subtle approach to life called 'Malamati', the 'Path of Blame', which underlies Rumi's sufi tradition and is very close to what we're trying to do in our Zen practice. The name comes from a mischievious saying of the Prophet Muhammed - "I am among the foremost of the people of blame", or something like "I'm one of the best at being modest"! Which is a lovely clue to something very beautiful...

We held a period of Silent Sitting shikantaza meditation, then ended once again with an enjoyable sacred feast! Natalie's home-made cake was especially appreciated...

Leicester Great Heart Circle, Thurs 2nd June

2011-06-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

This evening we held our monthly meditation training circle in Leicester. It was a warm Summer's evening, and the big trees in the chapel garden were lovely and green and alive. We talked about two poles of leading a spiritual life- the need to create spaces of refuge and peace for ourselves and others, and the need to plunge headfirst into the messiness and pain of life and be with it lovingly. Once again, a great celebratory feast was enjoyed at the end. Here is a poem written recently by Mike Petterson, one of our regulars:

Invigilation

To hear the broken silence
With every sense of being
To see the confusion of the moment
And feel the stillness of the soul

To penetrate the barriers of division
And fuse the hopes of today
To live life's essence every second
And see truly disappointment and joy

The dot of the i, the dash of the t
The red of light and greys of night
Blood and bone, sinew and flesh, atom and particle
The details missed, part of you, part of me

To really travel the journey
Each foot, each step, every breath of the way
To touch the heart of the wind
And fall every inch of the chasm

The space between, the sound below
The coolness of the sun, the heat of the moon
Intense joy in melting, becoming, losing...
Surrendering to the here, today, as it is.

A fleeting glimpse, a treasured touch
A glancing arrow searing the skin
Awake, for the blink of an eye, a humming bird's wing-flap
Vacuum to fullness, vastness in a thimble.

North of England Circle Day 14th May

2011-05-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

We held a Zen Peacemaker Circle Day in Steve Suleyman Hart's house in Leeds on Saturday. We began at lunchtime with some excellent home-made stew (by Steve). Then we spent a relaxing hour listening to sounds of nature and wild-life from Ayre's Rock in Australia, on an album called the 'Experience of Uluru' from www.listeningearth.com.

After that we began discussing another of the Five Buddha Energies, following on from the last meeting. This discussion didn't get too far however, because several people expressed that they didn't really want to study a new system of ideas and symbols, but would rather focus on simple meditation practices. This led into a Council circle where we explored what our underlying reasons for coming together are, which was very frank and honest.

We had tea and biscuits to finish, and discussed the possibility of offering two halves to the day next time- in the morning, study (such as Five Buddha Families) for those who would like to explore ideas and frameworks for practice, and the afternoon session offering meditation and Council Circle. People would be invited to come to either or both...

Barbara and Roland Wegmueller become "Sensei"!

2011-05-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to let everyone know that on Easter Sunday, 24th April 2011, Barbara and Roland Wegmueller were given Dharma Transmission as "Sensei" by Roshi Bernie Glassman in the Zen Peacemakers lineage, flowing down from the Japanese lineage of his teacher Taizan Maezumi Roshi. The Wegmuellers, based in Switzerland, are our senior link to the Zen Peacemakers here in Europe...

The rite of passage of becoming a Sensei marks full entry into life as an independent (but interconnected!) teacher in the Zen lineage. Since Barbara and Roland also focus on the Zen Peacemaker Circles, Bernie's experiment in less-hierarchical Zen, the role will I imagine also function as something like "Great Elder" for those of us training in Circle Zen. The Wegmuellers are already Circle Dharmaholders (visionholders and teachers) in Circle Zen, and Zen Buddhist Preceptors, empowered to pass on the Buddhist lineage.

The ceremony took place in New York during one of Bernie's 'Street Retreats', where he takes people to live a homeless existence for a few days. It was an important ceremony, because Bernie has been reshaping the traditional Dharma Transmisson ceremony into a "Five Buddha Families Recognition Ceremony"- presenting the nature of the ceremony as a celebration and affirmation of maturity of practice within your own quality of life-energy. More about this can be found at:

http://www.zenpeacemakers.org/international_activities/zen_peacemakers_sangha/newsletters/articles/2011/may/recognition.htm

and photos from the Street retreat and the Ceremony for Barbara, Roland and several others can be seen at:

http://www.wordwiseweb.com/2011/streetny/

Music and Whirling at Leicester Zen Circle

2011-05-05T16:45:00.000-07:00

On Thursday's monthly Great Heart Circle we were lucky to have some live meditation music played by Mike Petterson and his friend Richard. They used wooden flute, guitar, tabla and bells. To link into this, we had a short workshop on 'Whirling', the dance of the Mevlevi dervishes from Turkey, exploring how this relates to Zen meditation. We learned a simplified form of the movement together, then tried it out during the live music.

It was a good evening- the music was great, I hope we have it again!

Leicester Great Heart Circle, 7th April

2011-04-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

This evening we had our monthly Great Heart Circle for training in Zen meditation. It was a small, friendly group. We began with relaxation and walking quietly in the beautiful garden, then we discussed the idea of "the good heart", used famously as the title of a book by the Dalai Lama. We thought the good heart is a useful idea in life, and relates to underlying motivation and practical outcomes- as long as we don't think of 'goodness' as something to feel guilty about not living up to. We talked about the value of living life creatively, with growth and happiness at its heart.

We ended with a session of silent Zen meditation and a shared meal once again. Next month we hope to have some live reflective music during the meeting, played on guitar and tabla.

North of England Circle Day, 5th March

2011-03-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

The first North of England Zen Peacemaker Circle of the year was held 10am-5pm in Leeds on Sat 5th March, in Steve Suleyman Hart's house in Rothwell. The theme for the day was "The Vairochana Buddha Energy", the central symbol in many versions of the Mandala of the Five Buddhas, and often used in the Zen Peacemakers as a symbol of spirituality, of a practice that opens a heart-space which can include everything.

The day included zazen meditation, study of the chapter on Vairochana from the book "Meeting the Buddhas" by Vessantara (a member of the Tri Ratna Sangha, formerly the FWBO), Council Circle, Chanting of the Nembutsu (from Pure Land Buddhism) and a little exploration of using the symbol of Vairochana Buddha in devotional practice.

The next day event will be in Manchester, date to be arranged, in April or May. The theme this time will be Amitabha Buddha and the "Integration" Buddha energy in the Zen Peacemakers.

Leicester Great Heart Circle, 3rd March

2011-03-03T15:34:00.000-08:00

At this evening's Circle, Natalie (pictured above eating delicious red peppers at the end), told a great story:

When she was younger and drunker and staggering home one night from a club, a homeless beggar asked her for a cigarette. This was a man often seen begging in an intimidating fashion in the city centre during the day. Natalie told the beggar she didn't have any left, except the one she was smoking at that moment. She was inspired to offer him half of that one...

... The homeless man, touched by this, asked her how she was getting home. She said she was walking. 'It's not safe for you', he said, and then produced a little money from his pocket, which he'd got by begging earlier. 'I'd just spend this on booze or something', he said, 'you have it'. And he walked with Natalie to a taxi rank, waited with her (in a big curious queue!) for the taxi, and gave the driver his money to take her as far as it would get her home.

She saw him again a few weeks later, and thanked him, although she doesn't think he recognised her.

I asked Natalie if it was ok to tell her story on this blog, and she agreed. I think it's great!

Leicester Great Heart Circle Celebrates Rabbie Burns!

2011-02-03T16:06:00.000-08:00

Our Leicester 'Great Heart Circle', which meets the first Thursday of every month to train in Zen meditation, this evening celebrated the Scots poet Robert Burns! Last week on 25th it was Burns night, and to link with that we read his poem To A Mouse, learned to sing A Red Red Rose, and ate (vegetarian!) haggis, neeps and tatties. We piped in the haggis (on tin whistle, not bagpipes, alas) and had an abridged Address to the Haggis, with dramatic slicing actions by Mark! He also kindly led the opening guided meditation for us for the first time...

A wee dram of single malt whisky was offered for those who wanted to partake, and a generous feast was had by one and all. Next month's meeting will be on Thursday 3rd March.

Leicester Great Heart Circle, Thurs 6th Jan

2011-01-11T08:56:00.001-08:00

Our first UK Zen Peacemakers activities of 2011 began with the monthly 'Great Heart Circle' for meditation training in Leicester. We had guided mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation, studied a poem by the Persian poet Rumi (to link with our Rumi celebration in the North last month!), and had a period of silent Zen meditation. Then we ended with a small feast again, made from what everyone had brought with them- fruit, pastries, bread, cake, soup! The next Leicester circle will be on Thursday 3rd Feb, most likely with the theme of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, to link with his annual day the previous week.

Rumi Day in Manchester, Sun 19th Dec

2010-12-20T01:37:00.000-08:00

We held a day in Manchester to honour Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi for the fourth year running, in Howard Bamforth's house in Withington.

The day began with welcome and introductions, and then a period of singing Arabic chant, accompanied by Persian drumming by Howard's friend Arian from Tehran. We had half an hour of silence, with people reading aloud from books of Rumi laid around the central table, and then more singing, this time a song taught to us by Rabbi Ohad from Israel on the Zen Peacemakers Auschwitz retreat.

We then studied a chapter from a new book by the Dalai Lama,' Towards the True Kinship of Faiths', considering his own journey in inter-religious encounters, and why he thinks they are vital for the survival of humanity.

After a shared lunch, we spent the afternoon reading and reflecting on three passages from Shams of Tabriz, Rumi's own teacher, using the recent translation by Camille Helminski and Refik Algan called "Rumi's Sun".

We ended the day by dedicating the merit of our gathering together to healing of our interconnected worlds.

Ya Hazrati Mevlana, Haqq Dost!

The Zen of Tron! Review of new Tron Legacy movie from Disney

2010-12-20T00:30:00.001-08:00

I went to see Tron: Legacy on Saturday night in Leeds. I love sci-fi movies anyway, but I went particularly because the founder of the Zen Peacemakers, Bernie Glassman, was involved as a consultant for 'mythic' material in the planning stage. He's a friend and informal Zen teacher for some time to Jeff Bridges, which provided the link. Going to the cinema this month has now a double Bernie Glassman element: the film involved him, and the Ben and Jerry's icecream in the foyer includes chocolate fudge brownies from the Greyston Bakery outside New York, founded by Bernie to employ homeless and other local excluded people...

I won't give a summary of the movie, plenty of other online reviews do that already. I found the film a good watch, great special effects (and I only saw the 2D version, so 3D must be amazing), and the leading actress was so beautiful I couldn't help falling for her (which was the aim, I think!) The script is a little less satisfying, with places where it loses the momentum of the story, or just seems flat, and although I appreciated what new director Kosinski was trying to achieve, I'm not sure he managed to pull all the strands together. As a movie, ignoring my Zen interest in it, I'd give it overall a 3 of out 5, with the special effects maybe pushing it up to a 4. Definitely worth watching if you like sci-fi.

The Zen myth underlying it recalls Ben/Obi Wan Kenobi from the first Star Wars. A Zen-master-like figure who's taken to living as a recluse, feeling unable to really do anything to make the world better. This being 'stuck in Enlightenment', stuck in a peaceful state, is found in lots of old Zen stories. Through the film, Jeff Bridges' character Flynn is forced to re-enter active, meaningful life, to do something, and ultimately to reintegrate the aspects of himself which he's been dividing from himself. (Zen is "closing the gap between yourself and yourself" as one Japanese master put it)

There's also a strong storyline of planned perfection-vs-spontaneous unexpected beauty, embodied especially in the character of Quorra, played by Olivia Wilde. She's a Fifth Element-like being, like Milla Jovovich's role in that movie. Flynn initially tried to create a perfect world. before discovering spntaneous, emergent life was much more lovely and fascinating... but his perfectionist alter-ego, Clu (also played by Bridges with youthful CGI), isn't impressed and tries to restore perfect order to the Tron world, and aims to come and restore perfect order, Nazi-like, to our imperfect human world too.

There are many more Zen elements and other mythic resonances (Quorra playing the Chinese Go game surely has echoes of Miranda playing chess in Shakespeare's play TheTempest?? And Flynn-Bridges does make a good Prospero, giving up his disk/his magic powers at the end!)

Overall, I think Tron: Legacy will be enjoyable for anyone interested in Zen, Buddhism and similar things, because it's fun to notice how they are woven into the storyline and the acting. And it's beautiful to look at. Although I wish the writers and director could have pulled it together more, they've made an entertaining movie.

Chris Zangtsal Starbuck,
Zen Peacemakers Community

Rumi Day and a new Steward in Leeds, 17th-18th Dec

2010-12-19T13:57:00.000-08:00

"When our holding on loses its grip
and we stop pretending to know
and we rest in the innocence of Now
and allow life to flow.
When we realise we are part of a love so divine
What need is there of I, me, or mine?"

(poem by Kim Birch, North of England Circle)

Our annual celebration of Rumi, mystic poet of love, took place in Leeds this weekend. It began with a short ceremony late on Friday night, the evening which is traditionally celebrated in Turkey as his "wedding night with the Beloved", or in other words the night he passed away in 1273 by the western calendar.

Then on Saturday we held a Day of Reflection in Rumi's honour, in Steve Suleyman Hart's house. It began with a period of silence intermingled with reading different translations of Rumi's poetry. Then we read and discussed a chapter from the new book "Towards a True Kinship of Faiths" by the Dalai Lama, on the importance of understanding and mutual appreciation between the World's religions.

Then we had a workshop looking at the Islamic ritual prayer, considering what the different postures suggest, and the intentions behind the prayer. We talked about surrendering the heart, through the body, to what we most love and trust, laying down all our concerns and worries and problems, giving it all up...

After a shared lunch, Steve gave a talk on "Rumi, Devotion and Loving Action", and Zang performed a short hand-over ceremony, with Steve Suleyman (pictured above!) now taking on the role of Circle Steward for the North of England Zen Peacemaker Circle.

We finished with a session of Islamic chanting - "zikr, the remembrance of the Divine" - and singing, and left in bright spirits.

December Great Heart Circle in Leicester

2010-12-02T15:32:00.001-08:00

We held our monthly Great Heart meditation circle this evening, training in mindfulness, love and Silent Sitting zazen. For our discussion theme we read a chapter on deep ecology from the book "Thinking Like A Mountain: towards a council of all beings" by John Seed, Joanna Macy and friends. The essay looked at human beings as part of nature, rather than as the pinnacle of creation at the top of nature. Instead, "I am that part of the rainforest recently emerged into thinking" and "We are the rocks dancing"...

The Unitarian Chapel where we hold our circle was this evening covered in snow, and we took the opportunity to do some quiet walking meditation outside under the big trees in the old graveyard garden. It's such a wonderful place of peace in the midst of Leicester city centre.

Monthly Great Heart Circle in Leicester

2010-11-11T14:13:00.000-08:00

We held our monthly 'Great Heart Circle' for training in meditation tonight. We were a small circle, braving the wild winds and the rain! For a change we were downstairs in the Unitarian meeting rooms instead of the garden room, and it was great: nestled in the depths of the building with the wind howling outside. We talked about joy in life and practice, and how it links to "raising the bodhi mind" in traditional zen language, and about different kinds of practice in different zen communities. Several people have experienced close deaths of family and friends recently, so this was a point of sharing too. We had guided meditation, silent sitting zen meditation, and a shared sacred meal again...

Auschwitz Birkenau Bearing Witness Retreat, 1st-5th Nov

2010-11-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

Last week the international Zen Peacemakers held a Bearing Witness retreat in the former Nazi camp of Auschwitz Birkenau. It is the 15th year of holding the retreat, and this year we came together as 95 people from all over the world- UK, Israel, USA, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Sweden, Brazil, Canada, Holland, France, and including a group of 20 young adults aged 16-23 from many countries, with everyone coming from many different religious and cultural backgrounds.

On Monday we visited Auschwitz I, the first camp established in the Polish town of Oswiecim by the Nazis. It's now a museum with exhibits tracing the history of the concentration camp, with a film showing footage of the prisoners just after release. The next four days were spent in Birkenau, the death camp built just outside Oswiecim to gas hundreds of thousands of victims - mostly Jews - and work many more hundreds of thousands to death in conditions of indescribable deprivation. Birkenau is a huge ruin, a graveyard, with endless broken-down barracks, fences, trees, pools of water, and the remains of the giant gas chambers and crematoria built to kill as many people as possible as cleanly and mechanically as possible.

Each day we gathered twice by the train tracks where the victims arrived, and read aloud from the endless lists of names of those who died there. In the afternoon there were inter-religious services led by clergy from four traditions - Jewish, Christian, Buddhist and Muslim. We visited the barracks where women were starved before being murdered, and sang songs of healing and love led by the rabbi. We visited the children's barracks and sang lullabies for the spirits of those who had been imprisoned there.

On Thursday we were joined by a Polish former prisoner in Birkenau, one of the very few who has escaped and survived. Among the retreatants were many who had lost family members in the Holocaust, and also several people whose parents had been Nazi officers during that time.

The week was one of listening deeply to what Birkenau can teach us, grief for what happened there, and also joy shared from the goodness of so many diverse people coming together in this act of remembrence. Music, tears, anger, silence, hope, fear, and also much love.

Leeds Day of Reflection, Sat 23rd Oct

2010-10-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

We held a Zen Peacemakers Day of Reflection in Leeds on Saturday, arranged and hosted by Steve Suleyman Hart. The day was 10am till 4pm. It was a cheerful, relaxing day- beginning with a period of silent meditation, and exploring the practice of Council Circle (loosely: talking and listening circles based on the Native American approach to communal decision making). In the afternoon we watched "Zen on the Street", a video on Bernie Glassman's work made in Switzerland 15 years ago. It's an overview of his Zen approach, including social business and housing, street retreats and the annual Auschwitz retreat.

The next events in Leeds will be an evening ceremony in honour of the Persian mystic Jelaluddin Rumi on Fri 17th Dec, followed immediately by a full day event based on Rumi the next day, Sat 18th Dec. There'll be a Rumi Day in Manchester the next day, Sun 19th Dec, exploring the teachings of Rumi's master, Shams of Tabriz.

Leicester Great Heart Circle, Thurs 7th Oct

2010-10-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

We held our monthly Great Heart Circle last night, with meditation and discussion on the theme of "metta", the Buddhist teaching of universal love. We read the Metta Sutta, a discourse from the earliest Buddhist scriptures on extending our hearts to all beings without exception, and also a couple of quotes from Islam and Buddhism which are remarkably similar:

Muhammad said to Anas: "My son, if you are able, from morning until night and from night until morning, keep your heart free from ill-will towards anyone." Then he added, "Oh! my son, this is one of my laws, and he who loves my laws, truly loves me."

and

The Buddha said: "Hatred never ends by more hating, but only by abandoning hate. This is an eternal law."

We ended once again with a shared sacred meal together. The next meeting will probably be the second instead of the first Thurs in Nov for a change, to be confirmed soon...

North of England Zen Peacemaker Circle, 11th Sept

2010-09-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

We held the North of England Zen Peacemaker Circle meeting on Saturday, from 10.30am till 6.30pm. The venue was Steve Suleyman Hart's lovely house in Rothwell, outside Leeds. The loose theme for the day was "Bearing Witness".

We began with a checking-in circle, and then Kim led us in a little Nembutsu chanting- Namo Amida Bu. Then Steve led a guided relaxation/metta meditation following on from the one he did at the last circle... soften/allow/love.

We then read together a section from Roshi Joan Halifax's book "Being With Dying", and explored an exercise together where we look with innocent child-like eyes at the person sitting opposite us and imagine their own child-like innocence present at the same time as their current state. We discussed the exercise in depth afterwards.

We had a shared lunch together- Tom made soup with a pumpkin from his mum's garden. Then we did a 30 minute exercise in Silent Sitting meditation led by Zang. We began in silence, and then we introduced some vibrant Jewish klezmer music... the exercise was to move between preserving and bearing witness to the stillness and our "inner" exerperience, and listening and responding outwardly to the music- even getting up and dancing occasionally. Shikantaza meditation was explored as this celebratory meeting place bewteen listening inwardly and listening outwardly- dancing on the threshold between two worlds!

After discussing this exercise, and drinking Turkish coffee together, we watched a dvd on Trance and Shamanic dance, looking at Orisha dances, Sufi dances, and modern 5-Rhythms and trance dances. This led into a talk prepared by Steve on "Bearing Witness to the UK Zen Peacemaker Circles and the Mandala Principles". Steve considered our community history in light of the "9 Mandala Principles" he learned from the Tibetan Buddhism teacher lama Shenpen Hookham- different angles on how we link together and interact. He asked us to make notes about how we've experienced the Circles so far, and how we would like them to develop in future. We presented our ideas in a Council Circle.

There were many ideas for the future, and our visions both converged in some aspects and clashed in others. We will explore these further through discussions and emails leading into future Circle meetings...

Leicester Great Heart Circle, Thurs 2nd Sept

2010-09-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

We held the monthly Great Heart Circle for meditation last Thursday, once again in the Unitarian Great Meeting House in the city centre. After our usual guided relaxation and meditation on kindness, we studied and discussed the Zen Peacemakers' Precepts together. These are the 16 traditional Refuges and Precepts transmitted by the Japanese Soto and Rinzai lineages, together with the "Five Commitments" agreed at the last World Parliament of Religions. The discussion included the nature of precepts, why have them at all; the question of why they're usually worded in the negative "I will refrain from... " etc; and how we feel about implementing them in our daily lives. We concluded with a period of silent Zazen meditation, and a shared meal.

North of England Zen Peacemaker Circle, Sat 14th Aug

2010-08-15T03:42:00.000-07:00

For the first time in over 3 years, the Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle went roving, being held in the welcoming house of Steve Suleyman Hart in Leeds. This marks a new stage in the Circle, hopefully able to invite a wider range of people to events in both Leeds and Manchester. Perhaps it is now the "North of England Zen Peacemaker Circle"!

We met from 10am till 5pm, beginning as usual with a checking-in circle to see how we all were. Then Steve led a guided mindfulness meditation practice, leading us to recognise and accept all the physical and emotional sensations in our bodies, then generating love towards ourselves and others.

Next, Kim gave a talk on "not-knowing". He began by talking about some images which came to him the night before after a talk he gave on Pureland Buddhist practice, based on his experience of the Amida Trust community from Leicestershire. He spoke of our individual lives and efforts as being like rock pools, and the grace of the universe as the waves of a great tide. It's not easy for the rock pool by itself to become the ocean- but still it is water, and when the big wave comes it can let go into it and merge with the whole. Kim went on then to talk about his own reading of "Zen Mind Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki.

We had a light lunch next, with Jewish klezmer music playing on CD in the background ("In the Fiddler's House" by Izhak Perlman). After lunch we read together a chapter from Lex Hixon's book "Coming Home: The Experience of Enlightenment in the Sacred Traditions". We read the chapter on Jewish Hassidic mystics, called "The Landscape That Laughs", which was a lecture Lex gave based on a book by Eli Wiesel, the Nobel proze winner and Holocaust Survivor. It talked about how the fire of the mystics' ecstasy was expressed in the details of ordinary life- no escape to some distant nirvana, but vibrant living here and now made possible through ecstatic faith in the immanence of some kind of divine reality... the possibility that at any moment the Messiah is expected, and the World will then at any moment be made anew!

Next Steve invited us to go for a walk, since the sun had come out. We walked down a disused nearby railway track, now a footpath, to a carved stone of the British pagan Green Man. Nobody knows who did the carving, whether it's recent or medieval, but it is a very detailed and skillful piece of craft. We meditated there in silence for a while, then returned to the house.

Steve gave a talk on not-knowing also, based on his personal practice over the past month. He talked about bringing curiosity into our experience of life and meditation, examining and not being bound by the myriad things we think we "know" all the time. He led a guided meditation simply looking all together at a house plant in his room- we sat silently facing the plant, then every so often one of us would speak aloud a question untangling our assumptions a bit... "Is it alive? How do we know?"... "Is it one thing, or many?" ... "Is it growing?" ... "What would it say if it could speak?" ... " what colour is it?" ... "What's my mind doing while I'm looking at it?"...

We ended then with a full Council Circle practice, to reflect together on all the themes and experiences of the day.

The next Circle will also be in Leeds, date to be arranged.

Monthly Leicester Great Heart Circle

2010-08-05T15:46:00.001-07:00

This evening we held the monthly Great Heart meditation circle, in the Unitarian Chapel's lovely garden room. The evening began with a cup of tea, followed by guided mindfulness and metta meditation practice. We then walked a little in silence in the chapel's tranquil garden - a haven amidst the busy city centre. We held a short checking-in council circle, and then studied and discussed the model of the five buddha familes, used in the Zen Peacemakers as a way of including all aspects of your life in socially active practice.

After this we did 20 mins of zazen meditation, and ended with our usual celebratory meal, with cake,chocolate, biscuits, and lemon-curd flavoured yoghurt!

Interfaith evening with Baha'is in Belgrave Centre

2010-07-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

I was invited last night to open an interfaith evening with a little Buddhist meditation, in the Belgrave Community Centre in the predominantly Asian area of Leicester. The evening was arranged and hosted by the local Baha'i community, and included readings from different religious traditions and Hindu music. They plan to hold two further evenings in the next couple of months, hoping to attract people from the local community to attend. Especially beautiful I found were two pieces of live singing/reciting - one in Arabic, one in Farsi, by Baha'i women from Egypt and Iran.

from Zang

Monthly Great Heart Circle in Leicester

2010-07-07T02:29:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday we held our monthly Great Heart Circle in Leicester, once again in the Garden Room of the Unitarian Chapel in the city centre. We did relaxed silent sitting meditation, some walking meditation in the garden, and finished with a meal and coffee. The next meeting will be on the first Thursday in August...

Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle, Sat 4th July

2010-07-06T01:08:00.000-07:00

There was a day meeting of the Manchester Circle this saturday, 4th July, held once again in Howard`s house in Withington, South Manchester, and facilitated this time by Steve Suleyman Hart. In the morning they went together to a Bach recital performed in a local church by someone Howard knows. Then in the afternoon there was first a talk given by Steve on the Andalusian Sufi Ibn al-Arabi, in response to a book Steve read written about him by the orientalist scholar Henri Corbin. Steve explored overlaps with Buddhism, the the heart and with Western artistic imagination.

Following this, each person talked for a time about the roots of their personal and spiritual inspiration- what in their life has brought them to feeling there is a more creative and compassioante way of living and exploring life.

There was also a discussion of what the Manchester Circle can hope to achieve when it re-opens to new members and public events at the end of this year of practice together, looking at ideas for a culture of love and encouragement, social action and open-mindedness.

They ended with a Council Circle to reflect on the day, and hope to arrange the next day for sometime in August.

Council Circle practice at Leicester Unitarian Gathering

2010-06-25T16:06:00.001-07:00

from Zang: I was invited to give an informal training evening for the "council circle" practice we do in the Zen Peacemakers, based on the Native American tradition of meeting in circles for making communal decisions and storytelling.

Eight people took part in the evening, arranged and hosted kindly by Rowan and Willow, organisers of the Leicester Unitarian gathering (one of the two Unitarian communities in Leicester). In the first half of the evening I gave an overview of the practice and the 'ground rules' for keeping it alive. I played a piece of Irish 'sean-nos' singing by Roisin Elsafty as an example of coming from the heart, and we read a short story by Erica Wagner together to enter into a storytelling spirit and listening to one another. Rowan read out a passage (I think by Thich Nhat Hanh) on the value of deep listening.

Then after a short break, Rowan and I co-facilitated a full council circle, which began with a poem by Carol Anne Duffy about bees...

Virgil’s Bees

Bless air's gift of sweetness, honey
from the bees, inspired by clover,
marigold, eucalyptus, thyme,
the hundred perfumes of the wind.
Bless the beekeeper

who chooses for her hives
a site near water, violet beds, no yew,
no echo. Let the light lilt, leak, green
or gold, pigment for queens,
and joy be inexplicable but there
in harmony of willowherb and stream,
of summer heat and breeze,
each bee's body
at its brilliant flower, lover-stunned,
strumming on fragrance, smitten.

For this,
let gardens grow, where beelines end,
sighing in roses, saffron blooms, buddleia;
where bees pray on their knees, sing, praise
in pear trees, plum trees; bees
are the batteries of orchards, gardens, guard them.

by Carol Ann Duffy

Monthly Great Heart Circle in Leicester, Thurs 3rd June

2010-06-09T14:06:00.001-07:00

On Thursday evening we held the third monthly "Great Heart Circle" in Leicester- an evening of warm-hearted meditation and relaxation, study and Zen training. We read together another chapter from Bernie Glassman's book 'Bearing Witness', this time on the Auschwitz retreats, to coincide with this year's retreat beginning in the former prison camp. Every year for over 10 years the Zen Peacemakers have arranged multi-faith and multi-national retreats in the grounds of Auschwitz-Birkenau, to remember and bear witness to the events that happened there and to learn to listen to each other's stories and diversity.

We also did a little informal walking meditation in silence in the beautiful bluebell garden at the back of the Unitarian chapel where we hold the Circle, and ended once again with a celebratory meal together.

The next Leicester Great Heart Circle will be on Thurs July 8th at 7.30pm

Meditation on Election Night!

2010-05-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

By happy coincidence, our monthly Leicester 'Great Heart Circle' meditation class fell on Thursday 6th May- the day of the British General Parliamentary Election! It felt a good moment of the poetry of life- an evening of calm and appreciation of diversity whilst the country was in a frenzy of anticipation...

We began with guided awareness and kindness meditation as usual, followed by tidying up rubbish from the grounds of the chapel where we were meeting! Then we studied a section from the book 'Bearing Witness' by our Zen master, Bernie Glassman, where he talks about meditating regularly as a group in the grounds of a derelict school in New York, gradually cleaning it up each day from rubbish and drug needles and even asbestos. The city were so pleased with what they were doing, they even sent them a squad of US marines one weekend to help out...!

We had a period of silent Zen meditation towards the end, finishing with a poem and song by Rumi. Then we had a shared celebratory meal again together, with home-made pizza, grapes and fresh bread. Next month's meeting will be 7.30pm on Thurs 3rd June in the Leicester Unitarian chapel once again.

Zen and Islamic Etiquette at Unitarian Engagement Group

2010-04-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

From Zang:

I was invited today by the Leicester Unitarian Gathering, one of the two Unitarian communities in Leicester, to facililtate a workshop in the spirit of our Great Heart Circle gatherings. Most of the participants had been to a workshop the day before on the Dances of Universal Peace, and have an interest in Sufism- so the theme I brought along was "Zen Meditation and the Sufi practice of 'Adab' ". We did some guided meditation together, including loving-kindness practice, and held a short checking-in talking circle. Then I introduced the four training principles we used to use in the Manchester weekly group, which are an attempt to bring the Turkish Sufi spirit of "adab"- beautiful behaviour/manners, to our regular training. These are 1) Come to the training house without expectations 2) Come in a spirit of generosity 2) Respect the intimate relationship between you and everyone/everything in the training house, and finally 4) Welcome and feed the guest. We talked about the origins of adab in Islam and Arabic culture too.

After a short break we then introduced formal Zazen meditation practice, looking at how those 4 principles of adab could be applied and understood within actual meditation too. We read a short passage on Mevlevi Turning by Sheikh Suleyman Hayati Dede, and a passage on Adab by Sheikh Kabir Helminski. Finally we did a short session of zazen, ending with a poem by Rumi.

When you turn...
by the late Sulyeman Hayati Dede, Konya Sheikh of the Whirling Dervishes

If you are quiet and in a state of prayer when you turn, offering everything of yourself to God, then when your body is spinning, there is a completely still point in the centre...

The heavens respond and all the invisible kingdoms join in the dance. But the world does not understand. they think we turn in order to go into some sort of trance. It is true that sometimes we do go into that state you call ecstasy, but that is only when we know and experience at the same time.

We do not urn for ourselves. We turn around the way we do so that the Light of God may descend upon the earth. As you act as a conduit in the Turn, the light comes through the righ hand, and the left hand brings it into this world...

We turn for God and for the world, and it is the most beautiful thing you can imagine.

Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle, 17th April 2010

2010-04-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

On Saturday from 11am-6.30pm we held the Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle meeting in Howard's house. Tom, Kim, Howard, Suleyman and Zang were present. We began as usual with a little silence and a checking-in circle, and then we had a 90 min workshop on Chi Gong and Pranayama led by Kim. Because it was such a beautiful sunny day we held this in a nearby park, and we were joined by Simon Gupta who often came to our meetings last year. Kim led us through a series of relaxing and invigorating movements, and then taught simple breathing exercises.

We came back to Howard's for a shared lunch, and then began the afternoon studying Chapter 2 of 'A Deeper Beauty' by Paramananda. The chapter was about the value of our bodies, how we don't appreciate them enough or their value in spiritual practice, talking especially about our hands as an example. Tom led us in the guided meditation from the end of the chapter, reflecting on how much we do with our hands each day. We also read together the chapter "Mysteries of the Body" from the book 'Living Presence' by Mevlevi Sufi teacher Kabir Helminski.

After that we ended up in a frank and at times heated discussion on the underlying purpose of meeting together as a circle- to what degree we see it as a form of training in the Zen Peacemakers, what role (if any) formal meditation practice should have, what roles of responsibility there are etc- in particular Zang and Kim found themselves deep in disagreement over this.

After going around in circle lots of times, we took a break, and then afterwards held a council circle, bringing the day to a more peaceful close.

Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle, 13th March 2010

2010-03-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

We had the first Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle of 2010 on Saturday in Howard's house, from 11-6pm. It was the first of our "closed circles" for this year- between now and the end of 2010 we decided to have a few meetings only for those who have been involved with the ZPC before and who are able to commit to coming to every meeting during the year. The aim of this is to be able to deepen our practice together and work more on understanding what it means to meet as a circle- last year we had many wonderful days of training, but they were more like drop-in sessions with many different people coming each time. The aim is to "reopen to public events" in Deceember 2010, starting with our annual celebration of the Islamic mystic poet Rumi.

Five of us attended the circle on Saturday- Howard, Tom, Suleyman, Kim and Zang- travelling from Oxford, Leeds and Leicester, so we're beginning to have a broader geographic pull than in the beginning, when people only came locally from Manchester. We began the day listening to a short piece of lute music from Howard's collection, then held a checking-in council circle. Then we moved on to study the Introduction and first chapter of "A Deeper Beauty" by Paramananda, the book we've agreed to study over the year. We held a discussion facilitated by Kim on our responses to what we read.

After a shared lunch (including great pasta brought from Leeds by Suleyman!), we had a period of silent meditation, incorporating the exercise from the end of Chapter 1 of A Deeper Beauty. then we held a full Council Circle on the theme "Psychoses and Neuroses".

After a short break, we listened to another piece of the lute music, and then Tom gave a presentation on the effects of climate change on Bangladesh, where he worked as a volunteer in 2009. He used his own photographs together with statistics on global warming to show what's happening and what's likely to happen, and then showed us a project he worked on building a water-filter well to clean the polluted pools the villagers need to use for drinking and bathing. He's continuing to raise funds for this project and will hopefully go out there later this year to help build more wells...

The following morning, Suleyman, Kim and Zang met in Leeds and went along to a service of the Unitarian chapel in the city centre- we met the minister there, who used to be a coal miner and a stand-up commedian, and who has a vision of a multi-faith community drop-in centre open to all without any boundaries of belief or background. Then whilst having adrink together afterwards we met by chance one of the main local organisers of the Leeds Pagan community, who joined us and told us about his own practice and events.

Leicester Great Heart Circle Launched!

2010-02-25T16:07:00.000-08:00

This evening we launched the weekly public Great Heart Circle in Leicester. We will be meeting every Thursday from 7.30pm in the Unitarian Chapel, 45 East Bond St, LE1 4SX. There will be guided relaxation, council circle, a short Dharma talk, and silent Zen meditation... ending each week with a celebratory shared meal.

It's a delightful unplanned coincidence, given our tradition's links with the Islamic meditation schools of Sufism, that this evening also marked the beginning of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday, many blessings upon him. May this be an auspicious sign for our practice together in Leicester!

Barbara's Precepts Weekend in Eco House

2010-01-10T11:43:00.001-08:00

Barbara Salaam Wegmueller from Switzerland came this weekend to lead a workshop for us on the Zen Peacemaker Precepts. The venue was Eco House, an environmental show-home set in snow-covered Western Park in Leicester.

On Saturday we studied the "Three Refuges of the Zen Peacemakers" - Oneness, Diversity and Harmony, reflecting deeply in a circle about what each of these principles mean for us in our own life experience. After a shared lunch we had some silence, and chanting from Pure Land buddhism led by a member of the Amida Order. Then Barbara talked about the Zen Peacemakers, the Auschwitz retreats, her social projects with Muslim women in Switzerland, and Bernie Glassman's new Zen House project for service in socially deprived areas.

On Sunday we had a frank and deep discussion of two Zen Precepts: Not Being Angry and Not Elevating Oneself by Blaming Others. Barbara explained the three ways of approaching the ethical principles- taking them literally; interpreting them in each situation with compassion; and seeing them as pointers to a very deep truth about reality. We had more silence, Pure land chanting, and also some powerful Islamic chanting led by a Sufi in the group.

The weekend was a very engaging series of discussions, and the group was made up of people from several different Buddhist, Christian and Islamic traditions, bringing a wide range of voices and experiences to the circle. It was a very worthwhile first public weekend for us here in Leicester.

Rumi Events, 18th and 20th Dec

2009-12-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

We held a small gathering in honour of the Islamic mystic poet Jelaluddin Rumi on Friday evening in Leeds, and then a full day's practice in Manchester on Sunday as a Zen Peacemakers Day of Reflection.

Our theme for the day was 'The Voice of the Heart', and in honour of Rumi we explored and reflected on elements of Sufi practice, especially in the manner of the Mevlevi tradition (famous as the 'Whirling Dervishes'). We also had silent Zen meditation, Council Circle, and we read together from the book "A Deeper Beauty" by Paramananda, a member of the Western Buddhist Order. One of our guests, Amitashuri, told stories from her trip through Turkey and Iran, and sang to us in Farsi!

This is the third year our UK Zen Peacemakers group has been able to celebrate the anniversary of Rumi's death (known as his 'Wedding Night', his day of union with Reality). He died on 17th Dec 1273 in the city of Konya in Anatolia.

Day of Reflection, Sat 7th November

2009-11-11T11:38:00.001-08:00

We held a Day of Reflection on Saturday at Howard's, on the theme "Seeing Others with the Eyes of Love".

We began the day with a checking-in council circle, then we listened to a 40 minute guided meditation on cd of the Metta Bhavana, the same one we listened to last month. After that we did an exercise based on a painting of Green Tara that Sheila Hixon gave us from her house. We looked at the painting, and had 3 sessions where we wrote down:

1) What Buddha qualities the image and the symbols/colours etc. suggested to us.

2) What good qualities of Ourself we could see reflected in the painting and symbols.

3) We chose someone we know well, and reflected what qualities of them were reflected in the painting.

We had 4 periods of silent meditation, one between each reflection, and at the start and finish.

After a shared lunch (big feast again!), we did some singing together from the Arabic from a beautiful cd of chants I found last month- half of us chanted "Ya Hayy" (O Life!) slowly, while the others sang the words:

"I walk with beauty all around me, I walk with beauty all around me,
As I walk the beauty way, As I walk the beauty way...."

Once they got it, we stood up, linked arms, and circled around the room together Sufi-style while singing it- it was a good way to start after lunch!

We held another council circle to reflect on the Tara exercise, and then our guest singer arrived...

Cathie (www.purelove.co.uk) is a local singer-songwriter who Howard met at a Buddhist fundraising event, she has the most beautiful voice, somewhere between Joni Mitchell and Eva Cassidy. Her songs are all about love, some of them by Hafiz of Shiraz! She sang to us, holding us all enchanted, for 45 minutes.

We ended with a final council circle. Afterwards, some of us explored elements of Islamic prostration practice together, and then listened to classical music in the evening.

Blessings,

Zang

Day of Reflection Sun 13th Sept

2009-09-16T08:04:00.001-07:00

We had a small, friendly Zen Peacemakers Day of Reflection on Sunday in Howard's House in Manchester. The theme for the day was "Listening as a Spiritual Practice", and we had various activities to explore this.

We began the day with a reading from the Sufi poet Rumi, then recited together the 'Zen Peacemaker Observances'- the 16 Bodhisattva Precepts plus the "5 Commitments" for creating a compassionate culture. After this we listenened to a guided CD meditation of the Mindfulness of Breathing, recorded by Vidymala Birch from the FWBO.

Having become relaxed and open, Howard then led an hour's exploration of classical music from his own life- beginning with several tracks from the 50s by the opera singer Kathleen Ferrier. Then a couple of tracks from Handel's Messiah. And ending with several pieces by a male voice choir from Kiev singing Orthodox Christian chants. Very powerful ending!

We began the afternoon with another poem by Rumi, and then watched a BBC nature video called "Earth Pilgrim"- a year's journey through the changing landscape of Dartmoor narrated and inspired by Satish Kumar, the ex-Jain monk who once made a peace walk from India to the USA.

We ended by listening to another CD by Vidyamala Birch- 'Kindly Awareness', a guided meditation based on the traditional Buddhist "Metta Bhavana" practice.

Throught the day we also had Council Circles, and experimented with our own chanting too- we used a beautiful tune for the Green Tara mantra used by a Nepalese nun Ani Choying; an Arabic chant "Ya Jamil" (O Divine Beauty!); and a chant from 60s Scottish folk-rock group 'The Incredible String Band':

"May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you. And the pure light within you guide your way home..."

'Postal Peacemaker Circle' starting this month

2009-09-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

To help people interested in training in the Zen Peacemakers but who live far apart, we're starting a one-year experiment this month: a Postal Peacemaker Circle!

The idea is to revive the intimacy of hand-writing letters in this age of electronic communication, and to see if we can have the honestly and closeness of our group "Council Circles" at a distance.

6 of us, in Northern, Central and Southern England, Canada and Croatia are taking on a sacred practice of writing one letter with care and openness each month to one other person in the Circle. This will include themselves! So in a year we'll all have written to each other twice, and written to ourselves twice also...

A moment of happiness,
you and I,
sitting on the verandah,
apparently two,
but one in soul,
you and I.

We feel the flowing water of life here,
you and I,
with the garden's beauty
and the birds singing.

The stars will be watching us,
and we will show them
what it is to be a thin crescent moon.

You and I, unselfed,
will be together,
indifferent to idle speculation,
you and I.

The parrots of heaven will be cracking sugar
as we laugh together,
you and I.
In one form upon this earth,
and in another form in a timeless sweet land.

(Rumi)

Precepts Weekend in Leicester, Jan 2010

2009-09-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

Peacemaking in an Interconnected World

‘Buddhist Ethics for Healing Self and Society’

A Two-Day Workshop with Swiss Peace Activist and Zen Buddhist Preceptor, Barbara Salaam Wegmueller

'Eco House', Leicester - Sat 9th and Sun 10th January 2010, 11am-4pm

Buddhist philosophy teaches that everyone and everything is interconnected, that each action we make has infinite consequences that ripple out across the great network of life, brining happiness and suffering to ourselves and others. From the earliest days of the Buddha in India, up to today’s great teachers, Buddhism has taught ethical guidelines useful for everyone who wants to lead a life of less harm, who want to heal themselves and their environment. This weekend workshop will explore one version of Buddhist ethics- the ‘Sixteen Zen Precepts’ used by the Zen Peacemakers Tradition for socially engaged work around the world.

Barbara Wegmueller is a Preceptor (ethical teacher) in the Zen Peacemakers lineage of Roshi Bernie Glassman. For many years she has helped coordinate an annual multi-faith healing retreat in the grounds of the former prison camp in Auschwitz, she’s taken part in peace initiatives in the Middle East and Europe, and is currently helping to set up a residential house in Switzerland that will serve deprived communities using Zen principles. She’s also a mother of five, a grandmother, and a wife, and is a great example for how Buddhist ethics can be applied in regular family life.

New Website!

2009-08-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

We now have a new website for UK Great Heart Community and Zen Peacemakers events:

www.greatheartsociety.org

Upcoming events will be posted there as well as here from now on, though this blog will still be the place where we record accounts of events that have happened...

We're going to start using the name "Great Heart Society" now for the overall actvities in the UK- then the Manchester events will be called 'Great Heart Zendo' and the weekly meetings 'Great Heart Circle' and so on.

Take care,

Zang
28/8/09

Listening as a Spiritual Practice- Manchester Training Day 13th Sept 2009

2009-08-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

The Manchester Great Heart Zendo would like to invite you to a Zen Peacemakers Day of Reflection on Sunday 13th September 2009 at Howard Bamforth's house in Withington, South Manchester.

This will be an open training day, suitable for beginners and more experienced people alike, and anyone is welcome to attend.

Guests are welcome to start arriving from 9am onwards for coffee and a chat, and we aim to start the formal programme at 10am. The day will be held in friendly silence to help deepen our presence and non-verbal communication, except where talking is really necessary. There will be a shared lunch, and we aim to finish about 5pm.

The theme of the day will be Listening as a Spiritual Practice. We will learn and practice silent Zen meditation together; Howard will give a presentation on his own practice of listening to classical music and let us listen to some; Zang will give a presentation on listening to the Heart, drawing on both Buddhist and Sufi teaching; and we will explore listening to each other using the Council Circle process, similar to the Native Americans.

As usual the day will be offered for free, but donations are very welcome and much appreciated. We would suggest a donation of £10 for the day, but this is entirely up to you, and if you can't afford this then your company itself will be a donation to everyone.

If you'd like to come, let me know. You're welcome to invite other people too, as long as they all arrive ready to start at 10am and are able to stay the whole day.

Many blessings to everyone,

Chris Zang Starbuck
UK Zen Peacemakers
and Great Heart Zendo
www.ukzenpeacemakers.blogspot.com
www.zenpeacemakers.org

Leicester ZP Social Action Project to Begin!

2009-07-31T13:34:00.001-07:00

The UK Zen Peacemakers are going to begin a socially enagaged project in Leicester.

We intend to invite people interersted in Zen training and in social action to come together as a circle and create together a project active with a socially-deprived commuunity in Leicester. The circle will plan the project together, first debating which community to work with- perhaps the elderly, children in poverty, asylum seekers etc, and then will put the plan into action, using the skills and efforts of all those willing and able. At the same time, the circle will train in Zen Peacemaker practices- Zazen, the 5 Buddha Energies, supportive liturgy, so that our work together will be grounded in a vision and embodiment of the Unity and Interconnectedness of all Life.

If you're interested in getting involved, making suggestions or simply knowing more about it, then contact Chris Zang Starbuck at willowtreeblues@gmail.com

Multi Faith In Leicester College

2009-07-08T03:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Zang was invited to act as stand-in Faith Amabassador for Buddhism for Leicester College for a staff-enrichment event- standing in for Kaspalita from the Amida Trust, who's on retreat. The college inclusion organiser had arranged a "multi-faith speed dating" session, where amabassadors from several major religions sit in a circle, and members of staff could spend 5-10 minutes with each asking any questions before the bell rings and they move onto the next faith ambassador. There were representatives from Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam, Baha'i Faith, Hinduism, Humanism and Secularism.

It was an enjoyable event, with good connections made between people, and poosibilities for more multi-faith work together in the future.

Meditation Weekend, Manchester 26th-28th June

2009-06-28T16:21:00.001-07:00

This weekend, Roland Yakushi Wegmueller came over from Switzerland to lead a weekend meditation retreat in Howard's house in Manchester. He arrived Thursday evening, and spent Friday with Howard visiting a BBC Radio Orchestra concert. The retreat itself began on Friday evening: a small gathering of Roland, Howard, Ben, and Zang, joined for while by Simon. On Saturday, Joy also joined us all day.

We did a lot of zazen and kinhin (walking meditation), in sessions of an hour-and-a-half each time, repeated throughout the days. Roland brought a koan for us to discuss together as a group: the meeting of Bodhidharma and the Second Patriarch, who chops off his arm and asks for teaching!
We reflected on what this means in our own lives- for example, in what ways do we too "chop off our arm" in search of something?

As always in Howard's we had wonderful meals, good fun, and this time also some great chanting of the Kannon invocation, ending with a loud roaring "Mooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"

Good company and intensity of practice for everyone!

Multi Faith Peace Action Network, Sat 30th May

2009-06-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

We held a Multi Faith Peace Action Network meeting in the evening of Sat 30th, again jointly arranged by Manchester Zen Peacemakers and Manchester Soka Gakkai members. The theme was Nelson Mandela, and we used reflection on his life as the basis for a discussion of our own lives.

Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle, Sat 30th May

2009-05-31T02:48:00.000-07:00

We held the Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle in Howard's house again this month, an international gathering of English, Germans, Spanish and French! We began with a guided relaxation and a check-in circle to catch up with how we all were, then Dannie led a study seminar on the introduction and first chapter of Bernie Glassman's book 'Infinite Circle', a commentary on the Buddhist "Heart Sutra" scripture from a Zen perspective. We've collectively chosen to study this book together so we all have a shared language in the group, since we're not all from a Zen or even Buddhist background.

We had a wonderful shared meal as always together, then had a period of mindfulness meditation and some zazen mediation. John then gave a talk on a form of Christian meditation called the "Jesus Prayer", a very old practice coming from the Eastern Orthodox Church, and he led a short period of practicing this together too.

We held the final Council Circle outside in the sunshine on the grass, and then were entertained by impromptu music and singing. It was a very enjoyable day, and as usual full of the unexpected!

Weekend Meditation Retreat 26th-28th June, with Roland Yakushi Wegmueller

2009-05-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

We're pleased to let you all know that Roland Wegmueller from Switzerland will be coming to lead a meditation retreat in Manchester from Friday evening on 26th June till the afternoon of Sunday 28th.

Roland is a Zen Preceptor and Dharma Holder in the Zen Peacemakers lineage of Bernie Glassman and Taizan Maezumi Roshi. He began his spiritual career whilst leading an immunisation program in Africa- the locals invited him to train as a native West African shamanic healer. Returning to Europe he trained together with his wife in the Sufi lineage of Irene Tweedie, before meeting Bernie Glassman on one of the early Zen Peacemakers Auschwitz retreats. He has been a personal student of Bernie now for many years, learning especially the Peacemaker Circle approach to Zen, and studies Zen koans with Genro Sensei, another of Bernie's senior students. Roland has been involved with organising the multi-faith Auschwitz retreats for many years now, and is currently involved in taking the Auschwitz retreat peacemaking model to Rwanda.

The Manchester weekend will focus on silent meditation, with possibly some work on koans together as a group. It's open to anyone interested, as long as you would feel comfortable doing sessions of 30-40 mins seated meditation- if you have any questions about this speak to us before hand and we can let you know what to expect more fully!

The weekend will be run on a donation basis, so please come whatever you feel you can afford. We would recommend between £20-30, but less or more are perfectly acceptable. We'll use the donations to try to cover Roland's travel costs from Switzerland, so please give generously!

If you're interested, call 0797 215 2148 or email greatheartzendo@googlemail.com

Leicester Zen Peacemaker activities get going!

2009-04-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

We've started to hold regular trainings in Zen and Buddhist meditation in Leicester now, inviting people to Zang and Laura's bungalow in Glenfield for individual or group practice. Monday nights will be a weekly Great Heart Circle similar to Manchester's last year. Starting at 7.30 each week, people are invited to share in relaxation, Zen meditation, simple movement exercises and a weekly mini-feast to end!

The first weekly meeting was tonight (Monday 6th April) and began in a good spirit with friendly, warm-hearted people coming along for the first time. I hope this will be the beginning of a creative and supportive Zen community here in Leicester, to link with the ones growing in Manchester and Leeds.

Multi-Faith Peace Action Network Meeting in Chorlton, Sun 5th April 2009

2009-04-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

On Sunday in Tim's house in Chorlton, Manchester, we held the third multi-faith peacemaker circle, now titled the 'Multi Faith Peace Action Network'. Representatives from three different Buddhist traditions were present- Nicherien, Zen and Theravadin, plus an Anglican Christian vicar and a Roman Catholic.

John and Frankie had prepared an excellent and thoughtful presentation on Martin Luther King Jr to mark the anniversary of his death, and we had a discussion following this. Then we held a Council Circle as used often in Zen Peacemakers meetings, which was much appreciated by all I think, giving the opportunity to speak deeply from the heart.

The next meeting will be 7-8.30pm on Saturday 30th May, to be held in Withington in Howard Bamforth's house following the Zen Peacemaker Circle the same day.

Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle, April 4th 2009

2009-04-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

We had a Peacemaker Circle meeting in Howard's house on Saturday. Howard, John, Dannie, Bea, Suleyman, Simon and Zang were present. By popular demand we began with guided relaxation meditation as used in the weekly Great Heart Circle group followed by a short checking-in council circle. Then John gave an excellent presentation on Martin Luther King Jr, heped by Simon and Bea. This prompted lively discussion!

After a shared lunch, we had a session of Zazen, followed by listening to a recording by Marsall Rosenberg, founder of Non Violent Communication, explaining the outlines of his approach to conflict resolution. This also prompted lively discussion!

We finished with a final council circle and arranged the date for the next meeting as Sat 30th May, to be held in Howard's once again...

Quaker Weekend on Peace and Justice, 20th-22nd March

2009-03-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

From Zang:

This weekend I was invited as one of three guest speakers at the annual Quaker Universalist Group conference. It was held in the beautiful Roman Catholic pastoral centre, Hinsley Hall, just outside Leeds city centre, and was attended by about 45 people from all over the country- mostly Quakers or regular attenders at Quaker meetings.

The theme of the weekend was "The Roots of Peace and Justice", and I led a theatre-based workshop based on the techniques of South American activist/director Augusto Boal. The aim was to allow people to explore their sense of injustice and peaceful solutions in an intuitive and physical way, to compliment the excellent conceptual ideas presented by the two other speakers (Prof David Cadman and Prof Joseph Milne). We used a sequence of exercises learning to "sculpt" another person's body into an image of "peace", "violence" and "injustice", and then in larger groups we created bigger images that allowed people to explore their collective sense of injustice and peace, bringing their own ideas together. In the end we created large images of injustice, then found ways of opening them outward smoothly into new images of peace/justice/harmony. This gives a sense of how peace can be found within the very movement and shapes of injustice- to create peace we begin by looking at the ingredients of the situation which are actually there, rather than beginning with a Utopian idea of what peace should be like.

We ended by using a couple of Sufi circle exercises as a whole group, letting go of images and just entering into shared presence together, chanting the Arabic sounds "Hu" and "La illaha ilallah". I hope this brought people together in the end, after the challenge of creating the physical images, into a sense of what in Zen we sometimes call the "One Body". As the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The People of Faith are like one body- when one part experiences illness, the whole body feels the pain". I hope the workshop in some small way gave a sense that peace and justice are found in recognising our being 'one body' all together, and in making the one body whole and health we restore what may be thought of as 'justice' to all of the parts which make the whole.

Leeds Zen Peacemaker Circle, Sat 14th March 2009

2009-03-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

This is a rough report of the basic outlines of what we discussed and what we would like our next steps to be at the next meeting.

We met at Anna's. Many thanks for her kind hospitality and lovely coffee and herbal teas and fruits and nuts.

We first of all had a quick check in.

We then had a discussion on whether we should have set practises or not looking at the advantages and disadvantages of this or a more spontaneous approach. I won't give an account of the discussion because I haven't checked whether this is ok or not but we decided that at the end of each circle we would decide what practise we would do next time around and we decided this time that Anna would lead a "mystery" meditation ! I think we also decided that we'd do nembutsu at the next circle too (I could be wrong about that but I hope we do !)

We then had a discussion around the subject of "intention" (again I won't go into the discussion) and we decided at the next circle we'd like to watch "The Secret" DVD so we could look further into different ideas and views around "intention". We decided we would remember each circle member in this week's meditation and our intention would be to send good wishes to each person (and include Zang too please) and see if this affected our week in any way. We also decided to ring each other more and stop being anti-social (especially me !)

We then looked at different types of circle (re: Barbara's handouts) and decided we'd like to look at the dream circle in future.

We want regular meetings. I have talked to Phillippa and one Saturday a month is cool for me to come guys but I'm wondering if we could have a saturday say a fortnight after so Phillippa can come ? I've also asked Zang when he can come and I'm seeing him next weekend - he's coming to Leeds. Maybe he's up for seeing Kim, Anna and Phillippa too ?He's giving a talk at a Quaker conference (I hope I got that right).

We discussed then whether we wanted open circles - open to the public or people we know and feel would benefit as well as enrich our circle - or whether we wanted them closed.We decided we'd like to invite people we think would benefit. Anna is to approach a friend.

We also discussed the idea of whether or not we wanted to do public Zen peacemaker meditation classes and the idea isn't yet a reality but people might be interested in the future. I'm going to investigate community centres but I'm not in a rush. I have alot on.

I asked Anna and Kim if they wanted to support a multi-cultural music initiative and they might be interested ? I think since I raised this that I want to go ahead but under the "Mythos" banner as that has a history of people attending. My idea now is to invite speakers in the afternoon from interfaith, faith groups on the theme of "spirituality and community " I'd like to speak on the Zen peacemaker vision and draw inspiration from FWBO community/society teachings. In the evening I'd like music from a sikh sitar and female vocalist group, the Irish group Ylem and the Georgian choir (and I might invite Rockadile for a laugh ! The presence of fool energy might be required too ! )

I hope this summarises everything ! If I've forgotten anything please could you let me know ?

And I hope everyone is well and happy and inspired ! Or creative amidst pain ! I'm more the latter !

Love

Suleyman/Shinchi Daishin/Steve

Multi-Faith Circle, 22nd Feb 2009

2009-03-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

We had the second multi-faith meeting arranged jointly with the Zen Peacemakers and local members of Soka Gakkai (Nicherien tradition of Buddhism) It was a very friendly and constructive meeting, mostly focussing on plans for a full meeting to be held on April 5th, to which we'll invite new people. The plan is to invite people from different spiritual and religious backgrounds to dialogue about practical means for peacemaking in society. Since it's the weekend of Martin Luther King's anniversary in April, we'll have some readings and reflection about him too.

Leeds Zen Peacemaker Circle, Sat 21st Feb

2009-02-24T11:06:00.000-08:00

There was a small Zen Peacemaker Circle held in Leeds on Saturday at Anna's house, studying the material brought by Barbara Wegmueller on her visit in Deceember. Another Circle is planned for March, and possible themes are: further study of Barbara's material, the place of inspiration and faith in spiritual practice, and different types of "council circles".

Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle, Sat 21st Feb

2009-02-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we held a Zen Peacemaker circle in Howard's house in Withington, attended by Howard, John, Dannie, Eva, Barbara, Simon and Zang. It was the first full Circle meting for several months, and half the people there had never been to a meeting with this approach before.

We started with an introduction to the Zen Peacemakers and a checking-in council circle, and then Zang led an introduction to Zazen using short periods of meditation. We had a shared feast together for lunch, and then in the afternoon we used sociocratic voting to select a book to study in the next few meetings. The choices ranged for Tolstoy to Christian Zen to Non-Violent Communication- in the end, we decided to study Bernie Glassman's 'Infinite Circle' together to build a shared perspective on Zen practice, and also decided to do more practical training together in Non-Violent Communication.

The next Circle will be on Saturday 4th April from 11.30am-6pm in Howard's again.

Upcoming Events for 2009

2009-01-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

This coming year we hope to have a wide range of events for the UK Zen Peacemakers. There will be Zen Peacemaker Circle meetings in Manchester and Leeds, informal meditation group meetings in Manchester, regular Zen training in Leicester and a range of one-off events. we hope to hold workshops at least on Non-Violent Communication, Persian Drumming, Western Spiritual Philosophers, and our annual Celebration of the Sufi mystic Jelaluddin Rumi.

We will also be offering a series of weekend workshops taught by visiting Zen teachers! this include:

Barbara Wegmueller, who some of you will know already. She's a Zen teacher, a Buddhist preceptor, a peace activist, and European Coordinator for the Circle approach to Zen practice. She'll be coming to lead a workshop on the '5 Buddha Energies'- a way of looking at the aspects of your life and personality and bringing them into wholeness.

Roland Wegmueller, Barbara's husband, who most of you haven't met. He's also a zen teacher, and a GP in Switzerland. His early training was in Shamanism- whilst admistering a vaccination program in West Africa he was trained by local healers and fully qualified as a traditional shamansitic healer. He followed this by many years of Sufi meditation practice in the lineage of Irene Tweedie. He's now a Zen teacher and preceptor with together his wife. He will be coming to lead a Zen Sesshin (meditation retreat) for us.

Father Patrick Eastman is a Catholic priest and zen teacher who lives near Bath. He's a student of Roshi Robert Kennedy, a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist who's one of the senior teachers in the White Plum lineage of Taizan Maezumi Roshi. Father Eastman teaches a community called the Wild Goose Sangha, and he'll be coming to lead a workshop on Zen for us.

Finally, later in the year, we hope to have a workshop led by Sensei Paul Genki Kahn. Sensei Genki is Bernie Glassman's appointed successor to lead the international Zen Peacemakers community. He has 40 years experience of Zen practice, leading socially-engaged projects, and he's also a yoga teacher. He'll be leading Zen training with us.

Rumi Celebration in Manchester 17th December 2008

2008-12-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

Last night we held our annual celebration of the Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi, to coincide with the day he died in 1273, known as his 'Wedding Night', his reunion with the Beloved.

We had an intimate evening of poetry, movement, Arabic chanting and singing and ended once again with a rich table of food brought by everyone who came. It was an evening influenced less by our usual Zen Buddhist roots, and much more by the sounds and spirit of Islam, as expressed in the spirit of Rumi and Sufism. As the Prophet Muhammad, blessings upon him, conveyed: "God is Beauty and loves what is Beautiful".

Hopefully our evening together brought some of our beautiful human qualities to life for each other....

Leeds Zen Peacemaker Circle, 16th Dec 2008

2008-12-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

Following the Leeds ZP Circle on Tuesday, here is a summary of events by Steve Shinchi Daishin...

Sadly I was ill and missed some of the meeting but here is an account of what I recorded. Maybe someone else could report in on the theatre ideas I missed ?

We each drew up a mandala of the five Buddhas and decided to allocate our vision for the Circle to the relevant buddha family. We felt initially that meditation ideas should be designated to the Buddha Amitabha Padma family. However, Zang wondered about this and said that he wondered why we were allocating it to Amitabha when usually it is aligned with Vairocana Cosmic Buddha. Meditation does have a Padma quality in so far as it reveals aspects of our spiritual practise and how they relate to each person in the Circle; also the brahma viharas or 4 immeasurables are representative of this connectivity because of the interface between the meditator and the world. (Padma is equated with connectivity and community) but Vairochana is obviously more a meditative deity - coming from the Absolute which meditation tries to express.

The circle felt that we could do day workshops and retreats on meditation. Shinchi Daishin offered to lead mahamudra/heart type formless practise. Phillippa wanted us to meditate outside in better weather. Zang said he'd lead zazen. Kim said he could offer more of the nembutsu chanting from the Pure Land tradition. We felt sure in Anna's absence that we could ask her to do more Nityananda meditation.

Other Circle events could include Counting Your Blessings (Kim's suggestion) and walking meditation (Kim)

Phillippa wondered if we could explore christian contemplative practises, Zang suggested she look into Robert Eastwood and Wild Goose Sangha. Zang suggested we could explore our christian roots.

Then we explored Amoghasiddhi's action family. Amoghahsiddhi represents spontaneous compassionate activity. Shinchi said he wanted to build on his interfaith work, and the LS6 community arts scene and lead a Meditation 4 Mental Health in the new year with Leeds Survivors Poetry. Kim and Zang spoke of supporting asylum seekers. Zang is supporting an asylum seeker called Fatamuta and we spoke of how we could support her. Zang is to said details to each of us so we can write letters asking for her stay. Kim says we can do support work of this kind at the Common Place in Leeds. Phillippa drew attention to a church in Burley that offer asylum work and it was suggested that maybe we could forge links with them ? Shinchi felt that it was important for him to keep aware of the spiritual basis of engaged social outreach and to communicate this in Circle.

There was then a discussion on ensuring that we ask for and receive support within the Circle. Shinchi is having a difficult time at the moment with what appears to be either a infection, or muscle problem as well as panic attacks (it doesn't seem likely that there is a cardiac problem as was orginally thought). He'd appreciate people staying in touch but finds it difficult to identify what is needed from other people.

We have still to explore the Training/Akshobya principle, the Amitabha community connectivity family and the Ratnasambhava resources family. We need to identify what we want to do as a priority at the next meeting (which are suggested as being fortnightly). Does someone want to lead a meditation or chanting ? Shall we go onto the rest of the buddha family and explore our vision for the Circle ? Does someone else want to facilitate the Circle ? Maybe Anna or Kim or Phillippa ? It might be a good skill to learn and offer new opportunities of understanding the Circle ? Zang and myself have done this a fair bit now (Zang obviously much more than myself)

Take care - have a lovely solstice/xmas/happy new year - it would be good to see you guys over the next few weeks ?

with much love

Shinchi Daishin

p.s. While Shinchi wasn't with us, we discussed the possibility of Phillippa leading a workshop on internet web design and creation for us all, and we talked also about the possibilty of street theatre, comedy and mumming plays. Zang

Invitation to Rumi, Wed 17th Dec!

2008-12-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

At 7.30pm on Wednesday 17th December 2008 we'll be holding our annual celebration of the spirit and teachings of Jelaluddin Rumi, the great Islamic mystic and poet who died on this day in 1273. Rumi is known for the universality of his love and the depth of his appreciation for the mystery of being Human and Conscious...

We are grateful to all those who have kept Rumi's love alive throughout seven centuries of this world, for all the Whirling Dervishes who turn within the turning world within the still heart of Truth. The photo here is of Suleyman Hayati Dede, the beautiful dervish who kept Rumi's lineage alive during the years of persecution in Turkey in the 20th Century, and who kindly journeyed to the West to share his heart with everyone...

Everyone is welcome at Howard's house in Withington for our feast of love!

Ya Hazrati Mevlana, Haqq Dost!

Refuge Ceremony in Manchester, 7th Dec 2008

2008-12-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

On Sunday 7th December in Howard's house in Manchester, Barbara Salaam Wegmueller and her husband Roland Yakushi Wegmueller performed the first European Jukai Ceremony, transmitting the Zen Peacemaker Refuges and Precepts to Steve Suleyman Hart and Christopher Zangtsal Starbuck.

The Refuges and Precepts of the Zen Peacemakers come from the Soto Zen lineage, brought to the West by Taizan Maezumi Roshi from Japan and adapted by Bernie Glassman for our Dharma family. This is the 84th generation in our line of Buddhist practitioners since the time of Shakymuni Buddha in India who started it all!

Our ceremony was witnessed by Dene Donalds who served in the role of Elder. Dene is a member of the Order of Interbeing created by Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh - it's wonderful to have been blessed with this link between our two socially engaged Buddhist traditions.

Steve was given the new Dharma name "Shinchi Daishin" in Japanese, meaning "Deep Wisdom Great Heart", and Zang was given a Dharma name in Bernese Swiss German- "Strahlend's Firnliecht", meaning "Shining Mountain Beacon".

Barbara Salaam Wegmueller in Leeds and Manchester

2008-12-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

On 3rd and 4th Dec in Leeds, Barbara Salaam Wegmueller from Switzerland taught a Circle Steward Training for the Zen Peacemakers. Steve, Phillippa, Anna, Kim, Laura and Zang took part, and were trained in Council Circle, Sociocratic voting, the Three Peacemaker Tenets and community building. The first day was held in Steve's house in Rothwell, and the second day in Anna's atmospheric front room in Leeds!

On 5th and 6th in Manchester Barbara went on to lead a Zen Precepts training for Zang, Howard, Steve and Simon. We explored the 16 Zen Peacemaker Precepts, selecting ones of special interest and reflecting on our own experience of them through Council Circle. We also did zazen together and had a lot of fun!

On the evening of Friday 5th Barbara taught at the final Great Heart Circle of the year, watching a short film on an artist who is a survivor of the Auschwitz prison camps. She told the group about plans to extend the annual Zen Peacemakers' Auschwitz healing retreat to Rwanda in the next couple of years, and we held a Council Circle on our own pain and healing. As usual, we ended with a big feast with food brought by everyone...

Phillippa in Leeds to be our Story Collector!

2008-12-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

Barbara Wegmueller has asked Phillippa from the Leeds Zen Peacemaker Circle to act as our national "Story Collector"! What that means is that, any interesting, important or funny news from the UK communities can be sent to her, and she'll write them up to be passed on to the wider Zen Peacemakers in Europe. In turn, Clemens in Switzerland is going to collect all the stories from countries in Europe and send them to Ken in New York! Ken in New York will compile them all a few times each year and send out an international e-newsletter with human-interest stories from the whole Zen Peacemaker world...

So, send anything you want shared to Phillippa at: parris258@yahoo.co.uk !! I think it very likely that we'll also put together a UK stories newsletter too for more in depth UK gossip... (oops, I mean 'serious spiritual information'!)

Meeting with Soka Gakkai, 14th Nov 2008

2008-11-17T11:27:00.000-08:00

We had an initial meeting last Thursday with a couple of local representatives of Soka Gakkai International, the Nicherien Buddhist community very much engaged with applying spiritual practice in daily life and calling for world peace. We had a fascinating discussion about the value of dialogue in the SGI and the Zen Peacemakers, and are discussing creating a joint dialogue project next year- inviting members of the public to discussion circles where we explore important areas of peacemaking and learn to listen to all the voices involved! More news on this if and when it develops...

Leeds Peacemaker Circle, 11th October

2008-10-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

The second Leeds Zen Peacemaker Circle was held at Anna's house again on Sat 11th October. It was an afternoon of lots of meditation practice, plus a Council Circle.

The scene was set by Kim leading a Pure Land session. He spoke first about the nature and history of Pure Land Buddhism, especially in Japan, and then we did some practice based on the English 'Amida Trust' approach. We set up a shrine to Amitabha, then we circumambulated chanting "Namo Amida Bu" and "Namo Amitabha", and sat in quiet for a while too.

Zang then facilitated an approach to Zazen-style meditation. First, we sat in a comfortable posture for 5 minutes, trying to find a sense of stability and comfort and pleasure in sitting and having time for ourselves in this way. Next, we sat in full Zazen posture, hands in cosmic mudra, listening to some Japanese flute music- the point of this was to try to 'tune' your body to the sound and the stillness, so you physically became one with the sound. In the third exercise we sat comfortably again, and repeatedly dropped the question "Who am I?" into the depth of our being, listening without judgement to any responses that arise, and returning over and over to the question. Finally, we sat for a period of Zazen, trying to bring the understanding from these 3 exercises into the practice.

Steve Suleyman led a fascinating practice from Tsultrim Allione called 'Feeding Your Demons'. This involved visualising a problem or anxiety we felt within ourself as a manifest 'demon', imagining what it looks like, and entering into dialogue with it! At one part in the exercise we exchanged places with the demon, and imagine ourself as it looking at ourself from its point of view! At the end we transformed ourself into nourishing, healing light and fed ourself to the demon! This is a practice based on an old Tibetan one called "Chod", where yogis would wander around graveyards and spooky places, invite all the demons to come, and then visualise chopping up their body and offering it to them. It was created by a great female teacher in the middle ages called Machig Lapdron. Steve was taught it by Barbara Wegmueller, who learned it from Tsultrim Allione- Tsultrim has been recognised by Tibetans as an "emanation" of Machig Lapdron. So the teaching comes straight from the breath of the dakini (goddess) so to speak!

Finally we ended with Hindu meditation again, from Anna's teacher Nitchyannada. We listened to a 45 minute recording guiding us through stages of relaxation, breathing, chakra work, silence, and listening to mantras being chanted.

The next Leeds Circle is likely to have the theme of "Pain"- how we relate to it/work with it etc. in life and spiritual practice.... Date and time to be announced.

Upcoming Leeds Circle

2008-09-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

The second Leeds Zen Peacemaker Circle will be held on Sat 11th October, from 12pm-5pm at Anna's house. Reflecting the varied background of the participants, this Circle will be focussing on the range of meditation practices we all do. So we will have Hindu meditation, Zazen, Tibetan and Pure Land! It should be a very meditative afternoon. There'll also be a Council Circle. If you're interested in coming along, call Steve Hart (steward) on 0113 2059412 or email greatheartzendo@googlemail.com

First Leeds Zen Peacemaker Circle, Sat 30th August

2008-09-03T12:31:00.001-07:00

The first Leeds Zen Peacemaker circle took place on Saturday. Three people were present- Steve (Steward and Facilitator), Anna and Zang. The meeting took place in Anna's house and was a very open-hearted, honest coming together. Steve introduced the idea of the Circles, and we had several different activities- Council Circle, a session of Hindu meditation, and Zazen. We used some animal 'medicine cards' to stimulate discussion about our own life and experience at the moment, and ended with a walk to an early-medieval church and graveyard, where we concluded the meeting with a checking-out circle and a dedication. It was a great beginning, which hopefully has planted a good seed for the future!

Guest teachers from the Baha'i Faith

2008-09-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

On Friday 29th August we were delighted to have a guest talk in our weekly Great Heart Community group by a couple of speakers from the Baha'i faith, Chris Oak and Grace Odeny. Howard had met Chris by chance through a Baha'i plummer- he was in Manchester for two weeks training in giving introductions to their religion. Grace, from Kenya, has come to Manchester for a year to act as steward of the local Baha'i centre as a form of service.

They gave a very full introduction to the history and outlook of the Bahais, and we were all really taken with their warmth of spirit.

Barbara's Visit, 22nd August 2008

2008-08-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

Happiness is to reach

the next post every day

like flowing water

free from stillness

and melancholy

yesterday is gone and

took away its tale

today we must live

a fresh story again

Rumi

Barbara Wegmueller, Zen Buddhist Preceptor and senior representative of Roshi Bernie Glassman's vision, visited our Friday night Great Heart Community meeting on 22nd August. It was a delightful and vibrant evening, in which we shared meditation and a mini feast, and Barbara talked about her own life and practice.

She talked about her background in the Sufi lineage of Irene Tweedie, and then how on meeting Zen master Bernie Glassman she felt him to be her Sufi teacher! Together with her husband Roland she joined and later helped coordinate the annual Bearing Witness retreats in Auschwitz, and became part of Bernie's experimental study circle in Paris. They would all get together several times a year, and studied the chapters of his book "Infinite Circle" as he wrote each one.

She talked about the unusual approach to study they took! They spoke of their responses to the chapters from 3 personas... First, their own impressions. Second, Bernie gave them one of the Buddha Families to represent, corresponding to their personality type, and they had to talk from the enlightened and the neurotic aspects of this! Finally, they had to choose a figure from the past or present who inspires them, and talk from that perspective too... Barbara chose a medieval Kashmiri wandering naked mystic-poet woman called "Lalla"!

Barbara also visited Steve Suleyman Hart in Leeds to discuss his ideas for the new Leeds Zen Peacemaker Circle and continue Precept studies with him and Zang.

Zen Peacemaker Circle, Saturday August 2nd

2008-08-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

This month's Zen Peacemaker Circle was held in Howard's music room on Saturday afternoon from 1 pm till 4.30pm. John, Howard, Steve, Zang, Kim and Milan were present. After introductions, we read a piece on Zen training by Maezumi Roshi together, sat in silence, and held a Council Circle to present ideas for developing practice in the circle. After a break, we then read the chapter on Bearing Witness from Bernie Glassman's book of the same name, and had a frank discussion. It's likely that starting next month will will have two Circles- one in Manchester and one in Leeds, which can then develop in their own ways and interact with each other to stimulate, challenge and inspire...

Multi-faith in Manchester!

2008-08-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

At the weekly Great Heart Circle meeting last Friday we had a rare and unexpected event! Steve Hart, steward of the new Leeds Zen Peacemaker Circle, was offered initiation into the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order (http://www.nurashkijerrahi.org/) who are closely connected to the Zen Peacemakers. We were asked to perform the ceremony, known as "taking hand" here in Manchester, so we held it at the end after zazen and listening to some beautiful Bach music. Then we held our usual feast to end the evening! Steve was given the Sufi name 'Suleyman'- the Islamic form of the name Soloman, the Wise prophet and king!

Weekly Great Heart Circle drop-in sessions now every Friday

2008-07-10T16:50:00.001-07:00

The weekly Great Heart Circle drop-in meditation sessions are going to be on Fridays now for the foreseeable future, still in Howard's beautiful music room in his house in Withington, South Manchester. Phone 0797 2152148 for more details or email: greatheartzendo@gmail.com Arrive 7.15pm to start 7.30, finish around 10pm. £5/3 suggested donation. Please bring a little vegetarian food to share in our mini-feasts at the end!

Barbara Wegmueller coming to UK in December!

2008-07-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

Barbara Wegmueller is the main coordinator of the Zen Peacemaker Circles in Europe, and a Preceptor in the Buddhist tradition coming down via Bernie Glassman and Taizan Maezumi Roshi, through two thousand years of Indian, Chinese and Japanese preceptors, all the way back to the Buddha himself.

She's coming to teach in the UK for the first week in December- Wed and Thursday will be a 2 day Steward Training event- it's open to all, and anyone who takes part will then be qualified to set up a new Zen Peacemaker Circle or be democratically voted in as Steward of an existing one.

Then on Fri and Sat she'll be leading an event on the Buddhist ethical precepts, especially from a peacemaking perspective, and sitting in zen meditation.

Sunday will be a "Jukai" ceremony for those studying with her- passing on the Buddhist "Refuges and Precepts".

More details to be posted soon!

Zen Peacemaker Circle, Sat 5th July

2008-07-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

We had a small Zen Peacemaker Circle on Saturday afternoon, on the theme of looking back over the past year of circle meetings. Howard, Stacie, Steve, Sarah and Zang were present, and the circle was held in Zang's flat in Manchester city centre.

We practiced a forgiveness meditation together using a recording by the Buddhist vipassana teacher Jack Kornfield, and discussed a little what forgiveness means to us. Steve led a meditation on "heart wish" - linking into a sense of what you really want in your life, then resting in that sense within your heart. We held a Council Circle on the past year, going round once to discuss things we've enjoyed, and once to look at things we've not been so happy about.

Then we studied the last chapter of Bernie Glassman's book "Infinite Circle", about the Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers that he created to help people see how to take Zen practice into social action; and about the practice of "no separation", seeing all of life as yourself and doing what you can to take care of it all.

We finished by learning to sing together a verse offering to feed all hungry spirits in the world, composed for the Peacemakers by the Hindu devotional singer Krishna Das!

Another Circle will be held quite soon, to discuss plans for the second year...

Weekly Great Heart Circle gets going!

2008-06-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Our new weekly drop-in meditation group, the Great Heart Circle, has been going for nearly four weeks now! It's an experimental group in the Zen Peacemakers tradition, exploring our individual and collective living presence. We use Zazen, Buddhist chanting, relaxation and guided mindfulness meditations, partner exercises from theatre training, and study material from the Zen Peacemakers lineage. At the moment we're reading chapters of Bernie Glassman's book "Bearing Witness". We also use some ideas and physical movements from the Islamic sufi tradition, drawing on the Peacemakers' connection with the Jerrahi lineage and Zang's links with the Whirling Dervishes.

The meeting is sometimes Fridays, sometimes Thursdays, held once again in Howard's beautiful music room in Withington, South Manchester. Anyone is welcome! Full support will be offered to anyone who wants to establish a regular meditation practice and/or study more fully in the Zen Peacemakers lineage.

Barbara and Roland are now Buddhist Preceptors

2008-05-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

I'm very pleased to announce that Barbara and Roland Wegmueller, coordinators of the Zen Peacemaker Circles in Europe and Dharmaholders from Bernie Glassman, were officially made Buddhist Preceptors by Sensei Eve Myonen Marko from Montague Farm Zendo in the US. The ceremony was witnessed by Catherine Genno Pages, a Roshi in the White Plum lineage who teaches in Paris. It took place in Switzerland on Saturday 10th May 2008.

This is great news, it means that anyone who wishes to "take/receive the Refuges and Precepts"- ie. become a Buddhist/ connect more directly to the Zen Peacemakers lineage coming down through Maezumi Roshi and Roshi Bernie all the way from Dogen and back to Shakyamuni Buddha, may study with Barbara and Roland and ask to do so. If anyone is interested in doing this, please let me know and I'll put you in touch with them- or you can email them directly (barbara@peacemakercirle.org)

How wonderful that the Buddhadharma continues to shine throughout the many worlds- may it bring healing to all those who suffer!

With love,

Zang

Zen Peacemaker Circle meeting, Sunday 11th May 2008

2008-05-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

Today's circle was held in Kaite's house for the first time, and she proved an excellent hostess, preparing a buffet lunch and cooked dinner, with wonderful home-made food and cake!

We started at 11am with a checking-in circle, then practiced 20 mins of silent meditation- this time in the manner of Tibetan Mahamudra style shi-ne, rather than formal Zazen, which fitted the beautiful blue sky and sunny morning well!

Kaite then took us on a tour of nearly places where gangs hang out and leave a lot of litter in the neighbourhood. We picked up the rubbish and cleaned the gardens up, it looked so much better at the end. She's been doing a lot of community gardening in Newton Heath, and we hope to help her with this regularly in future...

Trevor gave a talk about Dyslexia and ADD, and showed us a dvd of a technique for helping dyslexic children using bouncing balls like juggling, improving eye coordination, balance, hearing rhythms and self-confidence.

After lunch, we did a little Zazen, and then John gave a presentation on the Japanese Pure Land tradition, including leading us in some ritual and chanting the Nembutsu for Amitabha Buddha. He explained how in some schools you chant not to gain entry to Sukhavati, but in gratitude that for being accepted by Amitabha and guaranteed birth in his Pure Land. In that approach, you can do any other Buddhist practices too, because they are all simply gratitude- no amount of self-power can get you enlightened according to that tradition.

Laura and Tashi then joined us, and we began making papier-mache Zen bowls. Kaite told us about projects like this she's done before. We did about half the layers, the left them to dry. We need to arrange another day to finish them off.

Finally, we watched the film The Little Buddha together, eating Kaite's cake!

Manchester Zen Peacemakers Zen training group is launched!

2008-05-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

In addition to the regular vibrant Zen Peacemaker Circle, Genki suggested that we have a Manchester Zen training group also. So after much discussion and thought, we are launching the Great Heart Experimental Zendo! It will initially be a roving Zendo, taking place each week in different people's homes, until we need to find a more permanent place to hire...

Here is the mission statement:

Manchester Great Heart Experimental Zendo:

Socially Engaged Buddhism and Training in the Zen Peacemakers Tradition

Zen is a powerful training for coming to experience our oneness and interconnectedness with the whole of life. Beyond the vision, there is the challenge of embodying it and living it out as compassionate service to all beings.

The Great Heart Zendo is an experiment, daring to see what tools and inspirations the Buddhist heritage has to offer us today. Can Zen meditation help us experience life more fully and completely? Can meditation on kindness and compassion break down our stubbornness and make us more dynamic, effective helpers? What is there for us in the philosophy, the sacred texts, the symbols, sounds and images? How can we make it work for us here and now? We will fearlessly explore, experiment and discover deeper insights into wholeness. We will develop skills to heal our own lives and the lives of those we share this world with.

We are a member of the Zen Peacemakers Sangha (www.zenpeacemakers.org), an international family of Zen and multi-faith communities inspired by Roshi Bernie Glassman, pioneering Zen master in the Japanese tradition and founder of many successful socially-engaged enterprises. The core of our training will be regular Zazen meditation, passed down heart-to-heart for centuries, together with the study of Bernie’s teaching, his Japanese teachers and his Western students. Beyond this, we will delve deeply into many aspects of Buddhist practice, and invite guest teachers from other religions, scientists, artists, social activists. We will not be bound by tradition, but will plunge headfirst into whatever arises as a path to follow- sharing in the joys and sufferings of the world, dancing, crying, fooling about, recognising our unbreakable kinship with everyone and everything.

Our symbol is the staff of Jizo Bodhisattva, seen in Japan and China as the guardian of beings suffering in hell. Jizo also protects the vulnerable, those discarded by society, children, prostitutes, travellers… going where help is needed with no hesitation or regret.

We’re starting now with weekly meetings in Newton Heath- if you’re interested in coming along, wherever you’re from and whatever your background, call Zangtsal Starbuck on 0797 2152148 or email greatheartzendo@googlemail.com. Come and help us make this work, find your own strength and put it to work in service of those in need!

Genki Sensei officially takes charge of the Zen Peacemakers Sangha

2008-05-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

in today's Newsletter from the Maezumi Institute, the Zen Peacemakers' motherhouse in New England, Roshi Bernie Glassman confirmed that he has passed over the reigns of the Zen Peacemaker Sangha to Paul Genki Kahn- he announced this in private during the Seniors Gathering in January, and now it is announced officially! We're very lucky here in Manchester, because Genki is offering us regular advice in Zen training and will hopefully continue this into the future. Given how busy he is, we're really fortunate to have this connection with him! Here is the short message he wrote after Bernie's words in the newsletter:

Dear Friends:
I am very happy to be finally joining the Zen Peacemakers' staff next month and formally taking on the work of the Maezumi Institute and the Zen Peacemakers Sangha. This is happening through the devotion and generosity of the many of you who raised my salary and funded the general operating expenses. This brings Roshi Bernie Glassman and my life back together in the synergy we enjoyed at the Zen Center of Los Angeles in the heady days of our youth. I am grateful for this chance for intimate study and practice with him again.
Roshi turns 70 this January, and so many of his pioneering efforts are coming to fruition - the transmission of authentic Zen realization, multifaith cooperation and social action as Zen practice. This fall we will begin our Residential Program in Socially Engaged Buddhism, and our first Zen Houses will open early in 2009. The Maezumi Institute is beginning full programming in all our four tracks - Zen, Multi-Faith, Social Action and Sacred Ways in the Arts.
There is so much we can accomplish together. We are currently planning a Young Buddhists' Festival (for those 16 - 35) with wonderful musicians, leaders and workshops, a Diversity Retreat and a host of other outstanding events.
I look forward to working with you, supporting your work and dedicating myself to the Zen Peacemakers.
Blessings,

Paul Genki Kahn

Visit to Manchester University Interfaith Society, Tuesday 15th April

2008-04-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

On Joy's suggestion, the Manchester University Interfaith Society invited Zang to give a presentation to their weekly meeting. About 6 people were present, representing a range of faiths including Christianity, Buddhism and Bahai. Zang briefly introduced the Peacemakers, then we read together the chapter "Holy Week" from Bernie's book "Bearing Witness", describing a week of interfaith celebrations during a street retreat. Then there was a Council Circle to reflect on our responses to the reading. The evening ended with a question and answer session. The Interfaith Society are planning to attend a Greek Orthodox Christian service in a couple of weeks' time to celebrate Easter, to which any of us are invited.

Visit by Sangharakshita, founder of the FWBO, to Manchester on Monday 7th April

2008-04-07T15:31:00.001-07:00

3 members of our Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle - Kaite, Stacie and Zang - went tonight to the Manchester Buddhist Centre (belonging to the 'Friends of the Western Buddhist Order'... the main community of Howard in our circle, and the first community that Zang studied in depth with) for a very rare visit by Sangharakshita, founder of that movement 40 years ago. He is now an old man in his 80s, and no longer teaches often in public. He gave a 30 minute talk, standing up the whole time, in their beautiful shrine room to an audience of over 100 people.

His talk focussed on those aspects of the FWBO which make it distinctive from traditional Buddhist lineages- and I think it's worth writing them down here, because they seem to connect with what we're doing with the Zen Peacemaker Community too! There were 6 points:

1 The FWBO and Western Buddhist Order is a community of Buddhists where commitment is primary and lifestyle secondary. Going for Refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha is most important, not whether you are a monk or lay person. He contrasted this with most Eastern Buddhism, where the laity are generally seen as less important and often their only role is to serve and feed the monks.

2 Women take part equally in all levels of the organisation, including leadership, giving initiations and precepts etc. Women in the Western Buddhist Order receive the same precepts as men, unlike many traditions where women are secondary to men and have extra precepts which keep them subservient.

3 The FWBO draws inspiration and study from all Buddhist sutras and scriptures, not just those used by any particular school or lineage. He said this is because they see themselves as simply Buddhist, rather than belonging to any particular lineage. They are really happy to be able to learn from and draw faith from any sutras that inspire them.

4 The Buddha told his attendant Ananda that "Spiritual Friendship is the whole of the spiritual life". Sangharakshita said he felt the full implications and beauty of this teaching hasn't been fully explored by any historical Buddhist lineage. He feels it's one of the greatest strengths of the FWBO that they really try to encourage, explore and develop deep and trusting friendships between members of the Sangha, to begin at least to taste what the Buddha meant!

5 The FWBO has developed many Team-Based Right Livelihood Businesses, to really allow the Buddhist ideal of Right Livelihood to be practiced in the modern world. Buddhist working together ethically, in cafes, shops, alternative health centres etc.

6 The FWBO has a strong tradition of appreciating and developing the Arts. He says that beauty has an important place in the spiritual life, it's always been a part of Buddhist culture, and the FWBO has many fine artists, scultors, performers etc who are expressing this is new ways in the modern world.

Later on after the talk there was a Seven-Fold Puja (as in the Tibetan tradition, with verses from Shantideva's 'Bodhicaryavatara', used regularly in the FWBO) which was very inspiring...

Zen Peacemaker Circle, 5th April 2008

2008-04-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

7 people attended this month's Peacemaker Circle, which was largely organised by John and Stacie. Zang facilitated on the day. After a check-in circle, Kaite told us about possible business ideas she'd been having, and we discussed the next circle to be held in her house. Then we practiced simple Qi Gong movements for 15-20 mins.

We had a Lotus Sutra theme to the day- we read a chapter from "The Drama of Cosmic Enlightenment", a commentary on the sutra by Sangharakshita, founder of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, which is Howard's main community. The chapter we read contained a parable from the Lotus Sutra on the Dharma as like rain that falls equally on all beings, and discusses the spiritual life in terms of growth and vegetation. We then held a full Council Circle on this topic.

At the start of lunch, Stacie shared with us a Jewish prayer for breaking the bread, and told us a little about the customs connected with the Passover, which is next Saturday. She told us about a point in the ceremony where the door is opened for an Angel to come in and drink some wine from the table... and how strangers and the homeless are welcomed. During lunch we also read together a chapter from Bernie Glassman's "Bearing Witness", talking about how the early Zen Peacemaker community cleared out the grounds of a disused school as a place to practice...

Enrique read a poem to us during lunch by Drukpa Kunley, the infamous wandering vagabond from Tibetan/Bhutanese legend...

We chanted the Nicheren Buddhist chant in homage to the Lotus Sutra, led again by Stacie who practices it regularly. She explained the meaning of Namyoho Renge Kyo simply, and we placed the Lotus Sutra in the centre of the circle. John brought some music by the band Faithless, who's lead singer is a strong practicioner of Nicheren Buddhism- it was a song about remembering the homeless.

After a session of Zazen, Kaite led an excellent poetry writing session. She brought a poetry book along by a mediaeval Indian Muslim poet, and she asked each of us to choose a number between 1 and 216. Then she read to us the poem corresponding to the number we chose and asked us to use that as a starting point for our own poem. Before we began to write, she also led us on a guided visualisation entering a giant crystal chandelier! we then wrote short poems and read them aloud to one another. They will be used in a further art project in the future...

John reminded us that Tuesday is the date of the Buddha's birthday in the Japanese calender, so in honour of this he brought along the film 'The Little Buddha', and we watched the scene at the start that shows Queen Maya giving birth and the Buddha taking his first steps...

We finished with a checking-out round, and thanked Howard once again for his hospitality in hosting us. The next Circle will probably be in Kaite's house in May.

New Zen Peacemaker Circle Forming in Leeds!

2008-04-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

We're happy to announce that a second UK Zen Peacemaker Circle will be starting in the near future in Leeds! If you'd like to be involved, send us an email and we'll put you in touch with the steward. email us at: willowtreeblues@gmail.com

It will be great to have a second circle near the Manchester group- we can interlink and develop joint activites... it will give a clearer sense that the Circles are intended to be an embodiment of the image of Indra's Net from the Buddhist tradition- each facet of existence reflecting, containing and interpenetrating every other...

"Interbeing" as the Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh calls it beautifully!

May all beings be well and happy, and may all suffering be transformed into joyous celebration and delight!

Not Knowing in Rumi's Tradition

2008-03-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

On the weekend of 15th-16th March, Sheikh David Bellak of the Mevlevi Sufi Order, Rumi's lineage, gave a guest teaching to members of the Manchester Zen Peacemaker Circle. On Saturday in Howard's house, Shaikh David gave a generous account of his own spiritual journey and his time in Turkey with the late Suleyman Hayati Dede, late heart-master of the Whirling Dervishes in Konya.

Shaikh David gave much advice relating to what the Zen Peacemakers call Not-Knowing, and he gave a rough model of the spiritual path in terms of four stages:

1 Not knowing that you don't know
2 Coming to know that you don't know, and letting go of fixed conditioning
3 A 'knowing' that opens up beyond this (the focus of 'Rememberance'/Zikr in the Sufi tradition)
4 Not knowing that you know!

He also led some chanted Sufi meditation with us in the Mevlevi way.

On Sunday a few of us met with Shaikh David in John's house and learned more together, then finally visited the William Blake exhibition in the Whitworth Gallery, suggested by Kaite.

Zen Peacemaker Business Meeting, Sunday 8th March

2008-03-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

The Manchester Zen Peacemakers held their first meeting to discuss posssible socially-engaged business projects, rooted in the vision of the Three Tenets and Bernie Glassman's work in the USA. The latest project over there is the develpment of "Zen Houses" to serve people in areas of urban deprivation, and we discussed possible ways of doing something similar here in Manchester. Eight people were present and gave an overview of their backgrounds and possible skills they would have to offer any project- everything from housing knowledge to community arts and cooking. Stacie said she would like to make Zen chocolate!

The meeting felt very fresh and created many questions- hopefully we'll have a second meeting in the near future to see how our inspirations are developing!

Fairtrade Tea and Coffee Evening for ActionAid

2008-02-29T16:00:00.000-08:00

We held a Manchester Peacemaker Circle evening tonight to connect with the annual ActionAid Fairtrade Coffee and Tea Day, which in turn is part of the wider Fairtrade Fortnight. ActionAid are a wonderful international charity working in grassroots global development and political campaigning for the rights of the poor and marginalised around the world.

ActionAid sent us some free teabags, coffee and chocolate, and people brought along biscuits and home-made cakes... there was lots of sweet food!

We watched 3 short videos on ActionAid's work with women infected with HIV/AIDS. We also watched a short film on a rural education-drama project informing locals about AIDS and the need to treat those infected as human beings still (from the bonus section of the movie DVD of 'The Constant Gardener'). Then we held an interesting Council Circle on our responses and thoughts on what we'd seen.

After that we had more tea and cakes... Jules played guitar and sang some of her compositions for us, and Zang played also. We ended by listening to latino music and taking photos!

A collection was made for donations to go towards ActionAid, and people gave generously.

Thankyou to all who came, and I hope others can join us in the future... anyone is invited to arrange circle events for causes they believe in too!

Informal Gathering for Parinirvana

2008-02-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

We had a small informal gathering on Sat 16th Feb to mark the annual Parinirvana Festival of the Buddha. It was a very spontaneous affair, meeting with no fixed plan!

We met at the beautiful Manchester FWBO Buddhist Centre, where we sat and drank tea together and talked about what "Zen" is. Then we walked to a new community cafe which we'd heard offers cheap drink to the homeless... This cafe, Nexus, turns out to be a cheap cafe-art gallery with a good vibe. We talked for a long time there about future plans for the Manchester Zen Peacemakers, especially discussing possible social action businesses which we could consider developing, helping the jobless and homeless.

We then came back to the FWBO centre, where we asked if we could use their shrine room to meditate. Stacie, who is part of the Nicheren school of Pure Land Buddhism, taught us a little about their chant to the Lotus Sutra, and then we did this chant together for a while. It was appropriate that the Buddha statue in the FWBO shrine room is of Amitabha, the Pure Land Buddha!

Zang sang the opening invocation from the Gate of Sweet Nectar "Calling Out to Hungry Hearts..." with the tune composed for Roshi Bernie by Krishna Das. We talked a little more about future plans, including the possibility of studying/connecting to the Lotus Sutra in the Manchester Zen Peacemakers. Then we went our separate ways...

Whirling Dervish in Rumi's Lineage to hold a Workshop for us in March

2008-02-06T07:08:00.000-08:00

Blessings everyone,

I'm very pleased to let you all know that Shaikh David Bellak Effendi has offered to lead a workshop on Rumi's tradition- the Mevlevi Sufi Way- for our Manchester Peacemaker Circle in mid-March, probably on Sunday 16th March. Times to be arranged.

David Bellak Dede, now in his late 60s, lived in Konya, Turkey, and trained very closely with the late Suleyman Hayati Dede, the beautiful dervish who kept Rumi's tradition alive in the last century. David Dede is one of the very few living teachers who have been trained in the old stages of Mevlevi practice, including Sema (whirling) and the wonderful dervish traditions of hospitality. For the past 20 years he owned an oriental rug shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, quietly getting on with life and teaching in a very unobtrusive way.

The Mevlevi tradition is very close in spirit to Zen, becoming open and receptive to the beauty and inspiration of each living moment...

"Wonder is like a small bird that lands unexpectedly on your head-
You stay as still as possible, hardly daring to breathe,
So as not to frighten it away!" Rumi

"That which God whispered to the rose,
And which made her charms unfurl like laughter-
he breathed into my heart,

and made it a hundred times more beautiful!" Rumi

I hope you will all come and see what David Dede has to share with our UK Zen Peacemaker community. I feel we are very lucky indeed to have this rare opportunity to connect to the heart of Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi's spiritual family!

Let me know if you would like to be involved.

Much love,

Zang

Peacemaker Circle Meeting, 3rd Feb 20008

2008-02-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

In today's Circle Meeting, 6 people were present- Howard, Joy, Stacie, Kaite, Faisal and Zang.

We began with some beautiful Bach cello music chosen by Howard to bring us into the present moment, recorded by a young local musician. Following a checking-in circle, Zang read a piece aloud from Bernie Glassman's book "Bearing Witness", talking about the vision of bringing all the fragments of life into one Whole.

Then we read another chapter of the same book together, on the theme of "Becoming Oneness" and split into two groups of 3 to discuss it. We tried an idea from the Swiss Zen Peacemaker Circle- we chose a figure each who inspires us, and when we discussed the chapter we talked about it not only from our own point of view, but tried to explore what our chosen person would think too. Examples of the figures people chose included Maimonides, the ancient Jewish philosopher; Federico Garcia Lorca, the Spanish poet and playwright; and Sangharakshita, founder of the Western Buddhist Order!

We then sat together for a period of Zazen, which led into a full Council Circle exploring the theme of friendship, suggested by Stacie, talking deeply from our hearts and experience.

After a coffee and biscuit break, Faisal gave a rich presentation on Islam and Sufism from the perspective of his life experience and focusing on the teachings of the Ovasi Sufi Order to which he and his mother belong. He spoke of his deep wish to see recreated the golden age of Andalusia, where under Muslim rule the cultures of many religions flourished together and led to a blossoming of humanity and friendship between mystics of all schools. Borrowing a musical term, he calls this "freestyle Sufi jamming"!

Faisal then led a chant together from his tradition, repeating a blessing on the Prophet Muhammed. He explained that the point of this is to connect to the unitive Light of Muhammed which is at the heart of all creation, and leads us back to the Source from which it comes.

We finished by listening to a closing piece of music chosen once again by Howard, and had a short checking-out circle and a dedication.

Zen Peacemakers Seniors Family Gathering

2008-01-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the annual Family Gathering of all seniors (anything from Steward of an active circle up to Zen Roshis), held at the Maezumi Institute in New England USA.

About 50 people came from all over the world, including Zang from our circle, and Barbara and Roland Wegmueller from the Swiss circles. The Maezmi Institute is in the beautiful House of One People, a large converted barn in the snowy countryside, and was conceived by Roshi Bernie Glassman and the late Lex Hixon. Banners representing each community in the Zen Peacemakers Community are hung around the room, and a big grand piano is played at times throughout the events- and each week there are events from many traditions- Buddhist, Islamic, Christian, Hindu.

The gathering focussed on what we can all learn from each others communities, with lots of small discussions. There was singing and partying for Roshi Bernie's 69th birthday, and a big cake baked by the Greyston Bakery in New York.

Many new things came out of the gathering, including ideas for new projects in the UK Circles!
We`ll probably be developing a regular sitting group under the guidance of a senior student of Roshi Bernie, and we have a curriculum now for beginning a Dharma study group for those who are interested. We will study the Mahaparinirvana Sutra from the Pali Cannon, the Lotus Sutra and the Vimalakirti Sutra from the Mahayana, and the classic Zen text The Platform Sutra of Hui Neng. Other Zen Peacemaker groups may be using the same curriculum, suggested to us by Professor Peter Gregory from Smith College in New Hampton.

A "Leeds Lojong Group" ?

2007-12-29T14:50:00.000-08:00

One idea under discussion for the New Year is a "Leeds Lojong Group"!

Tibetan Lojong teachings, including the meditation practice called Tonglen, are a way of working with the texture of pain and pleasure in daily life- seeing both pain and pleasure as opportunities for widening our compassion and recognising our kinship with all sentient beings.

The group would meet fortnightly during the daytime in Leeds, for about 2-and-a-half hours, and would focus initially on listening together to audio teachings on Lojong by the American nun Pema Chodron. We would reflect on what we hear using the Council Circle method, and practice some Tonglen and Zazen/silent sitting meditation together. Over time we would look at a range of Lojong authors such as HH The Dalai Lama, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche etc...

The Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers would be the underlying spirit of the meetings, linking the group into the work of the monthly ZPC Circle meeting...

If anyone has any ideas or thoughts let us know!

Long Life Prayer for Lama Shenpen Hookham

2007-12-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

Several people connected to the Peacemaker Circle here and in Europe have personal or close lineage connections to Lama Shenpen Hookham, a UK teacher in the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism, heart-disciple of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and wife of Rigdzin Shikpo Rinpoche.

Lama Shenpen is to undergo emergency surgery on a cancerous tumour at 10am on Thursday 27th Dec 2008. Rigdzin Shikpo has written a Long Life Prayer to recite for her, and also people could recite mantras and/or the Samantabhadracarya Pranidhana (the Vows of Samantabhadra from the end of the Avatamsaka Sutra). Here's the Long Life Prayer:

Issuing from the groundless space of light
To spread the magnificent Dharma of Shentong
For the benefit of all sentient beings throughout the Dhatu,
May your life extend to the end of the kalpa and beyond!

Khenpo Rinpoche has recommended the 'Song of the Seven Delights', a Tibetan song we sang together at a Peacemaker Circle two months ago in November. If anyone remembers it or has the printed sheet still you could read or sing that and think of her! It's the one that ends "... Adverse conditions happen, when they do it's so delightful, they make a little song of sheer delight!"

May Lama Shenpen recover completely and may we all be well and happy!

Welcome to the Zen Peacemaker Circle UK!

2007-12-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to the first Zen Peacemaker Circle in the United Kingdom!

We're based in Manchester, and meet up about once a month for at least half a day to practice Council Circle, Zen meditation, and explore the socially-engaged, creative or spiritual interests of anyone who comes along. Anything and everything is possible- we create the circle together!

The Zen Peacemaker Circles are in the lineage of Roshi Bernie Glassman, first sucessor of the late Taizan Maezumi Roshi, much-loved master in both the Soto and Rinzai streams of Japanese Zen Buddhism. We work to find new ways in which we can bear witness to the joys and suffering of everyone, and respond in practical compassionate ways to those we can help.

"True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate than ourselves but from realising our kinship with all beings." Pema Chodron

Our next meeting will be held on Sunday 3rd February, 2008, from 1.30-8.30pm including a shared tea together!

If you'd like to come, or to find out more, email willowtreeblues@gmail.com or ring Zang Starbuck (circle steward) on 07972152148

We've had 7 monthly meetings so far, plus an evening of music and poetry in honour of the Islamic Sufi poet Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi!

See also our international website: http://www.zenpeacemakers.org/ and our Swiss website: http://www.peacemaker.ch/

Photos from some of our Manchester meetings earlier in 2007 can be found on http://www.gunabhadra.blogspot.com/ - a wonderful Dharma blog by someone who comes to our circle!