Peacemaker Circles UK

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...

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...

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!