Peacemaker Circles UK

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

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!

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.