Refuge Ceremony in Manchester, 7th Dec 2008



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".

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