Barbara's Precepts Weekend in Eco House
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; interpret...