Peacemaker Circles UK

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...

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 o...

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.

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...