<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers: Featured Writings]]></title><description><![CDATA[A huge "Thank You!" to our contributors. Enjoy their writings here. ]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/s/featured-writings</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cbRE!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F824cbca9-ec22-4c1f-8fc8-e940d219f3d5_1280x1280.png</url><title>Zen Peacemakers: Featured Writings</title><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/s/featured-writings</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:20:17 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers, Inc.]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[press@zenpeacemakers.org]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[press@zenpeacemakers.org]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[press@zenpeacemakers.org]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[press@zenpeacemakers.org]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Wandering in the Desert: This is our Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nothing Special: Living Zen ~ Charlotte Joko Beck]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/wandering-in-the-desert-this-is-our</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/wandering-in-the-desert-this-is-our</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:46:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKzk!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKzk!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKzk!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKzk!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKzk!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKzk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKzk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2118521,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/i/189766474?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKzk!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKzk!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKzk!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKzk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F778aabdc-c7f4-46ae-ab30-828714552eef_2560x1440.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Wandering in the desert, looking for the Promised Land: this is our life. The discipline of sesshin intensifies this impression of wandering; sesshin feels confusing, discouraging, disappointing. We may have read books that paint a pretty picture of the promised Land, what it&#8217;s like to achieve awareness of buddha nature, enlightenment, and so on. Yet we find ourselves wandering. All we can do is simply to be the wandering itself. To be the wandering means to be each moment of sesshin, no matter what it is. As we survive, living through the dryness and thirst, we may come to a discovery: wandering in the desert is the Promised Land. </p><p>That&#8217;s very hard for us to comprehend. We know our pain and suffering. We want the suffering to end. We want to reach a Promised Land where the suffering doesn&#8217;t exist anymore. </p><p>In working with those who are dying or severely troubled, Stephen Levine observes that true healing happens when we go into our own pain so deeply that we see it is not just our pain, but everyone&#8217;s pain. It&#8217;s immensely moving and supportive to discover that my pain is not private to me. Practice helps us to see that the whole universe is in pain. </p><p>It&#8217;s immensely moving and supportive to discover that my pain is not private to me.</p><p>A similar point can be made about relationships. We tend to think of relationships as discrete in time: they begin, they last for a time, and they end. Yet we are always in relationship, always connected to one another, At a certain point in time, a relationship may manifest itself in a particular way, but before that manifestation, it already existed, and after it &#8220;ends,&#8221; it continues. We continue in some so f relationship even with those who have died. Former friends, former lovers, former relatives continue on in our lives and are part of who we are. It may be necessary for the visible manifestation to end, but the actual relationship never ends. We are not truly separate from one another. Our lives are joined; there is just one pain, just one joy, and it is ours. Once we face our pain and are willing to experience it, instead of covering it up, avoiding it, or rationalizing it, a shift occurs in our views of others and of our life. </p><p>As Stephen Levine states, each moment of persevering with our difficulties and suffering is a small victory. In staying with pain and irritability, we open up our relationship to life and to others. The process is slow; our pattern does not reverse itself overnight. We fight a constant battle between what we want and what is, what the universe presents to us. In sesshin, we see that battle joined more clearly. We see our fantasies, our efforts to figure things out and pursue our pet theories; we see our hopes of finding a door into the Promised Land, where all struggle and suffering will cease. We want, want, want: a certain person, a certain kind of relationship, a certain kind of work. Because no want like that can ever be completely fulfilled, we have ceaseless tension and anxiety that go right along with our wanting. They are inseparable twins. </p><p>In staying with pain and irritability, we open up our relationship to life and to others.</p><p>Sometimes it&#8217;s helpful to accentuate the anxiety, to reach a point where we just can&#8217;t stand it. Then, we may be willing to back up and take another look at what&#8217;s going on. Instead of endlessly concerning ourselves with what&#8217;s wrong out there&#8212; with our partner, with our job, or whatever&#8212;we may begin to shift our relationship to what is. We learn to be what we are at this moment in this relationship or in a tedious aspect of our job. We begin to see the connection between ourselves and others. We see that our pain is also their pain, and their pain is also our pain. For example, a doctor who makes no connection between herself and her patients will see patients simply as one problem after another, to be forgotten when they walk out the door. A doctor who sees that her own discomfort and annoyance are her patients&#8217; discomfort and annoyance will be sustained by this sense of connection and will work more precisely and effectively. </p><p>The everyday tedium of our lives is the desert we wander, looking for the Promised Land. Our relationships, our work, and all the little necessary tasks we don&#8217;t want to do are all the gift. We have to brush our teeth, we have to buy groceries, we have to do the laundry, we have to balance our checkbook. </p><p>This tedium&#8212;this wandering in the desert&#8212;is in fact the face of God. Our struggles, the partner who drives us crazy, the report we don&#8217;t want to write&#8212;these are the Promised Land. </p><p>Charlotte Joko Beck (1917-2011)</p><div><hr></div><p><br>Charlotte Joko Beck was an American Zen teacher who insisted that Zen training must directly address our conditioned reactions and that meditative awareness was the key to understanding the emptiness of the ego. She also underlined the value of bringing practice insights into daily life by living compassionately and with recognition of the interconnectedness of all beings and phenomena. In this passage from her book Nothing Special, she talks about what we perceive as the tedium of our lives as, in fact, being the face of God. Echoing Pema Chodron&#8217;s teachings about leaning into pain, Beck emphasizes the importance of facing suffering and understanding its universality.<br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Minneapolis]]></title><description><![CDATA[February 2026 ~ Michel Engu Dobbs]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/minneapolis</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/minneapolis</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:33:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vTH4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23bf20c4-ef11-479e-96ae-cbf0ba5713be_2500x1875.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vTH4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23bf20c4-ef11-479e-96ae-cbf0ba5713be_2500x1875.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vTH4!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23bf20c4-ef11-479e-96ae-cbf0ba5713be_2500x1875.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vTH4!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23bf20c4-ef11-479e-96ae-cbf0ba5713be_2500x1875.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vTH4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23bf20c4-ef11-479e-96ae-cbf0ba5713be_2500x1875.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vTH4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23bf20c4-ef11-479e-96ae-cbf0ba5713be_2500x1875.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vTH4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23bf20c4-ef11-479e-96ae-cbf0ba5713be_2500x1875.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" 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https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vTH4!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23bf20c4-ef11-479e-96ae-cbf0ba5713be_2500x1875.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vTH4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23bf20c4-ef11-479e-96ae-cbf0ba5713be_2500x1875.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vTH4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23bf20c4-ef11-479e-96ae-cbf0ba5713be_2500x1875.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" 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y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Last weekend, I met fellow Zen Peacemakers- Roshi Eve Marko, Mary O&#8217;Connor, Ken Daigu Hillman, and Rinzai teacher Cristina Moon in Minneapolis, and we joined hundreds of Buddhists, clergy, activists, and thousands of Minnesotans, and joined activities in response to the two month long invasion and occupation of their city, dubbed Operation Metro Surge. &#8230;</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/minneapolis">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Dharma Moment in Shaktoolik, Alaska]]></title><description><![CDATA[Feb 5, 2026 - Peter Pierson]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/a-dharma-moment-in-shaktoolik-alaska</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/a-dharma-moment-in-shaktoolik-alaska</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 07:27:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Quk!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ad7d2fb-4057-44bd-8eb5-5d9d1a0ddb1e_300x300.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" 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https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Quk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ad7d2fb-4057-44bd-8eb5-5d9d1a0ddb1e_300x300.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Quk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ad7d2fb-4057-44bd-8eb5-5d9d1a0ddb1e_300x300.jpeg" width="284" height="284" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Quk!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ad7d2fb-4057-44bd-8eb5-5d9d1a0ddb1e_300x300.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Quk!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ad7d2fb-4057-44bd-8eb5-5d9d1a0ddb1e_300x300.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Quk!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ad7d2fb-4057-44bd-8eb5-5d9d1a0ddb1e_300x300.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Quk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ad7d2fb-4057-44bd-8eb5-5d9d1a0ddb1e_300x300.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><em>&#8220;A lot of things come into perspective when you are around a lot of death.&#8221; - </em>Kobai Scott Whitney</p><p>Working as a remote intensive care air ambulance paramedic out of Nome, Alaska, chronic staff shortages compounded in objectively dysfunctional management systems often led to stretches of days and nights of sleep-deprived runs to places most would be presse&#8230;</p>
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          <a href="https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/a-dharma-moment-in-shaktoolik-alaska">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[IT’S MINE, ALL MINE]]></title><description><![CDATA[January 10, 2026 ~ Eve Marko]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/its-mine-all-mine</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/its-mine-all-mine</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 12:55:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFPJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFPJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFPJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFPJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFPJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFPJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFPJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg" width="768" height="576" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:576,&quot;width&quot;:768,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:110455,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/i/184307878?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFPJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFPJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFPJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFPJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff161a4f6-a857-4668-a7da-5212f882a755_768x576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>&#8220;We live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time.&#8221;</p><p>I joined many in quoting the above words by Stephen Miller from his interview with CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper several days ago, and I thanked Miller for helping my mind&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[IS THIS PRACTICE ENOUGH?]]></title><description><![CDATA[December 29, 2025 ~ Eve Marko]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/is-this-practice-enough</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/is-this-practice-enough</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:08:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rSeb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rSeb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rSeb!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rSeb!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rSeb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rSeb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rSeb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1092,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:483523,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/i/183242065?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rSeb!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rSeb!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rSeb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rSeb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45bea93d-bc89-44ac-83c8-6621edf288de_1536x1152.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>In my last post I cited the numbers we all know well about income equality, and asked: What&#8217;s stopping us from closing down the shop? Here&#8217;s another summarizing excerpt by Owen Jones, columnist for the British <em>Guardian</em>:</p><p>&#8220;The EU&#8217;s nearly 500 billionaires alone control &#8364;2.3 trillion in wealth. In the <a href="https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/eu-billionaires-wealth-surges-over-eu400-billion-first-half-2025">first six months</a> of this year, their combined fortunes g&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Hill We Climb]]></title><description><![CDATA[Author: Amanda Gorman]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/the-hill-we-climb</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/the-hill-we-climb</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 25 Dec 2025 16:24:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a2ca2059-630d-46c5-b433-1c61d6780df0_819x1024.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N7fG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N7fG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N7fG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N7fG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N7fG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N7fG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg" width="1024" height="576" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:576,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:74580,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/i/182573690?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N7fG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N7fG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N7fG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N7fG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5eb830d-83bf-4f5d-85b7-2f85e8fd6b6b_1024x576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><h4><strong>The Hill We Climb</strong></h4><p>Author: Amanda Gorman<br><br>When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?</p><p>The loss we carry. A sea we must wade.</p><p>We braved the belly of the beast.</p><p>We&#8217;ve learned that quiet isn&#8217;t always peace, and the norms and notions of what &#8220;just&#8221; is isn&#8217;t always justice.</p><p>And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.</p><p>Somehow &#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Weight of Witnessing]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bearing Witness at Auschwitz/Birkenau 2025]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/the-weight-of-witnessing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/the-weight-of-witnessing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 21:30:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dC4C!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dC4C!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dC4C!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dC4C!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dC4C!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dC4C!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dC4C!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg" width="1060" height="795" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:795,&quot;width&quot;:1060,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;A group of people sitting on the ground\n\nAI-generated content may be incorrect.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="A group of people sitting on the ground

AI-generated content may be incorrect." title="A group of people sitting on the ground

AI-generated content may be incorrect." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dC4C!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dC4C!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dC4C!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dC4C!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0103ba9-0c4b-4fef-bc96-8d3760ba91aa_1060x795.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>The Weight of Witnessing</strong><br>by Philip Eugene Timm (Retreat Participant 2025)</p><p></p><blockquote><p><em>&#8220;Remember only that I was innocent and, just like you, mortal on that day. I, too, had a face marked by rage, by pity and joy, quite simply, a human face.&#8221; </em></p><p><em>- Benjamin Fordane</em></p></blockquote><p></p><p>Auschwitz-Birkenau reveals itself slowly through the Polish winter&#8212;first as a distant gate, then as endless b&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Retreat for Democracy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Report from Undine Nami Bissmeiet]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/retreat-for-democracy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/retreat-for-democracy</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2025 22:58:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FRoJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FRoJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FRoJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FRoJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FRoJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FRoJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FRoJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg" width="487" height="324.77815934065933" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:487,&quot;bytes&quot;:209170,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/i/176456127?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FRoJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FRoJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FRoJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FRoJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d14c55d-bc14-4c12-a725-bed7fb0c652b_1600x1067.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption"><em>(Fotos: Wiebke Knoke)</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>On the last weekend of August 2025, I invited several Peacemakers to Weimar and Buchenwald for a Democracy Dharma Retreat. Since my first visit 10 years ago, I have repeatedly noticed a paradoxical tension between these two places during my visits in subsequent years.</p><p>Weimar is a city that stands for classical German culture. Bach, G&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[AMERICAN BUDDHA]]></title><description><![CDATA[September 4, 2025 ~ Eve Marko]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/american-buddha</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/american-buddha</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2025 00:38:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nY5_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nY5_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nY5_!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nY5_!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nY5_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nY5_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nY5_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg" width="768" height="576" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:576,&quot;width&quot;:768,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:102620,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/i/172836952?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nY5_!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nY5_!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nY5_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nY5_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5b38a3c-49ff-4605-820e-4af50c43ac3d_768x576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I returned home from Switzerland after not blogging for 16 days, my first break from writing since I began this blog some 10 years ago. I flew through the Dublin Airport because the fare was lower and Aer Lingus brought me to an airport closer to home than Boston or New York. Looking out the window, I understood why Ireland is called the Emerald Isle. I&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[EMPTY NEST]]></title><description><![CDATA[June 18, 2025 ~ Eve Marko]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/empty-nest</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/empty-nest</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 17:05:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fIIY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fIIY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fIIY!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fIIY!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fIIY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fIIY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fIIY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg" width="465" height="620" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1024,&quot;width&quot;:768,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:465,&quot;bytes&quot;:181557,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/i/167196223?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fIIY!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fIIY!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fIIY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fIIY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60f0c4b0-e0dc-4e0c-bf1c-e7b8e1d69e22_768x1024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>The nest is empty.</p><p>Last time I checked, on Sunday, the cardinal chicks lay recumbent and unmoving, only their beaks open wide for food. This was evidently keeping their parents busy because the mom was no longer ever-present there, as she had been when they were turquoise eggs. Now I don&#8217;t have to worry about where to park and how to avoid that part of t&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Knowing What We Don’t Know]]></title><description><![CDATA[June 10, 2025 ~ Bonnie Myotai Treace]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/knowing-what-we-dont-know</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/knowing-what-we-dont-know</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 11 Jun 2025 15:21:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2VpC!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2VpC!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2VpC!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2VpC!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2VpC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2VpC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2VpC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg" width="768" height="511" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:511,&quot;width&quot;:768,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:86073,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/i/165714163?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2VpC!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2VpC!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2VpC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2VpC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9745004-9d8f-4bd3-915c-2cd6af534d53_768x511.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Knowing What We Don&#8217;t Know</strong></p><p>Accept it is all fiction. The assassination attempt, the bleeding ear, the fist pump. The billionaire, being so moved by the courage of the fist pump that he converts, becomes radicalized, joins the president&#8217;s team. The billionaire coming to work at the White House with his child on his shoulders, and the president smiling lik&#8230;</p>
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      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[WHY I WORK WITH ZEN PEACEMAKERS]]></title><description><![CDATA[February 27, 2025 ~ Eve Marko]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/why-i-work-with-zen-peacemakers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/why-i-work-with-zen-peacemakers</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 05 Mar 2025 14:49:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!10Dz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bcec174-4dd1-4fff-ab87-3b487df8277f_1024x767.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!10Dz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bcec174-4dd1-4fff-ab87-3b487df8277f_1024x767.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!10Dz!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bcec174-4dd1-4fff-ab87-3b487df8277f_1024x767.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!10Dz!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bcec174-4dd1-4fff-ab87-3b487df8277f_1024x767.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!10Dz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bcec174-4dd1-4fff-ab87-3b487df8277f_1024x767.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!10Dz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bcec174-4dd1-4fff-ab87-3b487df8277f_1024x767.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!10Dz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bcec174-4dd1-4fff-ab87-3b487df8277f_1024x767.jpeg" width="1024" height="767" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!10Dz!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bcec174-4dd1-4fff-ab87-3b487df8277f_1024x767.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!10Dz!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bcec174-4dd1-4fff-ab87-3b487df8277f_1024x767.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!10Dz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bcec174-4dd1-4fff-ab87-3b487df8277f_1024x767.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!10Dz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7bcec174-4dd1-4fff-ab87-3b487df8277f_1024x767.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>&#8220;So, what do you do in the US?&#8221; someone asked me a short while ago. She was not American.</p><p>&#8220;I work for the Zen Peacemakers,&#8221; I told her.</p><p>Her blue eyes went blank and the edges of her lips twitched. &#8220;Huh,&#8221; was all she said, nodding vaguely.</p><p>From her reaction, I suspect she felt that making peace is almost an affront to reality nowadays, or at best a child&#8217;s imaginings. For many years I have seen people raise eyebrows at this or look away, not so much in disapproval, more as if I&#8217;m daft and have wasted many years of productivity. After all, I could have started a business. I could have been a therapist or taken my writing to a new level. Instead&#8212;Zen Peacemakers?</p><p>Of course, members do all those things. But in these critical times, with so much at stake, I hear this question again and again: <em>What are Buddhists doing?</em></p><p>I can&#8217;t speak for Buddhists, I can hardly speak for Zen Peacemakers, just describe how I see our work. I&#8217;ll start with what we don&#8217;t do: We don&#8217;t take sides, or, as someone said yesterday in a meeting, we work as one family.</p><p>That&#8217;s not easy today, when family members won&#8217;t speak to each other because of who one voted for (in most of the cases I hear about, it&#8217;s the liberal voter who refuses to talk with the other side). In the Zen Peacemaker family, we talk to everyone provided some minimal rules of courtesy are observed. That means that we don&#8217;t stay silent.</p><p>It doesn&#8217;t mean we cave in for the sake of a false harmony, or that we comfort ourselves with spiritual cliches, or that we turn fragile in the face of horror. A long time ago, at a wonderful yoga ashram, I heard a woman say she never reads the newspaper because her personal calm and equanimity are very important for her. She&#8217;s probably not a member of Zen Peacemakers. When a family is blind or in denial, dysfunction sets in.</p><p>I&#8217;ve often wondered, when reading about children taking guns to school and shooting their schoolmates, how their parents feel. If your own child wounded and killed other children, do you stop acknowledging him or her? You can condemn the actions loudly and vociferously, and of course, nowadays prosecutors go after parents as well. You can feel horrible about what they did, make atonement, even reparations. In my mother&#8217;s older age, young Germans would come and paint her apartment, their way of making reparations for the Holocaust. But tell me, do you stop acknowledging them as your children?</p><p>Or do you say, much as Gandhi pointed out: People are people; it&#8217;s their actions that cause harm. Nobody is born evil, except in horror movies. Individual choices and actions can be horrific or great blessings to all of humanity, but there&#8217;s a basic equality to all humans, be they a Hitler or a King.</p><p>Serving that common humanity, that essence shared by all human and nonhuman beings, is what we mean by serving the whole. The peacemaking we do is serving the whole. I have gotten angry many times and spoke harshly to let off steam. What I&#8217;ve learned over the years is to act with immediacy when needed, but always to keep my eyes on the prize. And what is the prize? Bringing our oneness into consciousness, mine and everyone else&#8217;s.</p><p>That does not mean we do nothing. That does not mean we don&#8217;t resist terrible laws and hurtful actions. Instead, we bring medicine for the sick, food for hungry children, we take care of the earth and its species, give respect and dignity to all. By now, what with pandemics, prevalence of nuclear weapons, and the degradation of this earth, we know that we can&#8217;t cure these without taking the big picture into account.</p><p>&#8220;Whoever you exclude from the mandala of your practice will sabotage your work,&#8221; Bernie used to warn.</p><p>You can have a child who goes one way and another child who goes another, and have very strong opinions about the difference; you&#8217;re not neutral. But they&#8217;re both your children, and even in the worst of times you don&#8217;t forget it. We can work all we want towards wellbeing rather than profits, care rather than extortion, peaceful relations rather than continuing war. Some will join, some won&#8217;t. And&#8212;it&#8217;s all one family.</p><p>I recognize that not everyone agrees with this approach, including various religious traditions. But this is what I learned from Bernie Glassman and all the work that he and so many others did over the years. I rarely saw him indignant or upset. Instead, he&#8217;d call me: &#8220;Eve, let&#8217;s go out for dinner.&#8221; He would call it a day, get a good night&#8217;s sleep, and wake up in the morning refreshed and ready to get back to peacemaking work as he saw it.</p><p>Who has the energy for hate and indignation? For rancor or rage? I prefer to keep my decreasing energy towards building and rebuilding a solid foundation for a family with infinitely different members&#8212;but a family nevertheless.</p><p>I raise money for illegal immigrants. That doesn&#8217;t mean that I agree with those who say we should have open borders for all refugees headed to our border. As I wrote before, we should close the border for a while till we figure out new policies and institute new systems. We also have to honestly ask ourselves how open we are to vastly different cultures and sets of values that people bring here. There&#8217;s no room here for blindness or even rose-colored glasses.</p><p>One last thing. As I was reminded yesterday in a Zoom meeting, each and every one of us participates in some system of oppression. I don&#8217;t care if you&#8217;re white, black, Latino, Native American, Muslim, or Jewish, I don&#8217;t care how marginalized and even persecuted you feel your group has been. We operate inside systems that are often based on scarcity in order to maximize profits, strengthen religious or ethnic identities at a cost to others, empower one gender over another. We may try to act differently as individuals, but we&#8217;re all members of clubs, as Bernie often reminded us, consciously or not.</p><p>I remember driving across country and admiring the old pioneer families who settled in those vast plains, where women gave birth on their own and where many could not survive the terrible winters. Only later did I realize how much of this was done on the backs of Native Americans, whose land was stolen and their sustenance destroyed.</p><p>You may be part of a minority group, you may be a glorious human being, but you&#8217;re still part of that system, and if you look well enough, you&#8217;ll see and identify those who suffer as part of the system that you participate in. At the very least, it brings humility into the picture.</p><p>So, what should we do? There are certain clear-eyed people who see all this and turn their backs on the world. Not the Buddha. He is celebrated for his enlightenment, but I admire him for going back down to be with people and walk the earth. Just one thing interested him, and that was dealing with suffering. The compassion of that approach has always stunned and inspired me.</p><p>It doesn&#8217;t mean we don&#8217;t defend ourselves and others against violence. It doesn&#8217;t mean we don&#8217;t protect, shelter, and feed our families. We don&#8217;t ask whether to do those things, what we ask is: <em>How do we do this? What is appropriate here? What is skillful?</em></p><p>If you have a better way of working in this world, I&#8217;m curious to hear it.</p><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kxvb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc528b88c-bf4a-40fe-b5b8-2620cc1c75c9_275x183.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kxvb!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc528b88c-bf4a-40fe-b5b8-2620cc1c75c9_275x183.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kxvb!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc528b88c-bf4a-40fe-b5b8-2620cc1c75c9_275x183.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kxvb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc528b88c-bf4a-40fe-b5b8-2620cc1c75c9_275x183.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kxvb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc528b88c-bf4a-40fe-b5b8-2620cc1c75c9_275x183.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kxvb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc528b88c-bf4a-40fe-b5b8-2620cc1c75c9_275x183.webp" width="275" height="183" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c528b88c-bf4a-40fe-b5b8-2620cc1c75c9_275x183.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:183,&quot;width&quot;:275,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:7594,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kxvb!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc528b88c-bf4a-40fe-b5b8-2620cc1c75c9_275x183.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kxvb!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc528b88c-bf4a-40fe-b5b8-2620cc1c75c9_275x183.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kxvb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc528b88c-bf4a-40fe-b5b8-2620cc1c75c9_275x183.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kxvb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc528b88c-bf4a-40fe-b5b8-2620cc1c75c9_275x183.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photograph by Jon Katz</figcaption></figure></div><p><strong>Eve Marko</strong> is a Founding Teacher of the <a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/">Zen Peacemaker Order</a> and head teacher at the <a href="http://www.greenriverzen.org/">Green River Zen Center</a> in Massachusetts. She received Dharma Transmission and <em>inka</em> from Bernie Glassman. She is also a writer and editor of fiction and nonfiction.</p><p>Eve has trained spiritually-based social activists and peacemakers in the US, Europe, and the Middle East, and has been a Spiritholder at retreats <a href="http://www.evemarko.com/auschwitz/">bearing witness to genocide at Auschwitz-Birkenau</a>, Rwanda, and the <a href="http://www.evemarko.com/black-hills/">Black Hills in South Dakota</a>. Before that, she worked at the <a href="http://greyston.com/">Greyston Mandala</a>, which provides housing, child care, jobs, and AIDS-related medical services in Yonkers, New York.</p><p>Eve&#8217;s articles on social activists have appeared in the magazines <em><strong>Tricycle</strong></em>, <em><strong>Shambhala Sun</strong></em>, and <em><strong>Tikkun</strong></em>. Her collection of Zen koans for modern Zen practitioners in collaboration with Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao, <em><strong>The Book of Householder Koans: Waking Up In the Land of Attachments</strong></em>, came out in February 2020.</p><p><em><strong>Hunt for the Lynx</strong></em>, the first in her fantasy trilogy, <em><a href="http://www.evemarko.com/#dogsdiv">The Dogs of the Kiskadee Hills</a></em>, was published in 2016.</p><p><em>&#8220;When I was a young girl my dream was to be a hermit, live alone, and write serious literature. That&#8217;s not how things turned out. I got involved with people. I got involved in the world. Two things matter to me right now: the creative spark and the aliveness of personal connection. In some way, they both come down to the same thing.&#8221;</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[MOMENTS IN HISTORY]]></title><description><![CDATA[November 7, 2024 ~ Eve Marko]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/moments-in-history</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/moments-in-history</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 07 Nov 2024 23:55:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hr7O!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hr7O!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hr7O!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hr7O!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hr7O!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hr7O!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hr7O!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg" width="1456" height="1235" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1235,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1699287,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hr7O!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hr7O!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hr7O!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hr7O!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2577b34b-15b8-485b-bd97-204b9a1a7b1e_2560x2172.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I went to sleep on Tuesday evening way too early to catch any preliminary results of our national election, slept well, and was stunned by the headlines on Wednesday morning. There he was again, the man of the hour, the man of the past 8 years, the man I&#8217;d hoped not just to lose but to go to prison. This time the word <em>Triumph</em> flashed next to his name.</p><p>Th&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[US]]></title><description><![CDATA[September 11, 2024 ~ Eve Marko]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/us</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/us</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:49:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wwDJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wwDJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wwDJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wwDJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wwDJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wwDJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wwDJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg" width="1024" height="768" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:768,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:320514,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wwDJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wwDJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wwDJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wwDJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6147bda-6be6-4454-9d67-2f01e9d46102_1024x768.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>&#8220;In Arabic we say that every situation has a word or phrase that suits it perfectly.&#8221;</p><p>I wish I could find that word or phrase here, in the Middle East. Those words were said by a young woman sitting in the living room of Sami Awad&#8217;s home in Beit Jallah, above Bethlehem, in the West Bank. Many activists come to his home, stay a while, then go home. This y&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Mystery]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America - by Helen Tworkov]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/the-mystery</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/the-mystery</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jun 2024 17:35:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jPFV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4ac47458-4730-4102-a2fd-eeef5df4b483_1080x1350.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>(excerpt from Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America - by Helen Tworkov)<br><br></em><strong><br>The Mystery </strong></p><p>When I was four or five I started asking my mother questions about her mother.</p><p><em>Where is she?<br>She died, my mother said.<br>What was her name?<br>Anna.<br>How did she die?<br>She just died.<br>How old was she when she died?<br>I don't remember.<br>How old were you when she died?<br>I&#8230;</em></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[ONE-SIDED LOVE]]></title><description><![CDATA[May 13, 2024 ~ Eve Marko]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/one-sided-love</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/one-sided-love</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2024 16:08:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MDvv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MDvv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MDvv!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MDvv!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MDvv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MDvv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MDvv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg" width="472" height="656" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:656,&quot;width&quot;:472,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:81120,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MDvv!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MDvv!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MDvv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MDvv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4adfa75a-5288-4519-b41c-49f81b0c1005_472x656.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Aussie watching out for Boris</figcaption></figure></div><blockquote><p><em>Night deepens</em></p><p><em>with the sound</em></p><p><em>of a calling deer,</em></p><p><em>and I hear</em></p><p><em>my own one-sided love.</em></p></blockquote><p></p><p>These lines were written by Ono no Komachi, a Japanese woman poet who lived around the 9th century. It appeared in a book of love poems by Japanese women poets translated by Jane Hirshfield with Mariko Aratani. Given that it&#8217;s a love poem and seems &#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[WHERE AM I LIVING?]]></title><description><![CDATA[April 16, 2024 ~ Eve Marko]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/where-am-i-living</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/where-am-i-living</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 16:10:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XwuR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XwuR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XwuR!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XwuR!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XwuR!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XwuR!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XwuR!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg" width="768" height="576" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:576,&quot;width&quot;:768,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:158073,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XwuR!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XwuR!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XwuR!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XwuR!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F213eaa2f-ebb3-4c28-9a90-fcc144be3d94_768x576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>On Saturday night I spoke to both my sister and brother in Jerusalem as they awaited a drone and missile attack from Iran. Drones had already been launched, with a long travel time, and my sister told me it felt strange to lie in bed expecting drones, each with lots of explosives, to arrive and dropdown. These weren&#8217;t coming from the south, as did the r&#8230;</p>
      <p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bearing Witness to the Night]]></title><description><![CDATA[April 3, 2024 - Peter Pierson]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/bearing-witness-to-the-night</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/bearing-witness-to-the-night</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:38:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xuNT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xuNT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xuNT!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xuNT!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xuNT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xuNT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xuNT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png" width="374" height="592" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:592,&quot;width&quot;:374,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:468657,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xuNT!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xuNT!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xuNT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xuNT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15d278da-78ec-45a4-a506-c711dc982b00_374x592.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>March 2024</p><p>Many mornings, as something of a ritual affirming my connection to a Home Place, I log on and connect to a webcam feed from Big Sand Lake in northern Minnesota. Over a cup of coffee 600 miles away, I can look east from a webcam mounted on a pole at a resort&#8212;the same resort that serves as a backdrop in a photo found, among many, after my father&#8230;</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/bearing-witness-to-the-night">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Shadow Side of Not Knowing]]></title><description><![CDATA[February 5, 2024 - Ken Byalin]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/the-shadow-side-of-not-knowing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/the-shadow-side-of-not-knowing</guid><pubDate>Sun, 03 Mar 2024 14:45:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zZ2X!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zZ2X!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zZ2X!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zZ2X!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zZ2X!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zZ2X!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zZ2X!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp" width="700" height="934" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:934,&quot;width&quot;:700,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:75984,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zZ2X!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zZ2X!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zZ2X!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zZ2X!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0926c5f7-631b-4c48-9830-2dced0e08bf5_700x934.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I am scheduled for an angiogram, and it has been turning out to be a great teacher. Kind of reminded me of Bernie, pulling the rug out from under me. Here I am, having made the transition to retirement, settling into my writing practice. I was feeling very good, and we had a January vacation planned, ten nights in Antigua while Dee&#8217;s sister was in from &#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[NOT GOING ANYWHERE]]></title><description><![CDATA[February 21, 2024 ~ Eve Marko]]></description><link>https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/not-going-anywhere</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://voice.zenpeacemakers.org/p/not-going-anywhere</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Zen Peacemakers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 28 Feb 2024 12:48:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lj9D!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bd29f25-f5d8-48d3-b83f-e04ffa0a3cc1_1536x1152.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lj9D!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bd29f25-f5d8-48d3-b83f-e04ffa0a3cc1_1536x1152.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lj9D!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bd29f25-f5d8-48d3-b83f-e04ffa0a3cc1_1536x1152.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lj9D!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bd29f25-f5d8-48d3-b83f-e04ffa0a3cc1_1536x1152.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lj9D!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bd29f25-f5d8-48d3-b83f-e04ffa0a3cc1_1536x1152.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lj9D!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bd29f25-f5d8-48d3-b83f-e04ffa0a3cc1_1536x1152.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lj9D!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bd29f25-f5d8-48d3-b83f-e04ffa0a3cc1_1536x1152.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" 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stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>One morning I came to light incense for Kwan-yin, the goddess of compassion, and found a branch lying neatly at her feet. It had to be Henry, the small chihuahua mix, who always loves to bring branches for you to throw. Maybe he was hoping Kwan-yin would throw it for him, and maybe she did. It was a sweet gift to put there..</p><p>On Monday, Presidents Day, I &#8230;</p>
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