Salutations
When you encounter a traveler on the path,
greet them.
Not because she may be
a God in disguise.
Not because she will give you
a fistful of magic beans,
nor because he will turn into your lost grandmother
and reveal some arcane but homely wisdom.
But because it is in your power to give
a beneficence.
Because the Chinese red blossoms of this aloe plant
are full of hummingbirds
and there is a fly on the window
trying to join them.
—Leslie Prosterman
Dear Peacemakers,
Last week I had the pleasure of hosting Peter Coyote for our Peacemaker Circle. Peter is a Zen priest, a teacher in the Suzuki lineage, an actor, activist and writer. He gave a rich and nuanced talk that fell into three natural parts that nicely mirrored our Three Tenets. Peter began with a very accessible description of basic Buddhist practice. He then went deep into his view of the current political and social predicament we find ourselves in, with historical precedents and a confirmation that if we are anxious, it is warranted. Finally, Peter led us into taking action: How to speak up, be in community, disrupt, but from a position of inclusion and unity.
Peter's talk was timely, and the hundred-plus people in attendance found it a useful teaching in these fraught times.
I very much recommend you watch and share the video, which you can find here:
https://zenpeacemakers.org/zpi-publishing/activity-and-stillness-with-peter-coyote/
Kind thanks,
Geoff
BEARING WITNESS RETREAT
Bearing Witness to Racism in America 2025
April 24, 2025 - April 28, 2025
It has long been our desire to create a bearing witness retreat around America’s racial history – as seen through the eyes of African Americans. The intention has always been to engage without becoming a tourist; to seek unity without ‘othering’ those with whom we Bear Witness.
This year we plan on walking the grounds of a deep history in the expansion of slavery, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights movement – Selma and Montgomery.
We intend our Plunge in Alabama to be personal and transformative, with attendees coming away with an emotional and heart connection with the people, places, and events we witness.
We hope you can join us.
FILM SERIES
I Am Not Your Negro
Purchase a ticket to for on-demand viewing between Feb 12 - March 14, 2025
Cost: $5.49 via KINEMA, proceeds go towards supporting our Bearing Witness Retreats
Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.
Purchase Tickets Here
Due to distribution limitations, tickets are only available within the U.S.A.
WAY OF COUNCIL
Council is one of our most important core Zen Peacemaker practices. We share Council during our Bearing Witness retreats most every day. In Council, we come together in a small group in a profound way. We create a shared liminal space that is safe, confidential, and perhaps sacred. We each listen and speak from the heart, encountering and experiencing one another gently and with awareness. We are not solving problems or debating issues or making plans. We are making a healing space for each of us to hear and be heard, see and be seen.
UPCOMING COUNCILS (click on title to learn more & register)
Friday, March 21st - Women Only Council
Monday, March 24th - Bearing Witness in Times of War
Monday, March 31st - Mental Health Professionals & Caregivers with Dr. Iris Dotan Katz
SERIES EVENT
EARTHING: A 5-Part Series on Not Squandering our Planet
First Session: Thursday, March 13th, 2pm Eastern Time, Zoom
Join David Loy for the first session in a 5-part Series: The New Bodhisattva Path. More and more of us realize the multiple ecological crises and their fast unfolding, tipping point after tipping point. At the same time, more and more of us engage in environmental education, resistance against more destruction, fostering and healing the Earth. Zen Peacemakers around the world are bearing witness and taking action from not-knowing to support the preservation and regeneration of our home sphere, to embody hands-on compassion as Ecosattvas. In this five part series of events we want to deepen our practice as Earth Stewards, share global perspectives and local experience, and invite you to join our Ecosattva community.
PEACEMAKER CIRCLE
Co-Founder of Zen Peacemakers Roshi Jishu Holmes Memorial
Thursday, March 20th, 12pm Eastern Time, Zoom
March 20th is the 27th anniversary of the passing of Roshi Sandra Jishu Angyo Holmes, the co-founder of the Zen Peacemaker Order and Zen priest of the White Plum Asanga. Her contribution to the Zen Peacemaker vision still reverberates today as we honor her life and service. Remembering Jishu helps us maintain a connection to our core values, provides a sense of identity for our community, and serves as reminder of our teachings and actions. Please join us in remembrance of Jishu.
AFFILIATE EVENT
Dear friends,
I'm glad to share that the registration for our Retreat in Brazil is open.
With the dedicated service of a little group of Brazilian volunteers - including Sandra and Marcelo, participants from Cohort 1 - we organized a beautiful program. In this 2025 edition of the Retreat, we will have the opportunity to listen to many more voices and to learn from many places linked with the tragedy of slavery and racism in Brazilian history. At the same time, we will share the richness of the Afro-Brazilian culture, alive and vibrant in the social reality of Bahia, the state of Brazil where the Retreat will happen.
Please, have a look at the website of the newborn Brazilian Zen Peacemaker Circle, and, if you feel the calling, give us the joy of receiving your Presence in our Retreat.
Thanks for your attention and support.
Jorge Koho Mello
on behalf of the CZPBR
AFFILIATE ANNOUNCEMENT
To strengthen our planetary network, ZP will feature newly affiliated groups. Join HERE to explore some of the offerings of the organizations affiliated with ZP, and visit here for a full list of these groups. Following is an introduction to the Sangha for Ukraine
Sangha for Ukraine
Compassion for Ukraine Mission: The Compassion for Ukraine community maintains a daily gathering to open our minds and hearts, and radiate compassion to all who are suffering as a result of the invasion and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Our daily practice is based on traditions and practices of Buddhist meditation and mind training, with a focus on the practice of tonglen. In addition to our practice, we bear witness to the impacts of the war and learn from our Ukrainian friends about their experience and concerns, and about Ukrainian history and culture. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
TAKING ACTION - Prison Outreach
Letter Writing Campaign
Compassion Prison Project has been told by several prison residents that nothing brightens their day more than hearing their name called during mail call.
They have also heard from letter writers on the outside that their lives have been deeply enriched by the relationships they’ve cultivated with the incarcerated men and women with whom they communicate. Expressive writing can be therapeutic and healing and can also cultivate a sense of belonging and connection.
CPP is always looking for volunteers to join their letter writing campaign. Please fill out the volunteer form and let them know that you’d like to write to someone living in a prison.
CPP is a grassroots, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
May we fulfill our vows to free and save all sentient beings.
JOIN ZEN PEACEMAKERS TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PRISON OUTREACH
ZAZEN
Experience a connection with your personal landscape through the transformative power of online meditation sessions with the Zen Peacemakers. Whether you're part of a local sangha or other spiritual community, we invite you to join us in this virtual space where we can gather across geographies and time zones.
Join us for these online meditation sessions and experience the profound benefits of collective mindfulness. The Zen Peacemakers are here to support you on this transformative journey.
Monday - Friday
10:00 - 10:40 am US Eastern
MORE INFO HERE
Haiku
Monthly Haiku Page
Please participate in our Haiku Poetry Challenge
OFFERING
The Bernie Koans
Edited by: Ken Byalin, Francisco "Paco" Lugovina, Christopher Panos
‘It’s just my opinion, man’, as Bernie would say. We all have our opinions about Roshi Bernie Glassman. To some of us, he is the stern head monk at Zen Center of LA; to others, he is the socially engaged Buddhist who built up the Greyston Bakery and Foundation. To others he is the founder of Zen Peacemakers International and the instigator of bearing witness plunges on the city streets and at Auschwitz and to others he is the clown, the founder of the Order of Disorder. He is all of these and more. As the stories in the book show, he is Bernie, the mensch, who spent his life feeding the hungry ghosts of society and teaching that Zen is to realize the oneness and interconnectedness of life.
-Gerry Shishin Wick, grateful Dharma brother and disciple of Roshi Bernie
Peacemakers Podcast—a space where compassion, action, and deep listening come together. Presented by Zen Peacemakers, this podcast explores the transformative power of the Three Tenets: Not-Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Taking Action.
Join us as we engage with activists, spiritual leaders, and people just like you who embody the principles of peacemaking in their lives and work. Through their stories, we uncover the challenges and insights that arise when we step into the unknown, witness suffering, and respond with wisdom and love.
Whether you're a longtime practitioner or new to these teachings, we invite you to listen deeply, reflect, and discover how peacemaking can become a way of life.
Let’s walk this path together.
Thank you for reading this week's Zen Peacemakers newsletter.
We look forward to connecting at upcoming events, on social media, and via email.
With gratitude,
The Zen Peacemakers Team