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Chesapeake Bay, St. Mary’s City, Maryland. Photo by Sandi Culliferblessing the boatsby Lucille Clifton(at St. Mary’s)Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedmay the tidethat is entering even nowthe lip of our understandingcarry you outbeyond the face of fearmay you kissthe wind then turn from itcertain that it willlove your back may youopen your eyes to wate

What keeps us feeling separate from each other?What keeps us thinking that we know the right way?What keeps us from seeing our unity?– Bernie Glassman, Bearing Witness: A Zen Master’s Lessons in Making PeaceIn just three weeks, Peacemakers from all walks of life will gather in Oświęcim, Poland for our Bearing Witness Retreat at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Nov 15-21. We go for the same reasons now as we di

Join Zen Peacemakers in November for a conversation with Roshi Joan Halifax exploring what she has called “the architecture of goodness.” She will share perspectives on motivation, intention, commitment, atonement, and vows from her upcoming book 'Unfinished Vow,' and how these principles can form the ground of a life oriented toward goodness."Human life inevitably includes confusion, contradictio

photo by Raed KarswaniAfter great pain a formal feeling comes —Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedAfter great pain a formal feeling comes —The nerves sit ceremonious like tombs;The stiff Heart questions — was it He that bore?And yesterday — or centuries before?The feet mechanical go roundA wooden wayOf ground or air or Ought,Regardless grown,A quartz contentmen

Mysteries, YesTruly, we live with mysteries too marvelousto be understood.How grass can be nourishing in themouths of the lambs.How rivers and stones are foreverin allegiance with gravitywhile we ourselves dream of rising.How two hands touch and the bonds willnever be broken.How people come, from delight or thescars of damage,to the comfort of a poem.Let me keep my distance, always, from thosewho

Photo by Alice KotlyarenkoText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedA clean patch of ground after it rainsan ancient pine half-covered with mosssuch scenes appear before us allbut what we do with them isn't the sameStonehouse (Shíwū), Poem 99 The Mountain Poems of StonehouseTranslated by Red Pine (Bill Porter)Join Zen Peacemakers for a Peacemaker Circle with Renowned

Dear Peacemakers,Because of you, our Fall Fundraiser was a success, and Zen Peacemakers’ community, programs, retreats, and trainings continue to thrive. Your generosity has strengthened the foundation that keeps our offerings free, accessible, and transformative for people around the world.Every gift, large or small, helps us bring people together across continents, nurture loving communities, an

BEARING WITNESS“When we bear witness to Auschwitz, at that moment there is no separation between us and the people who died. There is also no separation between us and the people who killed…It is not an act of will, it is an act of letting go. What we let go of is the concept of the person we think we are. It’s why we start from unknowing. Only then can we become all the voices of the universe — t

Jane Hirshfield’s first poem was published in The Nation in 1973, shortly after graduating from Princeton University as part of its first class to include freshman women. She then put aside her writing for nearly eight years to study at San Francisco Zen Center, included three years as a monastic at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the oldest Buddhist Soto Zen monastery in America.Of her decision to

Bearing Witness participants at Birkenau Ash PondDear friends, if you are considering attending the Bearing Witness Retreat in Auschwitz-Birkenau, now is the time to register and make your travel plans. Join us!LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HERE“When we bear witness to Auschwitz, at that moment there is no separation between us and the people who died. There is also no separation between us and the peop

Dear Peacemakers,With over 6,300 members and 74 Affiliate organizations, groups, and practice centers throughout the world, Zen Peacemakers continues to grow. We are deeply grateful for the dedication, presence, and care you bring to this community.This is the legacy Bernie Glassman entrusted to the Zen Peacemakers community: a life and practice rooted in not-knowing, bearing witness, and taking a

Jane Hirshfield at the Poets for Science “Teach-In” April 20, 2017 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy of poetsforscience.org.“Poetry and science each seek to ground our lives in both what exists and the sense of the large, of mystery and awe. Every scientist I know is grounded in curiosity, wonder, the spirit of exploration, the spirit of service. As is every poet. ~ Jane Hirs

“The Bearing Witness Retreat at Auschwitz is grounded in the three tenets articulated by Roshi Bernie Glassman: not-knowing, bearing witness, and loving action. Not-knowing means arriving without fixed ideas, without the armor of certainty. Bernie used to say it is like entering as a child, with every bone, every cell, every hair of your body open to what is actually there...From that open ground,

Our Bearing Witness Retreat in Auschwitzis just two months away. Join us!LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HERERabbi Eva Sax-Bolder is returning for the fourth year as ‘rabbi-in-residence’ at the Zen Peacemakers Bearing Witness Retreat in Auschwitz-Birkenau this November. In this article, first published in Boulder Jewish News, she shares her experience with the Three Tenets — Not-knowing, Bearing Witness,

Dear Peacemakers,We are in the final stretch of our Fall Fundraiser, and with just a short time left, we are reaching out with gratitude and with an invitation. Your support is what makes all of our work possible.This year, our community has grown in powerful ways, and your collective generosity has amplified that impact. Through online trainings connecting participants across continents and in-pe

The End and the Beginning (excerpt)Wisława SzymborskaText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThe End and the BeginningWisława SzymborskaTranslated by Stanisław Barańczak and Clare CavanaghAfter every warsomeone has to tidy up.Things won't pickthemselves up, after all.Someone has to shovethe rubble to the roadsidesso the carts loaded with corpsescan get by.…Someone,

Dear friends, our annual Bearing Witness Retreat in Auschwitz-Birkenau is just over two months away. Join us!LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HEREBernie Glassman and Krishna Das met soon after the 2015 Native American Bearing Witness Retreat in the Black Hills and shared about the practice of Bearing Witness and their personal moving experiences of the retreats in South Dakota USA and Auschwitz-Birkenau Po

Dear Peacemakers,Because of you, Zen Peacemakers creates spaces where people can confront suffering, open their hearts, and cultivate compassion. Every circle, program, and retreat we offer is rooted in the Three Tenets: Not-Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Taking Action, principles that guide us to meet the world with presence, courage, and care, inspired by the vision of Bernie Glassman.This year,

To Know the DarkWendell BerryText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedTo go in the dark with a light is to know the light.To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.There’s great power in the placewhere life and death come together.- Eve MarkoThis November, Zen Peacemakers from

Dear Peacemakers,I want to begin by warmly thanking our Peacemakers community for both your financial support as well as your participation in our programs, trainings, and retreats. The former makes the latter possible, as we offer all our activities free of charge, other than Bearing Witness retreats. I sincerely hope our offerings are supporting and inspiring you as you take action in the world.