Bowery, NY, July 20-22, 2012 with Bernie and Roshi Grover Genro Gauntt:
Registration fee: $108
Those attending are asked to raise a mala (see mala description by clicking on mala toggle below) of 18 beads of $108 and one large bead of $1,080.
Bernie will be on the retreat July 20 & 21. Genro will be on the full retreat.
We go on the streets with no money and just the clothes on our back. We eat in soup kitchens and beg for money or food at times when soup kitchens are not open. We sleep outdoors or in abandoned housing, though not in shelters since there are not enough beds. We don’t say we’re homeless; we’re simply living on the streets for several days, relying on the generosity of the streets to take care of us. While at times we break up into smaller groups, we come together several times a day to share our experiences in a council practice and chant the Gate of Sweet Nectar liturgy, which is about feeding the hungry ghosts. We also spend our nights together.
This is a powerful practice of not-knowing and bearing witness, where the unpredictable life on the streets is the main teacher. It is a time of raw intimacy, a plunge into a side of life we look at only rarely.
Street Retreats are described in detail in Bernie Glassman’s book, Bearing Witness: A Zen Master’s Lessons on Living a Life That Matters.
You abide by the rules of street retreats. The first is the assembly of a mala. Mala practice is also a core practice of the Zen Peacemakers, in essence a begging practice. We are asking you to beg family, friends, and associates to do the street retreat. You can not use your own funds for this purpose, you must ask for money from others.
2,500 years ago Shakyamuni Buddha led his Buddhist monks each morning in theWe continue this begging practice by assembling a Mala, or beads that are strung together and worn like a bracelet or necklace. Each bead represents a person who sponsors that participant’s street retreat, and the entire Mala represents the Member’s community of support. We will wear our malas on the street retreat. For more information on malas, click on the “Malas” toggle below.
The raising of the registration fee, by begging, is the beginning of the participation in the street retreats. It raises the participant’s consciousness and that of others towards living on the streets, begging for sustenance and the work of the inner-city. It is an initiation into the life of a street dweller. Some notes about the retreat itself. We ask that you: Not shave, nor wash your hair for 1 week to 10 days prior to the retreat. This will also start your street experience prior to leaving home. Wear old clothes, as many layers as you feel appropriate for the time of year, and do not bring any change of clothes for the retreat. Wear good, but not new, walking shoes. Bring one piece of ID only (this is required by some shelters). Do not bring any money. Do not wear any jewelry including ear rings and watches. Besides the clothes you are wearing, bring only an empty bag (shopping, plastic) for collecting food from shelters, etc. You should not bring any books, bedding, conveniences etc. Prior to the retreat, there is an orientation for all those attending the retreat. We hand out Street Sheets that list soup kitchens, shelters, etc. in the areas that we stay. We give maps and introduce the retreatants to their street cohorts and facilitators. We then discuss what to expect but the unexpected is the main teacher on the street.
Contact Information:
Zen Peacemakers Phone: (413) 367-5278
Fax: 508 507-4105
email: ari@zenpeacemakers.com
We continue this begging practice by raising support for our work by assembling a mala, or beads that are strung together and worn like a necklace. Each bead represents a person who supports that member’s vision and work, and the entire mala represents the Member’s community of support.
This is a practice of giving and receiving. By asking for support from family, friends, and associates, we acknowledge that as individuals, we are limited in what we can do. We depend on the generosity of others to increase our membership, train more peacemakers, and develop and support more programs. This is one more way in which we bear witness in the interdependence of life.
Another important aspect of mala practice is the incorporation of the ministry of money in our program. The assembly of malas insures that money management and fundraising are not seen as foreign to peacemaking work; instead, the give-and-take of money is the compassionate, unobstructed flow of energy that nourishes and transforms our activities.
Mala practice also gives us the opportunity to share our work with our families, friends, and associates. Most of us lead professional work lives and have families. By raising money for our Socially Engaged Buddhist work, we publicize its activities, and most important, our own commitment. By wearing the beads we have assembled, we take our supporters with us in our peacemaking endeavors and on Bearing Witness retreats such as Auschwitz, thus making family and friends an intimate part of this peacemaking journey.
For the April 2012 Street Retreat please assemble a mala (not from your personal funds) consisting of 18 small beads worth $108 each and 1 large bead worth $1,080. (This is in addtion to your registration fee of $108.)
The names (initials) of each donor or donors are written on the beads. Beads from individuals or from groups or families are equally appreciated. When you offer a bead, you will be working, training, studying and traveling with us wherever we go.