<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Zen Peacemakers</title>
	<atom:link href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://zenpeacemakers.org</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sun, 19 May 2013 19:53:37 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Roshi Anne Seisen Saunders voted in as the new President of the White Plum Asanga</title>
		<link>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/05/roshi-anne-seisen-saunders-voted-in-as-the-new-president-of-the-white-plum-asanga/</link>
		<comments>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/05/roshi-anne-seisen-saunders-voted-in-as-the-new-president-of-the-white-plum-asanga/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 23:37:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bernie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://zenpeacemakers.org/?p=6946</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img width="170" height="170" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/seisen.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="seisen" /></p>Roshi Anne Seisen Saunders has been voted in as the President of the White Plum Asanga during its annual meeting in May 2013. She replaces Roshi Gerry Shishin Wick, the 3rd President, who served in that role for 6 years. Roshi Anne Seisen Saunders is the founder and head teacher of Sweetwater Zen Center. She [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img width="170" height="170" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/seisen.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="seisen" /></p><p><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/seisen1.jpg" rel="lightbox[6946]" title="seisen"><img class="alignleft" title="seisen" alt="" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/seisen1-150x150.jpg" width="120" height="120" /></a> <strong>Roshi Anne Seisen Saunders</strong> has been voted in as the President of the White Plum Asanga during its annual meeting in May 2013. She replaces Roshi Gerry Shishin Wick, the 3rd President, who served in that role for 6 years.</p>
<p>Roshi Anne Seisen Saunders is the founder and head teacher of Sweetwater Zen Center. She has been practicing and teaching Zen Buddhism for over 30 years. Seisen was a student of the late Taizan Maezumi Roshi and is a Dharma successor of Roshi Bernie Glassman from whom she also received Inka (Roshi status.)</p>
<p><strong>The White Plum Asanga</strong> is an affinity organization of <a href="http://www.whiteplum.org/wpa_teachers.htm">peers</a> in the lineage of Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi, Roshi. The Asanga provides opportunities for amicable association and for sharing common experiences, and a forum through which members can support each other. The Asanga is not a sanctioning or disciplinary organization.</p>
<p>Asanga membership is open to all Dharma Successors in the direct lineage of Maezumi Roshi who are approved by 2/3 of the existing members at the meeting where the proposal for membership is presented. Membership can be revoked upon a vote of a similar percentage of the members as provided in the bylaws.</p>
<p>The White Plum Asanga is a not-for-profit entity organized under the laws of the State of New York.</p>
<p>The White Plum Asanga affirms integrity, honesty, and humility as central to the practice of our Dharma teaching. We affirm non-harming in our relations with all those whom we encounter. We collectively vow to maintain our lineage as a vital branch of the Dharma tree, and to keep it as clear as possible from harmful actions.We also recognize that, from the very root of our lineage, we have experienced misconduct in the areas of sex and alcohol. And, there have been occasions of abuse of power, sex and money in succeeding generations. We express our sincere apology to all those who have been harmed in any way by these actions. We resolve to act affirmatively to transform our collective karma by censure, healing and restitution.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/05/roshi-anne-seisen-saunders-voted-in-as-the-new-president-of-the-white-plum-asanga/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Koans on the Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers</title>
		<link>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/04/koans-on-the-three-tenets-of-the-zen-peacemakers/</link>
		<comments>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/04/koans-on-the-three-tenets-of-the-zen-peacemakers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:41:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bernie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://zenpeacemakers.org/?p=6884</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img width="300" height="279" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/bernie-eve-300x279.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="bernie-eve" /></p>Roshi Eve Myonen Marko and I (Bernie Glassman) have started a Koan System based on  the Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers.  We will probably wind up with two different sets of koans (hers and his) and I have posted my initial thoughts on this koan system. The Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers  Entering [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img width="300" height="279" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/bernie-eve-300x279.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="bernie-eve" /></p><p><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/eve_marko.jpg" rel="lightbox[6884]" title="eve_marko"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-4307" title="eve_marko" alt="" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/eve_marko-150x150.jpg" width="120" height="120" /></a><br />
<a title="bernie_paris" href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/bernie_paris.jpg" rel="lightbox[4525]"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-4526" title="bernie_paris" alt="" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/bernie_paris.jpg" width="149" height="115" /></a></p>
<h4>Roshi Eve Myonen Marko and I (Bernie Glassman) have started a Koan System based on  the Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers.  We will probably wind up with two different sets of koans (hers and his) and I have posted my <a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/3-tenet-koans/">initial thoughts on this koan system</a>.</h4>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>The Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers</strong></p>
<p> Entering the stream of Socially Engaged Spirituality, I vow to live a life of:</p>
<ul>
<li>Not-knowing, thereby giving up fixed ideas about ourselves and the universe</li>
<li>Bearing witness to the joy and suffering of the world</li>
<li>Loving actions towards ourselves and others</li>
</ul>
<p>The Three Tenets serve as the foundation for the Zen Peacemakers’ work and practice. Using the Three Tenets as an orientation transforms service into spiritual practice. Specifically, these practices suspend separation and hierarchy, and open direct encounter between equals as the spirit and style of the services offered through Zen Houses.</p>
<p>Not-knowing drops our conceptual framework from very personal biases and assumptions to such concepts as &#8220;in and out&#8221; &#8220;good and bad&#8221; &#8220;name and form,&#8221; &#8220;coming and going.&#8221; Not-knowing is a state of open presence without separation.</p>
<p>In this state we can Bear Witness, the second Tenet, merging or joining with an individual, situation or environment, deeply imbibing their essence. From this intimate &#8220;knowing,&#8221; we can then choose an appropriate response to the person or situation, described as &#8220;taking loving actions,&#8221; our third Tenet. This gives rise to the holistic, integrated, wrap-around style of service projects inspired by Bernie&#8217;s vision.</p>
<p>In speaking about the Three Tenets as separate practices and phases of consciousness, we are making deference to the discriminating mind. They are actually a continual flow, each containing and giving rise to the others.</p>
<p>&#8230;&#8230;.<strong><a href="/?page_id=6857" data-cke-saved-href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/3-tenet-koans/">Read More about the Koan System</a></strong></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/04/koans-on-the-three-tenets-of-the-zen-peacemakers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What are Bearing Witness Retreats? &#8211; Bernie Glassman</title>
		<link>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/what-are-bearing-witness-retreats/</link>
		<comments>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/what-are-bearing-witness-retreats/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:07:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bernie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://zenpeacemakers.org/?p=6822</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img width="175" height="239" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/BernieFaceRight.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="BernieFaceRight" /></p>In the days of Shakyamini Buddha, during the rainy season, Buddha would stop his meandering and spend time with his monks and nuns in one locale. In Japanese this period is called Ango, a period in space and time of peace. In English we use the word retreat to often mean “getting away from the [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img width="175" height="239" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/BernieFaceRight.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="BernieFaceRight" /></p><p>In the days of Shakyamini Buddha, during the rainy season, Buddha would stop his meandering and spend time with his monks and nuns in one locale. In Japanese this period is called Ango, a period in space and time of peace. In English we use the word retreat to often mean “getting away from the issues of the world.” A Bearing Witness Retreat is becoming one with the “issues of the world.” A Zen Meditation Retreat is to bear witness to the wholeness of life. I use the word “plunge” for my Bearing Witness Retreats. To plunge into the unknown, i.e., to plunge into that which my rational mind can’t fathom. These plunges or Bearing Witness Retreats have helped folks let go of their attachments to their ideas or concepts and experience things as they are.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Auschwitz</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Bearing Witness Retreat</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Nov 4-8, 2013</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/events/bearing-witness-retreat-at-auschwitzbirkenau/" data-cke-saved-href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wordpress/events/bearing-witness-retreat-at-auschwitzbirkenau/">READ MORE/REGISTER</a></p>
<p align="left"><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org//wp-content/uploads/2011/08/tracks1.jpg" rel="lightbox[6822]" title="tracks"><img class="alignleft" title="tracks" alt="" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org//wp-content/uploads/2011/08/tracks1.jpg" width="138" height="138" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> Bernie Glassman and the Zen Peacemakers are returning for the 18th year to the old site of the concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, in Oświęcim, Poland, for a Bearing Witness Retreat in November 2013.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Rwanda</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Bearing Witness Retreat</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>April 14-19, 2014</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/?page_id=6212" data-cke-saved-href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/2014-bearing-witness-retreat-in-rwanda/">READ MORE/REGISTER</a></p>
<div id="attachment_5514" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 167px"><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DoraIssa2.jpeg" rel="lightbox[6822]" title="Dora&amp;Issa2"><img class="wp-image-5514" title="Dora&amp;Issa2" alt="" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DoraIssa2-300x221.jpg" width="157" height="117" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Dora Urujeni and Issa Higiro</p></div>
<p style="text-align: left;">In April 2014, Zen Masters Bernie Glassman and Grover Genro Gauntt will go to Rwanda to bear witness to the Rwanda genocide. You are invited to join them for this Bearing Witness Retreat.</p>
<div> Dora Urujeni and Issa Higiro, representing Memos, will be our hosts in Rwanda.The retreat will be multi-faith and multinational in character, based on the Zen Peacemakers’ Three Tenets: Not-Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Loving Action.</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/what-are-bearing-witness-retreats/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What is Enlightenment?-Bernie Glassman</title>
		<link>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/what-is-enlightenment/</link>
		<comments>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/what-is-enlightenment/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:46:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bernie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://zenpeacemakers.org/?p=6817</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img width="175" height="239" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/BernieFaceRight.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="BernieFaceRight" /></p>The word Buddha means the Awakened One. Awaken to what? My opinion is that we awaken to the Oneness of Life, the One Body. That is my opinion of enlightenment. This awakening keeps deepening and deepening. What do I mean by deepening? Most of us are enlightened to the Oneness of our own body. I [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img width="175" height="239" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/BernieFaceRight.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="BernieFaceRight" /></p><p>The word Buddha means the Awakened One. Awaken to what? My opinion is that we awaken to the Oneness of Life, the One Body. That is my opinion of enlightenment. This awakening keeps deepening and deepening. What do I mean by deepening? Most of us are enlightened to the Oneness of our own body. I think that my arms, my legs, my face, etc. are all part of One Body. In fact I generally act according to that opinion without thinking about it. It is very natural to do so and, in fact, if I didn’t act that way, people might say I am deluded.</p>
<p>Kōbō-Daishi (774–835, founder of Shingon Sect) said that we can tell the depth of a person’s enlightenment by how they serve others. If they are focused on themselves, they have awakened to the Oneness of themselves. If they are focused on their family, they have awakened to the Oneness of their family. If they are focused on their nation, they have awakened to the Oneness of their nation, etc., etc.  In my opinion, the Dalai Lama has awakened to the Oneness of the Universe.</p>
<p>The bottom line for me is that the person has realized and is living the realization of the interconnectedness of life (the oneness of life). For me, that’s the awakening. For me, the enlightenment experience is awakening to the interconnectedness of life, that oneness of life; independent of what institution you belong to you can have that realization and you can function that way, and you could be within the Buddhist institutions and not be functioning that way.</p>
<p>So that’s my standard for making somebody a teacher. I don’t even like the word empowering or transmitting. I like the word recognizing. I recognize somebody as a teacher in my family, the Zen Peacemakers, if I feel that they are living a life that shows they are an exemplar of someone who has awakened to the interconnectedness of life.</p>
<p>&#8230;&#8230;.<strong><a href="/?page_id=4734" data-cke-saved-href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/just-my-opinion-man-4/">Read More of Bernie&#8217;s Opinions</a></strong></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/what-is-enlightenment/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers</title>
		<link>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/the-three-tenets-of-the-zen-peacemakers/</link>
		<comments>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/the-three-tenets-of-the-zen-peacemakers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:31:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bernie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://zenpeacemakers.org/?p=6780</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img width="175" height="239" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/BernieFaceRight.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="BernieFaceRight" /></p>Not-knowing is the first tenet of the Zen Peacemakers. Not-Knowing is entering a situation without being attached to any opinion, idea or concept. This means total openness to the situation, deep listening to the situation. It is the role of the Bodhisattva to bear witness. The Buddha can stay in the realm of not-knowing, the [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img width="175" height="239" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/BernieFaceRight.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="BernieFaceRight" /></p><p>Not-knowing is the first tenet of the Zen Peacemakers. Not-Knowing is entering a situation without being attached to any opinion, idea or concept. This means total openness to the situation, deep listening to the situation.</p>
<p>It is the role of the Bodhisattva to bear witness. The Buddha can stay in the realm of not-knowing, the realm of blissful non-attachment. The Bodhisattva vows to save the world, and therefore to live in the world of attachment, for that is also the world of empathy, passion, and compassion. Ultimately, she accepts all the difficult feelings and experiences that arise as part of every-day life as nothing but ways of revelation, each pointing to the present moment as the moment of enlightenment.<br />
Bearing witness gives birth to a deep and powerful intelligence that does not depend on study or action, but on presence.<br />
We bear witness to the joy and suffering that we encounter. Rather than observing the situation, we become the situation. We became intimate with whatever it is – disease, war, poverty, death. When you bear witness you’re simply there, you don’t flee.<br />
Loving Actions are those actions that arise naturally when one enters a situation in the state of not-knowing and then bears witness to that situation. It has nothing to do with the one’s opinions or other’s opinions as to whether it is loving actions or not.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/the-three-tenets-of-the-zen-peacemakers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Place at the Table</title>
		<link>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/a-place-at-the-table/</link>
		<comments>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/a-place-at-the-table/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:05:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bernie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://zenpeacemakers.org/?p=6773</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img width="168" height="174" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/jeff-bridges.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="jeff-bridges" /></p>A Place at the Table is produced by Participant Media, which has a history of making slickly-produced documentaries that take on large issues, and this film is no different as it touches on multiple topics like subsidies for industrial farms, the social stigma of accepting food donations, the effects hunger has on early childhood development, [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img width="168" height="174" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/jeff-bridges.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="jeff-bridges" /></p><p><em><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/a-place-at-the-table/id606045570">A Place at the Table</a> </em> is produced by Participant Media, which has a history of making slickly-produced documentaries that take on large issues, and this film is no different as it touches on multiple topics like subsidies for industrial farms, the social stigma of accepting food donations, the effects hunger has on early childhood development, school meal programs and the pathetic amount the government allots per child per meal, and a lot more, featuring interviews with people like food activist Marion Nestle, <em>Top Chef</em>&#8216;s Tom Colicchio, Witness to Hunger&#8217;s Mariana Chilton, and actor Jeff Bridges, who&#8217;s the founder of the End Hunger Network.</p>
<p>As was true with other Participant documentaries like <em><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-kim/rethink-review-emfood-inc_b_248401.html" target="_hplink">Food, Inc</a></em>. and <em><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-kim/rethink-review-emcountdow_b_675938.html" target="_hplink">Countdown to Zero</a></em>, <em>A Place at the Table</em> is meant to give you a general overview of a complex, multi-faceted issue. A lot of topics get touched on, many of which could probably be the subject of their own film, so if you&#8217;re looking for a lot of detail or in-depth investigative work, you won&#8217;t necessarily find it here. But what you will get, which I think a lot of people (including myself) need, is a general overview of how bad the hunger and nutrition problem is in America and why our system is so screwed up.</p>
<p>The film also raises questions that must be asked and answered. For instance, why does the U.S. government give more in subsidies to giant industrial farms that feed the processed food industry than it does to small farms that grow fruits and vegetables? Why does the richest country in the world allow so many of its citizens, particularly children, to go hungry? Why do we allow republicans to paint programs like food stamps and school meals as government handouts to the lazy when they&#8217;re actually an investment, since America&#8217;s future and economy will only succeed if we&#8217;re able to produce healthy, attentive kids who will become the educated workforce modern industries require?</p>
<p>As is often the case, even with a challenge as big as hunger, awareness and legislation are the key, and <em>A Place at the Table</em> is a great way to spread awareness about food insecurity and to start the discussion on ending hunger in America. After all, if we accept the fact that too many Americans suffer from food insecurity, and that the US is both the richest and the fattest country in world history, is it really asking too much that our government, not a patchwork of overextended charities, should ensure that all Americans, especially children, have enough to eat?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/03/a-place-at-the-table/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Report From Journey to Sri Lanka</title>
		<link>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/02/report-from-journey-to-sri-lanka/</link>
		<comments>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/02/report-from-journey-to-sri-lanka/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:31:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bernie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://zenpeacemakers.org/?p=6698</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sarvodaya, Sri Lanka&#8217;s biggest charity, is dedicated to making a positive difference to the lives of rural Sri Lankans. Their grassroots movement reaches 15,000 villages in 34 districts with 1,500 staff throughout Sri Lanka. The Founder, A. T. Ariyaratne and Bernie have been friends and have shared ideas for 30 years. In January, 2012, Bernie, [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_3729" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 161px"><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ariyaratne.jpg" rel="lightbox[6698]" title="ariyaratne"><img title="ariyaratne" alt="" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ariyaratne.jpg" width="151" height="158" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Founder of the Sarvodaya Movement of Sri Lanka Dr. A.T Ariyaratne</p></div>
<p>Sarvodaya, Sri Lanka&#8217;s biggest charity, is dedicated to making a positive difference to the lives of rural Sri Lankans. Their grassroots movement reaches 15,000 villages in 34 districts with 1,500 staff throughout Sri Lanka.<br />
The Founder, A. T. Ariyaratne and Bernie have been friends and have shared ideas for 30 years. In January, 2012, Bernie, Grant Couch, Sensei Francisco Paco Lugoviña, Iris Katz and Tani Katz visited Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka. They met with various leaders of Sarvodaya to discuss banking, educational and general finance issues.</p>
<p>Bernie continues to keep busy&#8230;I just got back from joining him in Sri Lanka meeting with Dr AT Ariyaratne &#8220;Ari&#8221;, the founder of Sarvodaya which is a social movement established over 50 yrs ago and is based on &#8220;Awakening of All&#8221;.  It is a very inspiring model of empowering villagers to come together to solve their own needs &#8211; at the grassroots level with self sufficiency.  Ari met Bernie around 30 years ago when he visited Greyston in Yonkers to study Bernie&#8217;s success using &#8220;social enterprise&#8221; for solving a communities needs.  It was a real privilege to spend time with these two leaders of local level, social transformation.  (I also felt blessed to be able to make a contribution by sharing my experiences/challenges in dealing with central banks &#8211; Sarvodaya just received approval to come under Sri Lanka&#8217;s Central Bank supervision.)&#8212;-<em>Grant Couch</em></p>
<p><b>About Sri Lanka</b></p>
<div id="post-wrap">
<div>
<div>
<p>Sarvodaya is Sri Lanka’s largest people’s organisation. Over the last 50 years we have become a network of over 15,000 villages. Today we are engaged in relief efforts in the war-torn north as well as ongoing development projects.</p>
<p>Sarvodaya’s organization includes 345 divisional units, 34 district offices; 10 specialist Development Education Institutes; over 100,000 youth mobilised for peace building under Shantisena; the country’s largest micro-credit organization with a cumulative loan portfolio of over US$1million (through SEEDS, Sarvodaya Economic Enterprise Development Services); a major welfare service organisation serving over 1,000 orphaned and destitute children, underage mothers and elders (Sarvodaya Suwa Setha); and 4,335 pre-schools serving over 98,000 children.</p>
<p>Sarvodaya’s total budget exceeds USD 5 million with 1,500 full-time employees. When combined with numerous volunteer workers, this yields a full time equivalent of approximately 200,000, which places Sarvodaya on a par with the entire plantation sector in Sri Lanka.</p>
<p>Sarvodaya (formally knowns as Lanka Jatika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya) is an organisation developed around a set of coherent philosophical tenets drawn from Buddhism and Gandhian thought; it has been operational for almost 50 years. It has been described as an international role model by international bodies. Its founder and charismatic leader, Dr A.T. Ariyaratne, whose visionary contributions have been recognised in multiple countries, continues to provide ideological and inspirational leadership to the organisation while the day-to-day operations are in the hands of a new generation, receptive to modern forms of management that are compatible with the overall vision of this volunteer-based peoples’ organisation.</p>
<p><b>History</b></p>
<p>The Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement started 47 years ago. Sarvodaya is Sanskrit for “Awakening of All”, and Shramadana means to donate effort. Beginning in just one village and extending the movement to a total of more than 15,000 has been a fascinating adventure. Initially it involved an education program aimed at enabling students and teachers to live and work with the most remote village communities in Sri Lanka to lend a hand and develop self help initiatives. Within nine years, however, the “service learning programme” had expanded into a full-fledged development movement in hundreds of villages, with the goal of a comprehensive and nonviolent social transformation. During its first 15 years, Sarvodaya grew with hardly any foreign aid or state support, relying on volunteer labour, mostly from the beneficiaries themselves.</p>
<p>By the late 1970s, the Sarvodaya Movement, with support from partner organisations in more prosperous countries, became capable of reaching nearly every part of Sri Lanka. The programme of self-reliance, community participation and an holistic approach to community “awakening” appealed not only to the people in poor communities, but also to donors. Thousands of young women and men learned how to motivate and organise people in their own villages to meet the ten basic human needs, ranging from a clean and adequate drinking-water supply to simple housing and sanitation, communications facilities, an energy supply, education and ways of satisfying spiritual and cultural needs.</p>
<p>During its first three decades, the Sarvodaya Movement was able – initially without any assistance, and later within a framework of development cooperation with like-minded organisations – to become one of the largest participatory organisations in this region if not the world.</p>
<p>The momentum of the movement was such that by the early 1990s, in spite of harassment by the government and political violence, Sarvodaya had achieved an enormous outreach. The movement’s work now included peace building, conflict resolution, appropriate technology and programmes for children at risk, elders and those with disabilities all the while focusing on a holistic approach to social mobilisation through empowerment of people beyond mere economic development.</p>
<p>At around the same time, international priorities changed, switching to economic development strategies. Large projects and macro-interventions began to dominate the scene amongst donors, and Sarvodaya, which had originally attracted attention due to its broader based philosophy, became the victim of its own success. In 1991, when 85% of its external aid dried up, the movement was forced to go back to its roots. From then on, we relied on so-called pioneer villages to provide support for the surrounding communities still requiring development. In addition, we reduced the numbers of paid staff and counted on the commitment of Sarvodaya’s long-term supporters to keep the movement on course.</p>
<p>The Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement has now become stronger than ever before. A new administrative management at national level is supporting a motivated group of emerging leaders at the village and district levels. Although almost one-third of the districts supported by Sarvodaya is not financed by outside partners, they are nevertheless surviving in the knowledge that in the long term, progress for them will result from partnership and self-sustaining development activities rather than from charity. Our important role in peacemaking, community building, and securing a certain quality of life in Sri Lanka is undiminished, and our will to achieve innovation in the social, ethical, cultural, spiritual and economic fields is constantly nourished by partners who have the confidence that our 47 years of experience – including periods of hardship – have a certain value.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/02/report-from-journey-to-sri-lanka/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Receive the Dude  and  the Zen Master</title>
		<link>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/01/receive-the-dude-and-the-zen-master/</link>
		<comments>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/01/receive-the-dude-and-the-zen-master/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Jan 2013 18:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bernie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://zenpeacemakers.org/?p=6629</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img width="300" height="209" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/bernie-jeff2-300x209.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="bernie-jeff" /></p>I met the Dude on DVD sometime in the late 1990s. A few years later I met Jeff Bridges in Santa Barbara and we started hanging, as he likes to put it, often while smoking cigars. Jeff has done movies from an early age; less known, but almost as long-standing, is his commitment to ending [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img width="300" height="209" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/bernie-jeff2-300x209.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="bernie-jeff" /></p><p>I met the Dude on DVD sometime in the late 1990s. A few years later I met Jeff Bridges in Santa Barbara and we started hanging, as he likes to put it, often while smoking cigars. Jeff has done movies from an early age; less known, but almost as long-standing, is his commitment to ending world hunger. I was an aeronautical engineer and mathematician in my early years, but mostly I’ve taught Zen Buddhism, and that’s where we both met. Not just in meditation, which is what most people think of when they hear Zen, but the Zen of action, of living freely in the world without causing harm, of relieving our own suffering and the suffering of others.</p>
<p>We soon discovered that we would often be joined by another shadowy figure, somebody called the Dude. We both liked his way of putting things and it’s fun to learn from someone you can’t see. Only his words were so pithy they needed more expounding; hence, this book.</p>
<p>Donate (tax deductible, proceeds go to supporting the work of the Zen Peacemakers) to receive Signed Book by Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman. $50 or more. (Includes shipping and handling fees.)</p>
<p>Purchase (unsigned) to support work of Zen Peacemakers and to Enjoy! $28 (Includes shipping and handling fees.)</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Use Following Donate Button to pay fees. List what the fees are for in the comments bloc on the Donation Page. <strong>You can also send a check payable to Zen Peacemakers to Laurie at <strong>PO Box 460, Sunderland, MA 01375. <strong><strong>If you prefer paying by phone, call Laurie at 1-(413) 367-5278, she will tell you the fee required and she will take your credit card information.</strong></strong></strong></strong><br />
</strong></p>
<p><center><input type="hidden" name="hosted_button_id" value="JCE8JR5JYMQ5N" /></center>&nbsp;</p>
<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"><input type="image" alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" name="submit" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" /></form>
<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"><img alt="" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1" border="0" /></form>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Table of Contents</p>
<p>JUST THROW THE FU**ING BALL, MAN!<br />
1. Sometimes You Eat the Bear, and Sometimes, Well, He Eats You<br />
2. It’s Down There Somewhere, Let Me Take Another Look<br />
3. Dude, You’re Being Very UnDude</p>
<p>THE DUDE ABIDES AND THE DUDE IS NOT IN<br />
4. Yeah, Well, Ya Know, That’s Just Like, uh, Your Opinion, Man<br />
5. Phone’s Ringin’, Dude<br />
6. New Sh** Has Come to Light</p>
<p>THAT RUG REALLY TIED THE ROOM TOGETHER, DID IT NOT?<br />
7. You Know, Dude, I Myself Dabbled in Pacifism at One Point. Not in ’Nam, Of Course.<br />
8. You Mean Coitus?<br />
9. What Makes a Man, Mr. Lebowski?<br />
10. What Do You Do, Mr. Lebowski?<br />
11. Nothing’s Fu**ed, Dude</p>
<p>ENJOYIN’ MY COFFEE<br />
12. Sorry, I Wasn’t Listening<br />
13. Strikes and Gutters, Ups and Downs<br />
14. Some Burgers, Some Beers, a Few Laughs. Our Fu**ing Troubles Are Over, Dude.<br />
15. Say, Friend, Ya Got Any More of That Good Sarsaparilla?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/01/receive-the-dude-and-the-zen-master/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Israeli Engaged Dharma</title>
		<link>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/01/israeli-engaged-dharma/</link>
		<comments>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/01/israeli-engaged-dharma/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:06:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bernie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://zenpeacemakers.org/?p=6616</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img width="250" height="188" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/AvivTatarsky.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="AvivTatarsky" /></p>In the past 6 months our group was intensively involved in two campaigns of big concern for our Palestinian partners and friends: In Deir Istiya, farmers received notices ordering to uproot 2,000 olive trees planted on their private land. The reason given for this order was that the area was declared by Israel as a [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img width="250" height="188" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/AvivTatarsky.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="AvivTatarsky" /></p><div title="Page 1">
<div>
<div>
<p>In the past 6 months our group was intensively involved in two campaigns of big concern for our</p>
<p>Palestinian partners and friends: In Deir Istiya, farmers received notices ordering to uproot 2,000 olive trees planted on their private land. The reason given for this order was that the area was declared by Israel as a natural reserve 30 years ago and so planting of new trees was illegal. In Al- Walaja, where the separation barrier is being built by Israel on village land, it was we who discovered that the Jerusalem municipality was about to declare 1,000 dunams (247 acres) of the village&#8217;s land as a national park &#8220;for the benefit of the Jerusalem populace&#8221;. Both cases are being disputed in court right now and in both we have been giving support to the people, gathering important information and bringing the story to the media.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p>These campaigns, the dilemmas they raised for us as well as the ways in which Dharma was manifested through them, were to be the focus of the current report. But instead, a profoundly touching meeting that took place in Al-Walaja in several weeks ago seems to be the right thing to share this time.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>The Israeli Engaged Dharma is a group of Dharma (Buddhist way) practitioners who aim to transform Conflict Mindset into one of Reconciliation. We work in solidarity with Palestinians and aim to raise the awareness of the Jewish population to the realities of life under occupation</p>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p>Our connection with the Al-Walaja begun more than 2 years ago, shortly after Israel started constructing the separation barrier around the village. The story of the fence and wall being built around Al-Walaja, deserves a separate account. As is common in other villages where the barrier has been built, we joined nonviolent demonstrations. We also contributed information for the court appeal by the village to set an alternative route for the barrier which would be less disruptive and we found ways to raise the awareness of the Israeli public to the issue. We are also involved in the campaign to stop the above mentioned national park plan.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p>But as we learned more of the challenges facing the community and people in Al-Walaja, and as the demonstrations died down without achieving the goal of stopping or changing the route of the fence/wall we felt that along with the protest and struggle, other forms of solidarity were called for. We wanted to take part not only in resisting the injustice of the barrier but also in contributing to the strengthening of the community in Al-Walaja and the empowering of its people. For various reasons this is not so easily realizable1 and for the past 6 months we made very limited progress in gaining the consent of the village to this approach.</p>
<p>Two of us came to Al-Walaja about a month ago to discuss with our local partners possible avenues for joint action. Coming to the meeting we knew that we had already done good preparation work on previous meetings and were expecting to receive agreement that we will join families of the village for the olive harvest. We knew our hosts well and we have deep appreciation for them. Over the past 2 years we stood together in demonstrations which were violently dispersed by Israeli soldiers, we discussed various issues with them and as the intimacy naturally grew between us we exchanged more personal feelings and stories. In order to protect their privacy we will not mention their names. The account of the meeting will be given in the first person.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div title="Page 2">
<div>
<div>
<p>After some greetings we presented our purpose – we wish to find ways to support the village. What ensued was completely unexpected to us. &#8220;What for?&#8221;, said one of our hosts, &#8220;there is no use in doing anything. You and we are so weak that anything we try to build will be destroyed by Israel&#8221;. These words were coming from the mouth of a very determined person who has participated in and led many acts of resistance in the village. He continued with a long monologue and wouldn&#8217;t let anyone else speak. It is important for me to explain that this man, nearly 70 years old, has a very strong presence but with us he is always kind and never aggressive. It was no different this time: His words were strong and direct but he was not attacking.</p>
<p>He was critical of the village&#8217;s inability to keep up the demonstrations and I took the opportunity to explain that we have something else in mind: &#8220;The people in the village are facing many challenges&#8221;, I said. Life here is becoming more difficult. As there are no demonstrations we can devote our energy to support the village&#8230;&#8221;.</p>
<p>He cut me short: &#8220;You sound like those UNRWA people&#8221;, He said, referring to the UN agency giving aid to Palestinian refugees. &#8220;They give us some bread to eat and in turn expect us to behave nicely&#8221;2.</p>
<p>He touched a sensitive spot in me: &#8220;You know I&#8217;m hoping for a Palestinian nonviolent uprising. I&#8217;ll be there when it starts&#8221;, I said with emotion. But again he didn&#8217;t let me speak through: &#8220;What do you mean &#8216;nonviolent&#8217;?&#8221;, he exclaimed. &#8220;We are facing armed soldiers! Have you ever seen us throw one stone in the demonstrations in this village?!&#8221;. And thus it continued. The next time I tried to say something he made a comment about my backpack. When I spoke again he said some joke&#8230;</p>
<p>I finally understood that he was not going to let me speak so I accepted it and listened. He talked on and on. Sometimes one of the others tried to say something but he didn&#8217;t give anyone a chance. The way I described it so far it might seem to have been an unpleasant experience. But the contrary is true. I felt completely calm. What he was saying contradicted my strong motivation for action and my expectation that in this meeting we will finally agree on a joint action but I was very touched by his words. I knew that an important thing was happening: We were making it through the veils of ideology, opinion and pretence to reach the reality of what was there.</p>
<p>After a while the story of Bodhidharma the first patriarch of Chan in China came to my mind. Bodhidharma was sitting in meditation and refused to give any consideration to a man that approached him and asked to be accepted as a disciple. Bodhidharma ignored him for days but the man wouldn&#8217;t leave. It was snowing and the snow gathered to the man&#8217;s knees and still he wouldn&#8217;t move. But Bodhidharma refused to pay any attention to him. In the end the man was accepted by Bodhidharma and became his Dharma successor. Or the stories of people who want to be accepted to Zen Monasteries in Japan and have to wait outside for 3 days in order to prove their determination. I never felt that I would be able to pass such a test. Even during my most zealous days of excitement about Dharma practice I was sure that in such a situation I would become bored or discouraged after a short while.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div title="Page 3">
<div>
<div>
<p>And now, facing my host&#8217;s unstoppable speech and his insistence that there is nothing we can do I was surprised to see how unaffected I was. I wasn&#8217;t irritated, I wasn&#8217;t discouraged. There was no hint of doubt or frustration in my heart. And then I realized that this has been going on for quite a long time: For 6 months I and my partners have been trying to break through the obstacles facing Israeli- Palestinian solidarity in Al-Walaja but nothing worked. We were refused politely but firmly. And these refusals had no effect on my confidence that we should keep on coming to the village and find a way to be of value.</p>
<p>Our host spoke of his frustration at the political situation and of the stupidity of cutting up land by a wall. He spoke of his disappointment of his community who were not able to keep a prolonged campaign of struggling against the barrier. He also spoke about the Israeli public who don&#8217;t care about what&#8217;s happening to Palestinians and about the insignificance of Israelis like us who try to make a change.</p>
<p>Our host was going on about the political situation and how bad it was. I usually have no patience for long talks about politics and politicians. It&#8217;s always the same and all the analysis seems to me to be of little relevance to what I as a grassroots activist can and need do. But somehow there was something very touching about what he was saying. The facts and opinions were not new but it was all said in a very connected and heartfelt way. He didn&#8217;t mince his words: When one of the others told him : &#8220;You&#8217;re blaming Israel but it&#8217;s not Israel, it&#8217;s the Israeli government&#8221;, he directly dismissed him: &#8220;Most Israelis want the occupation to continue, the Israeli left is so small and so weak – what can you achieve? And anyway, you pay taxes don&#8217;t you? You&#8217;re part of it as well&#8221;.</p>
<p>It didn&#8217;t feel like we were being attacked. On the contrary, our host was voicing his despair and we were being allowed to see into his heart. And he has so many reasons for despair: He was born with the Nakba3 in 1948 during which his village was uprooted and his community dispersed. Then in 1967 he came under Israeli occupation. In 1994 he was held in an Israeli military jail for 9 months without trial. The interrogations must have included torture. Since being released he wasn&#8217;t allowed to work</p>
<div title="Page 4">
<div>
<div>
<p>in Israel and has been practically unemployed since. Due to the construction of the separation barrier, over a hundred of his olive trees have been uprooted and he will lose practically all of his land as it will be left on the other side of the barrier and he will have no access to it. And the list of injustices continues.</p>
<p>His reasoning didn&#8217;t convince me at all but I had nothing to say back. Our differences were made vividly clear: He is living under occupation and I am a free man. I take it for granted that I am master of my destiny and he has seen, time and again, how his plans, work and dreams are crushed by the enormous power of the state and its military. I understood that I can not really understand him, I don&#8217;t know how it feels to be oppressed in this way. And coming face to face with this gap between us was at once a painful and a valuable experience.</p>
<p>It was getting late and then one of us simply suggested that we join the olive harvest together with families of the village. The olive harvest season is very close and olives are an important part of Palestinian culture as well as a source of livelihood for many Palestinian families. Many Israeli activists join Palestinians during the harvest to protect against settler violence or harassment by soldiers. In Al-Walaja we do not expect such attacks but still help is needed. The harvest this year will be very symbolic: In a few months the separation barrier on the village&#8217;s lands will be completed and most of the olive groves will be separated from the village. Yes, the barrier&#8217;s route was drawn in such a way that most of the village&#8217;s agricultural land stays on the Israeli side and with very limited access for the farmers of Al-Walaja who own that land.</p>
<p>Leaving the village, the conversation continued to resonate with us. I think it will stay with me for a long time as one of the meaningful experiences for me as an activist.</p>
<p>A month has passed since that conversation and a big shift has happened to our relationship with the village. During the olive harvest season we organized 3 groups that joined and assisted the local families. Over a hundred people came this way to the village, many of them for the first time. Working together, a natural closeness develops as people ask each other for help, share food and tease each other. We had the chance to meet new people in the village and strengthen ties with those we already knew. As the harvest came to an end, our partners in Walaja started to suggest ideas for further joint action. The door has opened more.</p>
<p>The timing was also significant: During the harvest, the Israeli army started to lay down the fence around the village. In a few months this work will be completed. The village will be surrounded and the separation between it and Israel will be solidified. But this barrier will not separate us. It will merely emphasize the value of open hearts, determined minds and continuous right action .</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p>1 The difficulties facing Israeli-Palestinian solidarity deserve a whole separate report</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>2 There is much criticism of the aid agencies which make the occupation bearable and in that sense allow it to continue. UNRWA, established more than 6 decades ago exemplifies the way aid can create and perpetuate dependency.</p>
<p>3 The Nakba – disaster in Arabic – is how Palestinians refer to the destruction of over 400 villages and uprooting of over 700,000 Palestinians who became refugees in the 1948 war. The war, which gave birth to the state of Israel, is called by Jews the Independence War. One people&#8217;s joy marks the other people&#8217;s catastrophe.</p>
<p>We will be very happy to hear your comments on this report. Your support, suggestions and feedback for improvement will be received gratefully. Please feel free to forward it to Dharma Engaged Dharma in Israel friends. Our blog engagedharma.wordpress.com is currently Hebrew language only but we would be happy to provide more details about our vision and guiding principles. Please write to us at engaged.dharma@gmail.com .</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/01/israeli-engaged-dharma/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>15</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dec 2012 Journey to Israel and Palestine</title>
		<link>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/01/dec-2012-journey-to-israel-and-palestine/</link>
		<comments>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/01/dec-2012-journey-to-israel-and-palestine/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Jan 2013 09:07:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bernie</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://zenpeacemakers.org/?p=6587</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img width="225" height="300" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/window1-225x300.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="window" /></p>by Eve Myonen Marko&#8212;&#8211; We go to the West Bank on December 21. December 21 is Bernie’s and my anniversary. It’s also the winter solstice, and this year it marks the end of the Mayan calendar and the beginning of something new. I don’t think there’s an end without a beginning. Our friends, Iris and [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img width="225" height="300" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/window1-225x300.jpg" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" alt="window" /></p><p><em>by Eve Myonen Marko&#8212;&#8211;</em></p>
<p>We go to the West Bank on December 21. December 21 is Bernie’s and my anniversary. It’s also the winter solstice, and this year it marks the end of the Mayan calendar and the beginning of something new. I don’t think there’s an end without a beginning.</p>
<p>Our friends, Iris and Tani Katz, drive us from Jerusalem to meet up with Sami Awad, the head of Holy Land Trust and a nonviolence trainer and activist. Sami asked us not to go to his office in Bethlehem, but instead get to the Tent of Nations near the Palestinian village of Nahalin. He is serving as a Fire Guardian, building a fire at dawn of December 21 and keeping it going the entire day while holding ceremonies, chanting and praying on behalf of the earth and peace among people.</p>
<p>As is almost always the case, the journey is as interesting as the destination. We simply can’t find the Tent of Nations, located on top of a hill among many hills in the West Bank. I’ve never been there, though have heard much about it. It has belonged to a Palestinian family for generations, but falls victim to continuous forays by Jewish settlers who wish to take the land. The family has fought this in the Israeli courts, showing ownership papers that date back to the Ottoman Empire, but this doesn’t prevent ongoing violations. The Tent of Nations is always in danger.</p>
<p>To get there, we travel along the complicated road system found on the West Bank, including the Tunnel Road closed to Palestinians in this section, till we get off onto smaller arteries used almost exclusively by Palestinians. In the town of Husam we’re locked in a sea of cars outside a mosque calling out its Friday services. The young boys waiting outside enjoy the fact that our large SUV can’t move, but are not averse to helping us get unstuck, guiding us through very close spots. “Shukran, ya habib,” Tani says again and again. On this rainy, windy, cold day we also lose cell phone signal with Sami. Often we stop passers-by and they stand in the torrential rain speaking to him in Arabic on the phone, Tani rushing out with an umbrella to hold over them, till the signal is lost. But other than friendly waves and more “shukrans,” we come no closer to our destination.</p>
<div id="attachment_6588" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 143px"><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/taniwithguide2.jpg" rel="lightbox[6587]" title="taniwithguide2"><img class="wp-image-6588" title="taniwithguide2" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/taniwithguide2-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="133" height="179" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Tani Katz with New Palestinian Friend. Are these people enemies?</p></div>
<p>Finally, Tani makes a friend. The owner of a car repair shop offers to take us to Nahalin himself and find the elusive Tent of Nations. We follow his large, old Impala up and down roads more suitable for donkeys and carts, and finally come to a stop at a barrier of boulders and rocks, created by an excavator to seal the local road.</p>
<p>“Sami says we should have passed a white fence,” Tani tells his friend after speaking on the phone. None of us saw a white fence.</p>
<p>But when we head back, there is it on the right, chained shut, and standing there in poncho camouflage is Sami. We thank our guide, who asks us to come and use his car repair shop at any time.</p>
<p>“Are these people enemies?” Iris asks rhetorically. “Is this how enemies behave?”</p>
<p>Sami unlocks the white gate and the car drives up. There’s a pause in the rain, but not in the wind and the cold.  And there, atop the hilltop, is the fire begun at dawn. A short, stout tree trunk is slowly burning. Only the bottom part of it has turned black, the fire diverted by twigs fed from a big mound of wood that lies alongside. It should burn for 24 hours, Sami says, lowering the hood of his poncho, like other fires burning around the world. Our Israeli friend, Rabbi Ohad Ezrahi, is also guarding such a fire up north in Israel. Eilda, Sami’s assistant, is there, as is Dina, another activist we met over a year ago at Auschwitz, newly married.</p>
<div id="attachment_6589" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/B-Sami-me-at-Tent.jpg" rel="lightbox[6587]" title="B,-Sami-me-at-Tent"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6589" title="B,-Sami-me-at-Tent" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/B-Sami-me-at-Tent-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Sami, Bernie, Eve</p></div>
<p>The fire is small but ravenous. The ceremonies will only begin later in the afternoon, when we’ll be gone. We are surrounded by other hills, most topped by Jewish settlements that literally sprawl across the summit, leaving the smaller Palestinian villages to cling to the hillsides. For now, this hilltop is inhabited only by us and a half-burnt tree trunk. According to the Bible, Moses heard the voice of God from a bush that burned and was not consumed, and was told that His name was <em>I Am That I Am</em>. The mists roll in, covering the other hills, and if you just landed in a spaceship this moment you’d miss the big canvas, the settlements and villages, the gentle olive trees and the asphalt roads, those let in and those kept out, and see only a small group of people contemplating a fire that burns without end.</p>
<p>We also traveled in Israel proper, continuing Bernie’s exploration of how to bring the Greyston community model to an Israeli town in need. We visited with the head of the Municipal Council in Jisr al-Zarqa, Israel’s poorest village. One issue he mentioned is that Jisr does not have an industrial zone at present.</p>
<p><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/jisr-beach.jpg" rel="lightbox[6587]" title="jisr-beach"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6590" title="jisr-beach" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/jisr-beach-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>I was especially fascinated by the fishing huts on the Mediterranean.  Since Israel’s War of Independence, Jisr is the only Arab town that’s right on the sea, and while other Israeli cities, towns and kibbutzim have taken advantage of their venue, building sea resorts, hotels, restaurants and commercial beaches, Jisr has not. But individual fishermen have built some makeshift huts and have spread their nets. The beach was littered with empty soda bottles, old newspapers and falafel wrappers, sniffed hopefully by two yellow/white dogs. The smell was of dead fish.</p>
<p>A group of senior citizens had come by tourist bus.  They’d probably visited neighboring Caesaria and enjoyed its restaurants and shops overlooking the remains of Herod’s constructions, and admired the fancy condominiums open to the sunset over the Mediterranean.  And then someone might had said, let’s go to the fishing village next door. Only they couldn’t go directly because a wall separates Caesaria and Jisr al-Zarqa, nor is there a direct exit from the main highway to Jisr. But the bus made it in a roundabout way and discharged its older passengers, who were instantly slapped by the smell of dead fish and seaweed clinging to the nets, the sand covered with trash. But when I saw them they seemed happy, maybe a little fatigued, ready to go in from the biting, salty wind at sunset.</p>
<p>Sometime around then was when I felt how tiring it can be to go beyond clichés, to bear witness to each and every person, to the multiple lives each one of us lives, the universe that each one represents where he or she is not wrong and not right, just living cause to effect to the next effect and the one after that. There is freedom there, I knew that, but you have to watch for it carefully, the tiny sea crabs scampering over advertisements, the shifts in the sand, the spacious beach, sand and sky. Yes, political freedom is important, but so is the other kind, the individual kind that won’t give up.</p>
<p>Jisr al-Zarqa has its back to the sea; that’s also its exit out of poverty. That afternoon I saw it, heard it, smelled it. Will it happen?</p>
<p>We also went to Baqa al-Gharbiyye, a much bigger Arab town further south and inland, by Highway 6. Our hosts were Michal Fox and Jamal Mejadla, who had opened up a leadership institute at Baqa al-Gharbiyye. Jamal is also a prominent member of the municipal council and highly involved in civic affairs. Baqa al-Gharbiyye has a population of some 27,000 and a defined industrial zone. It also has the beautiful Al-Qasemi College of Education, once a Muslim educational institute and now a fully-accredited college whose student body consists mostly of religious and nonreligious women.</p>
<p><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Al-Qasemi-College.jpg" rel="lightbox[6587]" title="Al-Qasemi College"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-6593" title="Al-Qasemi College" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Al-Qasemi-College.jpg" alt="" width="190" height="139" /></a><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/teachers.jpg" rel="lightbox[6587]" title="teachers"><img class="alignright  wp-image-6600" title="teachers" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/teachers.jpg" alt="" width="214" height="165" /></a>They mixed so smoothly and easily that one would not know the difficulty of their lives. Hanin Abi-Wasel , a young, scarf-covered woman, is an attorney. Highly educated and articulate, at an early age she was part of an Israeli-Arab delegation to the United States. But she has trouble finding work in Israel proper. “We women face the most discrimination,” she said. “We are Arab, we are Moslem, we are women, and we are mothers.” A lot of her work at – is to empower young women to search for jobs and not leave their work even when they get married, so that marriage not come at the expense of their independence. “When I couldn’t find work as a lawyer in the Israeli society, I became very pessimistic. Then I decided to work with other Arab women who face the same hardships I face.”</p>
<p>As in many parts of the world, providing education and job opportunities for women becomes the key to transforming families and community.</p>
<div id="attachment_6594" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 240px"><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/street-next-to-wall.jpg" rel="lightbox[6587]" title="street-next-to-wall"><img class="wp-image-6594" title="street-next-to-wall" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/street-next-to-wall-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="172" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Left side of street is Israel, right side is West Bank</p></div>
<div id="attachment_6595" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 172px"><a href="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/window.jpg" rel="lightbox[6587]" title="window"><img class="wp-image-6595" title="window" src="http://zenpeacemakers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/window.jpg" alt="" width="162" height="217" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">West Bank families shout from this window to family members on other side of fence.</p></div>
<p>One of  the most interesting things about Baqa al-Gharbiyye is that it’s adjacent not only to various kibbutzim, but also touches on the wall and fence that now separate the West Bank from Israel. Before the wall went up thousands of Palestinians would come through Baqa al-Gharbiyye every day to work in Israel. Now only a few with special permits can do that, though young people cross from one side to the other to go to school. In some places that separation is a fence that goes down the side of one street, while several yards away the other side of the street is considered Israel. Jamal tells us that a neighbor of his comes here to shout to her mother, who is on the other side, to find out how she is. So Baqa al-Gharbiyye is an intersection for Israeli Arabs, Israeli Jews, and Palestinians.</p>
<p>What would it be like for all three to work together in a factory—or a bakery?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://zenpeacemakers.org/2013/01/dec-2012-journey-to-israel-and-palestine/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
