12 Facts About Zen Peacemakers

1.

Zen Peacemakers is a diverse network of socially engaged Buddhists, currently including the formal structures of the Zen Peacemakers International, the Zen Peacemaker Order and the Zen Peacemaker Circles, many affiliated individuals and groups, and communities formed by Dharma Successors of Roshi Bernie Glassman.

FactSnippet No. 1,561,244
2.

Zen Peacemakers have developed from the White Plum Asanga lineage of Taizan Maezumi.

FactSnippet No. 1,561,245
3.

Activities of the Zen Peacemakers originated in Yonkers, New York with the opening of the Greyston Bakery, its most well-known and prosperous project, in 1982.

FactSnippet No. 1,561,246
4.

Zen Peacemakers have 70 affiliate centers in 5 Continents and 12 Countries.

FactSnippet No. 1,561,247
5.

Countries with groups affiliated to Zen Peacemakers include Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the UK.

FactSnippet No. 1,561,248
6.

Structure of Zen Peacemakers is, like the Greyston Foundation, somewhat complex and like Greyston is described as a mandala.

FactSnippet No. 1,561,249
7.

The Zen Peacemakers Sangha is a branch of the Zen Peacemakers Order.

FactSnippet No. 1,561,250
8.

Training of the Zen Peacemakers is grounded in traditional Zen practice - meditation, retreats, liturgy, personal study-relationships with empowered teachers - and explores new forms and structures.

FactSnippet No. 1,561,251
9.

At the heart of the Zen Peacemakers approach is the conviction that service and social action are themselves zen practice, together with the challenge to develop new 'upayas' to meet each new situation.

FactSnippet No. 1,561,252
10.

The interfaith strand of the Zen Peacemakers was influenced by Bernie Glassman's friendship with Sufi teacher and radio host Lex Hixon, his appreciation of the Jewish renewal leader Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, and his many Christian zen students and successors.

FactSnippet No. 1,561,253
11.

The socially engaged practices of Zen Peacemakers is aimed at extending Dharma beyond the meditation hall to the worlds of business, social services, conflict resolution and environmental stewardship.

FactSnippet No. 1,561,254
12.

The Zen Peacemakers' way is intended to "illuminate all life as a boundless meditation hall".

FactSnippet No. 1,561,255