Zen Peacemaker's Definition of Zen

Zen is a way of awakening to the oneness of life realized and actualized through not-knowing, bearing witness and loving actions.

Mission

We seek to bear witness to the joy and suffering of the universe, and to realize and actualize the oneness and interdependence of life through study, practice and action for personal and social transformation. We seek to connect, train and empower Zen peacemakers throughout the world. We are committed to nonviolence, inclusivity, free expression and experimentation.

Vision

We envision an enlightened society where suffering is transformed into wisdom and compassion and all beings live in harmony and are relieved of the afflictions of hunger, war and disease. Spirituality and service are tools we use to help all beings find freedom regardless of race, religion, ability, gender or nationality.

Purpose

Our purpose is to create a community of peacemakers enacting a vision of peace through the practice of meditation, the Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers and social engagement, and to nurture an environment for the integration, realization and actualization of peacemaking as a path of enlightenment.

Three Tenets

The Three Tenets serve as the foundation for the Zen Peacemaker's work and practice. They underlie our commitment to broad-based inclusivity, service, multi-faith celebrations and communion, and to a lifelong peacemaking path that integrates work, training and practice.

Taking refuge and entering the stream of Engaged Spirituality, I vow to live a life of:

• Not-knowing, thereby giving up fixed ideas about ourselves and the universe
• Bearing witness to the joy and suffering of the world
• Loving actions towards ourselves and others

The Zen Peacemakers make use of the two Buddhist Models:

• the vision of Indra's Net, which is a metaphor of our life and
• the structure of Mandalas consisting of five energy spheres.

Mandala

A Mandala is a circle of life and can be used as a device for organizing and, in particular, to express and talk about the various kinds of energies that show up in our lives and in our social organizations. People and their personalities are often associated with one of the energies in the mandala.

The particular mandala used by the Zen Peacemaker Family is composed of and represents five different energies. Some models use seven energies, others use other numbers. In some ways, the number you choose is arbitrary. We use five because it works for us. Referring back to the discussion of Indra's net, each of the energies in the mandala reflects the other energies and each contains all of the energies.

Spirituality/Vision: This energy pertains to non-duality, and, above all, the state of not knowing which lies at the root of the model. Anything that can possibly be thought of does not belong in this category. It is the space of no form and of infinite possibilities and its color is black. Our spirituality is expressed by the Three Tenets. Our vision is one of a global partnership among people around the world working towards social transformation.

Action: This takes the form of the actions of individuals, Peacemaker Circles, Affiliates and a Greater Sangha. Action energy represents the season of summer and its color is green.

Training: In the Zen Peacemakers, this energy manifests as curriculum and offerings of the Maezumi Institute, and its' affiliations. Its color is blue.

Resources: Equated with generosity, this energy manifests as funding through our members and our many donors, through the advice of our Elders and through the "things" we need to do our job. The color of this energy is orange.

Integration: In the Zen Peacemakers mandala, this is the realm of relationships and connectedness. It manifests itself through all of the means and vehicles we use to connect with each other, to stay informed, to support networking and communications, such as sociocracy, the website, and the Zen Peacemaker Journal, Bearing Witness. Zen Peacemaker Family Hubs are also a form of this integrative energy.

Indra's NetWorking

Indra was an ancient king of India who thought a great deal of himself. One day he went to the royal architect and said that he wanted to leave a monument of himself, something which all people would appreciate.The king's architect created an immense net which extended throughout all space and time. And the king's treasurer placed a bright, shining pearl at each node of the net so that every pearl was reflected in every other pearl. And each single pearl, each person, each event, contains the whole of Indra's Net, including all of space and time.

The Zen Peacemakers model of interlocking Circles manifests directly Indra's Net.

When we realize that we are all bright pearls in Indra's Net, we see that within each one of us the whole body of the universe is contained. Since we are all already connected in Indra's Net, there are no limits to the possibilities of connecting with other people in our lives and our work.

Still, it's natural for most of us to begin "networking" with the people closest to our own interests and needs. Accountants network with other accountants, poets with other poets, and social activists with other social activists. This kind of networking certainly has its uses. It's especially effective, for example, when we need help in solving a very difficult problem. But it is not a very effective overall strategy because it leads to a narrowing instead of a widening of your network. It results in ever diminishing returns. The tax accountants end up talking only to other tax accountants; the free verse poets end up talking only to other free verse poets; and the social activists of one school end up talking only to social activists of the same school.

When we network according to the vision of Indra's Net, on the other hand, we begin by casting the widest possible net. We do this by defining our mission in the broadest possible way.

Underlying Methodologies

The ability to work effectively within an Indra Net and within a Mandala organization requires a set of skills which may be acquired through training and education in several areas. In particular, there are four methodologies which are considered by the Zen Peacemakers to be essential.

1. Working with Mandala Family Energies
2. Sociocracy
3. Council Process
4. Nonviolent Communication

Mandala Family Energies:

The following is excerpted from Instructions to the Cook by Bernie Glassman and Rick Fields, Bell Tower, 1996. This book is a primer on how to work with the mandala energies.

A Mandala consists of five main "courses" or aspects of life. The first course involves spirituality or vision; the second course is composed of training; the third course deals with our resources; the fourth course is made out of action, and the last course consists of integration.

All of these main courses are an essential part of our life. Just as we all need certain kinds of food to make a complete meal that will sustain and nourish us, we need all five of these courses to live a full life. It's not enough to simply include all these courses in our meal. We have to prepare the five courses at the right time and in the right order.

The first course, the course of spirituality/vision, helps us to realize the oneness of life, and provides a still point at the center of all our activities. This course consists of spiritual practices. This practice could be prayer or listening to music or dance or taking walks or spending time alone—anything that helps us realize or reminds us of the oneness of life.

The second course is training. Study provides sharpness and intelligence. People usually study before they begin something, but I like to do it the other way around. I like to study my life or social action along with the other things I'm doing and not in the abstract. For this reason, the course of study always goes with the courses of spirituality, resources, integration and action.

Once we have established the clarity that comes from stillness and study, we can begin to see how to prepare the third course which is resources. This is the course which sustains us in the physical world. It is the course of work and business—the meat and potatoes. Taking care of ourselves and making a living in the world is necessary and important for all of us, not matter how "spiritual" we may think we are. At this point we also become aware of all the resources we have, e.g., money, elders, facilities, people.

The course of action grows naturally out of the courses of spirituality and resources. Once we begin to take care of our own basic needs, we become more aware of the needs of the people around us. Recognizing the oneness of life, we naturally reach out to other people because we realize that we are not separate from them.

The last course is the course of integration. This is the course that brings all the seemingly separate parts of our life together into a harmonious whole. It's the course that turns all the other courses—spirituality, resources, social action, and education and training—into a joyous feast.

All the courses make up the supreme meal of our life. But it is not a question of trying to arrange our life so that we prepare equal amounts of each course. We all need different ingredients, and different amounts, at different times in our lives.

Sociocracy:

Sociocracy is a method of organizing a task-focused group, such as a Zen Peacemaker Circle, by accomplishing three things:

1. It creates equivalency in decision making among the participants of a sociocratic circle,
2. It consciously creates feedback loops which are essential for steering a dynamic organization, and,
3. It creates linkages between the various levels of the organization.

The process also requires that decisions be made in accord with the Principle of Consent and utilizes special facilitation methods for discussions and elections. This methodology is heavily used to inter-link the Zen Peacemaker Circles both functionally and geographically.

It is also important to see and understand that the Sociocratic method of organizing and decision making apply only to the establishment and definition of policy. The operational procedures and programs by which policy is implemented or practiced are in the realm of day-to-day operations and execution which utilizes other models of organization.

The process was originally developed by Dr. I. Gerard Endenberg and trainings are offered by the Center for Sociocracy (www.sociocratie.nl). A resource work is Dr. Enderberg's book, Sociocracy: the Organization of Decision Making.

We have borrowed from the "Sociocratic" model as our foundation. This model is an outgrowth of both cybernetics and democratic decision making. It is designed to address three common problems in organization models:

1. People in traditional models do not have equivalency in decision making power or access to decision making processes. Through a process of electing representatives to the next higher level, a degree of equivalency is achieved.
2. It is very difficult in hierarchical organizations for information to flow up and down through the "chain of command," especially bad news from below. In order to steer a dynamic process such as an organization in the midst of constant change, it is essential that there be a "feedback loop" that provides timely information about what is actually happening within the organization.
3. In most hierarchical organizations, there is usually a "disconnect" between the executive level and the operating management and between the operating management and the people actually doing the work of the organization. Through the selection and participation of people into the "feedback" role at the next higher level, this disconnect is bridged.

Council Process:

The origins of the Council Process are attributed to the Iroquois Confederation in the North Eastern United States although other versions of it have probably been around a long time. Council is a gently structured process of sharing and listening which allows for all sides to be heard in a context of mutual respect and trust. Using a set of simple intentions or ground rules, it can be used to air differences of opinion, to take a reading on a particular issue, to solve a problem or arrive at a group decision.  The intentions are:

• When speaking, speak from the heart,
• When listening, listen from the heart,
• Be of lean expression, and,
• Maintain the confidentiality of the group.

This is best learned through formal training from the Center for Council Training in Ojai, California, or one of their approved instructors (www.counciltraining.org). There is also a wonderful book which describes the practice: The Way of Council, by Jack Zimmerman and Gigi Coyle.

Nonviolent Communications:

When feelings are raw and groups or individuals have issues with each other, Nonviolent Communication, as developed by Marshall Rosenberg, is a highly effective method which uses a simple, four-step process:

1. Sharing observations.
2. Expressing feelings,
3. Describing needs, and,
4. Articulating a request for what we need.

The Center for Nonviolent Communication (www.cnvc.org) offers a variety of training opportunities around the world as well as a number of other resources. A basic understanding of the process may be gotten from the book Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Compassion, by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D.