Zen Houses Seminary for Socially Engaged Buddhism

[Bernie Glassman]

Twice a year, in June and October, The Zen Peacemakers offers a Zen House Seminary for Socially Engaged Buddhism. The Program is divided into two sessions. Starting on June 10 the session consists of a four month residence studying and training in Seminary at the Maezumi Institute (the study/training center of the Zen Peacemakers), followed by a five months internship serving in a Zen House, a residential Dharma center devoted to providing social service in an impoverished areas of our country. The October session starts on October 9 with a five month residency prorgram with two weeks of holiday (Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks.)

The goals of the program are three-fold: to inspire and train a new generation of practitioners committed to socially engaged Buddhist practice; to encourage the design of new models for such practice; and to make direct efforts to alleviate suffering in the world by training practitioners to create and run social service projects in disadvantaged areas.

The Seminary curriculum covers four areas - administration and management, financial management skills and tools, social service methodologies, and ministry arts. All aspects of the curriculum are considered spiritual practices.

Upon completion of requirements in the two sessions, Seminary and Internship, students will be eligible for novice ordination as a Socially Engaged Buddhist Minister. After a year of service in a Zen House, novices will be eligible for full ordination.

The Harvard Divinity School (HDS) invited Roshi Bernie Glassman to serve as an adjunct faculty member and teach courses in the Buddhist Arts of Ministry beginning in the fall of 2007. HDS students may specialize in Buddhist ministry in the Masters of Divinity program at HDS, and then go on to Seminary and Internship with the Zen Peacemakers Order to achieve Ordination as a Socially Engaged Buddhist Minister.

In April 2009, the Zen Peacemaker Order opened the first Zen House in the Appalachian region of Pennsylvania. Zen Houses are a new model of residential Buddhist training devoted to socially engaged Buddhism. These Houses offer a new turning of the Wheel of the Dharma, integrating social action and Buddhist practice through direct community service, emphasizing the transformation of the individual and society.

Zen Houses will be located in impoverished urban and rural areas. They will develop services, such as free meals, to help meet the needs of this community.

Daily life in a Zen House will be regulated and focused on Zen practice and service in the projects sponsored by the house. Each Zen House will develop its own social service projects and structure its programs, schedules and staffing based on the needs of the community being served.

The supervision and training of staff and interns at the House will be supplemented by advanced workshops and retreats offered at the Maezumi Institute.

Services will be delivered from a holistic, dignity-based perspective. They will offer training that provides the skills and tools necessary to empower people to hold market-wage jobs and move toward economic self-sufficiency. Each House will also network with existing service agencies.

Program Fees

Resident Program at Maezumi Institute Fees

Includes room, board, classes, and workshops: $10,000

Internship Fees

Includes followup, classes, and workshops: $2,000.

Scholarships

There are a limited number of scholarships available. These will be awarded on a competitive basis.

To Apply for this Program

Please fill in the application form and click on the submit button or copy and send it to:

Anne Seiki Bull
Resident Program
Maezumi Institute
177 Ripley Road
Montague MA, 01351

Contact Information

Anne Seiki Bull
Maezumi Institute
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail]

[Kuya Minogue]

Hey, Robert ... you've been in the peacemaker program for just over a month now. How's it going?

[Bernie Glassman]

we do have scholarships, contact [e-mail]

[shodo]

Sounds good. But the lack of money seems to almost always prohibit me from participating in such things. Who can afford this? For the well-to-do I hope you enjoy.

-Shodo

[Kuya Minogue]

Thanks Ari. Tell me about your internship? I'm really curious about that.

[Ari Pliskin]

I graduated from the first cohort along with Seiho. Now, I'm at a retreat in Montague, with Bernie, Genki, Seiho and Robert. So nice to meet the new cohort. I also had a very valuable experience and I'm getting a lot out of my internship. Feel free to ask me any questions.

[Derek Dibbern]

Congratulations! I did speak with Roshi Paul Genki Kahn a few times. My family and I decided to wait it out, get some social work experience here in Nebraska, see what is needed and then maybe next year begin a distant learning program.
I look forward to hearing about your experience.
Thanks for the update!

[Kuya Minogue]

Hi Derek
I did get accepted into the program and I head for Maezumi Institute in October. It's inspired me to finish writing my novel before I go ... gotta get that off my list of things to do before I can ride into the sunrise (East( on my bhodisattva stallion. I'm excited.

[Derek Dibbern]

Still preparing for the precepts in August. It looks like Zen House Seminary will have to wait. I hope to stay connected to the new students to hear how it is going. Any engaged Buddhist zen house seminarians want to give an update on your experience?

[Robert Van Kirk]

See you Seiho! I've been preparing by basically going into a miniretreat staying with my family in michigan, and its been very beneficial! Also Kuya, I bet you'll be accepted, its a positive attitude such as yours thats very much needed in for the growth of the Dharma in the West!

[Kuya Minogue]

Thanks for you encouragement, Seiho. Each day my committment to follow through on this adventure deepens. In Roshi Enkyo's dharma talk for week two of the big sit, she asks, "What is hidden in your life?"
At first I looked for some dark aspect of my character and then, in a moment of joy realized that what has been hidden is my desire to take on ordination, specifically with the Zen Peacemakers. I've thought about this for a long time, buried it beneath my writing, my wonderful marriage, my garden, my communty work. But here it is again, shining like a beacon for my next step. When I set out to practice without a teacher in 1993, I thought I had given up this calling forever. I'm very hopeful that I will be accepted into the program. Thanks again. Kuya