Bernard Glassman (1939–2018)

There are many books on Buddhism that are really transcripts of dialogues... it's usually a monk giving a talk or occasionally transcripts from a panel. These books read in a very distinct way -- they sometimes have chunks of brilliance that spontaneously appear as the speaker and audience realize something together.

This book is in the spirit of the above, and does indeed have some of these spontaneously profound moments. And I think the intended audience is people who are coming in from a 'pop' version of Zen (ie, the vibe from Jeff Bridges's character in The Big Lebowski) and want to take it to the next level of depth from there.

But, if you've read such books before, this comes across as pretty light reading.… (més)

The Zen Peacemakers inspire and intimidate me. This is because what the late Bernie Glassman created decades ago takes Buddhist dharma to the level of action, putting teachings into practice with the most marginalized people and uneasy areas of the world. The Zen Peacemakers do Street Retreats, where participants must beg for spare change and food on the streets. They sit in meditation inside the walls of Auschwitz, bearing witness to the unspeakable acts that took place there. They sit with the dying. They start over every day.

This is their story, circa the late 1990's, at least. Some of the Peacemakers featured here continue their work. Joan Halifax continues to share lessons on how to be present with those who are sick or transitioning. My friend Fleet Maull, who created the country's first prison hospice program, now runs programs that reach prisoners, police officers and guards, and others all over the world. And dear Bernie, who died just a couple of years ago, left his legacy with every lesson in this book.

I had to stop reading this book shortly after engaging w/ it the first time as my mom was dying. I picked it up again shortly before my dad passed. I just finished it now after a brief but sobering experience with my own cancer. The book speaks to being with the suffering. It speaks to putting ourselves in the most uncomfortable situations for the sake of benefitting others and stretching the limits of our own spiritual growth. It keeps finding me at all the right times.

I invite you to read this, and to learn about Zen Peacemakers, who are still active, still shaking things up, and still transforming lives (BLM, Indigenous communities, prison work, the climate crisis, homelessness, and much more). Thank you, Bernie.… (més)

A little Zen Buddhism, a little Jeff Bridges, a lot of Dude quotes from the movie The Big Lebowski . . . What's not to like? Reading this book is like listening in on a long, rambling, but pretty interesting conversation. Jeff is not The Dude, but he strives in some ways to be more Dude-like, and listening to both him and the Zen Master Bernie Glassman reflect on the challenges of trying to be in the moment and live authentically makes for some good reading. I did kind of lose interest and put this aside for quite awhile, but when I picked it back up was glad that I did.… (més)