Engaged Zen

With palms together,
Good Morning Sangha, Zen Forum, Team Zen, and others,

Several people have written to me saying that they would like to be part of an Engaged Zen group. Some are part of our local Sangha membership, some are from the wider Sangha here on the internet. I do not know how we can use the internet in this work, other than as a communication tool, a support tool, and a protest tool. We can communicate with each other about ideas for engaging the world to become less violent and more compassionate, we can support each other in these ideas as they become actions, and we can use the email tools available to write letters to agancies and individuals responsible for decisions in the areas we identify.

As to the Engaged Zen Group at the Las Cruces Zen Center, I suggest that we talk at the Zazenkai and at each Zazen service toward a regular meeting with an agenda and mission.

A list of topics/issues:

Reducing and Eliminating Violence in all areas of our lives, domestic and international

Reducing and Eliminating Poverty, Hunger, and Malnutrition

Reducing and Eliminating Social Injustice and Human Rights Abuses.

There are a number of organizations dedicated to these missions, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Move-On.org, various anti-war and anti-violence organizations, including the Department of Peace Initiative, etc. I suggest each of you take a look at these, do web searches locally, nationally, and internationally. Send to the Zen Living list or to me personally short reports as to the results of these searches, including links.

On the local level, we will talk about picking a mission and coming up with an action plan. This plan might include silent witness, letter writing, press releases, t-shirts, posters, all sorts of things that might make our voice known and get our message communicated.

War, violence, abuse, poverty, hunger, all of these will continue as long as we continuethem. It is important to say no and to say it clearly and loudly and with the authority of our Buddha Nature. I ask you to help me make this a better world.

I look forward to hearing from you.