Join the Zen Peacemakers Resident Program in Socially Engaged Buddhism.
Local Amenities at the Zen Peacemakers
Local Amenities
Accommodations
How to Get Here
Policies
Maezumi Institute Campus
The Zen Peacemakers headquarter's and Maezumi Institute's location in the Pioneer Valley makes it a great
place to visit for both city and country lovers. Home to the Five
Colleges,
Hampshire, Amherst,
the University of Massachusetts,
Smith
and Mount Holyoke the area is enriched with an
enormous offering of both spiritual and mundane delights.
New England Peace Pagoda and Japanese gardens, just
down the road. The Montague Bookmill,
is a used bookstore and cafe
housed in a gristmill from the 1800s with a spectacular perch over a
waterfall. The Leverett Village Coop (and small cafè) is a great place
to hang out. Butterfly lovers might like the Magic Wings Butterfly
Conservatory and history lovers will enjoy Historic Deerfield.
Northampton:
With a
well-earned reputation as one of the best "small art cities in America"
(locals claim that Northampton is home to more artists, writers, and
musicians per square foot than any other community between Soho and
Montreal) this city is home to dozens of great restaurants,
coffeehouses, jewelry and clothing stores, galleries and bookstores.
Musicians from everywhere come to the Calvin Theater, Academy for the
Arts, Iron Horse and Pearl Street. Film lovers can check out Pleasant
Street Theater, the Academy or
if you are lucky, the Northampton independent Film Festival. Arts lovers can time their visits to the twice-yearly
Paradise Arts Festival or visit the recently
renovated Smith College Museum of Art.
Shelburne Falls is also a great little town
with great architecture and wonderful restaurants. It's the home of the
geological phenomenon known as Glacial Potholes
and the
wonderful Bridge of Flowers.
For great day trips...
Venture out to the nearby Berkshires to the
internationally known Tanglewood Music Festival.
(Kripalu is right next door) and
Jacob's Pillow, for music and dance respectively.
Mass MOCA
in North Adams is the largest
center for contemporary arts in the United States.
For outdoor lovers...
Bring your bicycle because Montague has some of the
area's best bicycle riding trails in the area. Or try the
Norwottock
Bike Trail that links Amherst
and Northampton. Hikers will be in heaven with the
Robert Frost trail
running right through
the HOOP campus. Other nearby trails include Mount Metacomet-Monadnock
Trail, Mount Sugarloaf both of which run right nearby. Water lovers
should check out Puffers Pond for swimming. The Deerfield River has
tubing and whitewater rafting. (Check out Zoar Outdoor and Crab Apple
for more information.) You can also put your kayak or canoe into the
nearby Connecticut River.
Deerfield Inn (413) 774-5587
81 Old Main Street, Deerfield, MA 01342-0305
Distance 11 miles
The Birches (413) 256-6257
236 Middle Street, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002
Distance 15 miles
We welcome visitors to the Zen Peacemakers Headquarters to tour, study, schmooze and participate
in official events. Our headquarters, including the Maezumi Institute, are located in a peaceful, forested area in Montague , Massachusetts .
You can learn more about our scheduled events, and for overnight stays, we recommend several nearby
accommodations.
Take Exit 24, turn right at the end of the ramp. Go to the 1st light and turn right onto Route 116 South
Follow Route 116 South to the second light and turn left onto Route 47 North (Approx 1.9 miles)
Follow Route 47 North for approx 4.8 miles. Make a right turn following Route 47 North.
At the next intersection Route 47 T's into Route 63. Cross over Route 63 onto North Leverett Road
Go 1.5 miles to West Chestnut Hill Road. Turn Left.
Stay to the left onto Ripley Road (no outlet). Go to the end of the road to, Montague Farm, 177 Ripley Road.
From US91 traveling South:
Take Exit 25, go left off of the off ramp to the 1st light. Turn right onto Route 5 Ð 10 South.
At the first traffic light turn left onto Route 116 South.
From here follow the directions above beginning at bullet two
From Route 63 traveling North:
Where Route 47 T's into Route 63, make a right onto N. Leverett Rd
Go 1.5 miles to West Chestnut Hill Road. Turn Left.
Stay to the left onto Ripley Road (no outlet). Go to the end of the road to, Montague Farm, 177 Ripley Road.
From Route 63 traveling South:
Where Route 47 T's into Route 63, make a left onto N. Leverett Rd.
Go 1.5 miles to West Chestnut Hill Road. Turn Left.
Stay to the left onto Ripley Road (no outlet). Go to the end of the road to, Montague Farm, 177 Ripley Road.
By Train
Most frequent service (about 45 minutes from us), is to: Springfield, MA (SPG)
66 Lyman Street
Springfield, MA 01103
Springfield Cab Co Inc,(413) 739-9999
Closest service (about 25 minutes from us) is to: Amherst, MA (AMM)
13 Railroad Street
Amherst, MA 01002
Gotta Go Taxi Cab, 413-461-3070
By Bus
Peter Pan Bus Company
stations:
Greenfield (about 30 minutes from us), About Town Taxi, (413) 774-4000
Amherst (about 25 minutes from us), Gotta Go Taxi Cab, 413-461-3070
Northampton (about 35 minutes from us), Gotta Go Taxi Cab, (413) 209-5071
By Plane
Closest airport (1 hour) is Bradley International Airport (BDL)
Car service from BDL to us is available from: Valley Transporter
Logan Airport (BOS) in Boston is about 2 hours from us.
E-mail, Fax, Phone or Write
Maezumi Institute Info
Maezumi Institute
177 Ripley Road
Montague, MA 01351
Special discounts on various Montague Farm Zendo events.
Cancellation Policies
Refund Policy for Symposium on Western Socially Engaged Buddhism
If the Symposium is canceled by the Zen Peacemakers, registrants will receive full credits or refunds of the paid registration fees within 60 days of cancellation. No refunds can be made for lodging, airfare or any other expenses related to attending the symposium.
If a registration is canceled by the participant more than one month (31 days) prior to the retreat start date, all but $50 of the paid fees will be refunded.
If you cancel 15-30 days before the start date of the workshop, you will receive all but $100 of your registration fee.
Fees are nonrefundable if a registration is canceled by the participant within two weeks (14 days) of the start date of the Symposium.
All refunds will be processed within 60 days of notification of cancellation.
Refunds:
We will gladly refund your deposit or fee (less a $50 processing fee) for an event, based on the following guidelines:
For weekend events starting with housing on a Friday night, the deadline is the end of the business day on the Friday the week before the event starts.
For weeklong events starting on a Monday morning, the deadline is the end of the business day on the Monday the week before the event starts.
Credit:
We will give you a nonrefundable credit (less a $50 processing fee) for a future MI event, if you give us three days (72 hours) notice. Here are the guidelines for credit:
For a five-day program beginning Monday morning, the credit deadline is 9:00am the preceding Friday morning.
For a weekend program beginning Friday evening, the credit deadline is 6:00pm the preceding Tuesday evening.
You may use your credit to attend any MI event for up to one year after we issue it to you.
We are sorry but we do not offer refunds or credits if you do not show up for the event, or if you leave an event early for any reason.
Trips and Tours
For extended trips and tours with the staff of MI, including overseas travel, please refer to the specific cancellation guidelines associated with the event on the MI web site or written promotional materials. In general, we establish a deadline for retaining your deposit based on reaching a stated date, usually two months prior to the onset of travel for the event.
MI Cancellations:
Maezumi Institute reserves the right to cancel any program at any time. In the event we cancel a program, we will issue you a full refund.
Overnight Guest Arrivals
Weekend-Workshops
arrive on Friday
Check-in: 4:30-7:00pm
Orientation: 7:30-8:00pm
Worshops begin Friday at 8:00pm
Four or Five-Day Retreats or Workshops
arrive on evening before (Tuesday or Wednesday)
Check-in: 4:30-7:00pm
Orientation: 7:30-8:00pm
Worshops begin Tuesday or Wednesday at 8:00pm
Departure
Workshops and retreats end at noon on Sunday; lunch is served after the
workshops end.
On-Campus Housing
We have on-campus accommodations for 12 guests. For more housing information
click on the Accommodations tab at the top of this page.