home page
read about symposium
newsletter

FREE Subscription for Western Socially Engaged Buddhism Newsletter


Directory for Western Socially Engaged Buddhism


Podcasts & Videos
Gift Shop
Please Support Us


ZEN HOUSES (ZH)
& INTERN SITES

   Appalachia: 1st ZH
   Greyston: Model for ZH's
   Haley House: Intern Site
   Montague Farm: Mother House ZH

ZEN HOUSE SEMINARY

Bernie Glassman and Greyston (Model for Zen houses)


First Major Symposium for Western Socially Engaged Buddhism

August 9 to 14, 2010

Register Now!

To read more about the Symposium, link here


NOVEMBER 2010 AUSCHWITZ BEARING WITNESS RETREAT

First Auschwitz Bearing Witness Retreat Trailer

The Zen Peacemakers and Bernie Glassman return to Auschwitz for Bearing Witness Retreats on Nov 1-5, 2010. To read descriptions and/or to register, please click here. This retreat includes Youth from Israel, Palestine, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, US and other countries.


Search Our Site


This Site (ZP)
The Web   

Existing Facilities

The House of One People

The House of One People was born out of a rustic dairy barn. Built at the turn of the century in the post and beam tradition, the staid old barn provides the aesthetic and spiritual base for the genesis of a contemporary architectural delight. It contains a spectacular Main Hall, as well as the offices for the Maezumi Institute and Zen Peacemakers staff. The center also includes three Conference Rooms, an upper mezzanine, meeting rooms and sacred spaces.

The sacred main hall functions as a gathering and welcoming hall, a performance area, or a communal celebration space, this hall - some 2025 square feet, has a 45-foot ceiling at the peak. The east wall encloses a circular window that broadcasts the light of the rising sun, and woodwork of the oldest part of the barn, judged to be late 1700's, is of hand-hewn chestnut: contiguous cross beams (8” x 8”) cut and shaped by hand, span the fort-five foot expanse, speaking to the immensity of the trees they were cut from.

The Peacemaker Farmhouse

Once a national hotbed of political thought and radical ideas, the original Peacemaker Farmhouse, the former home of folks like Marshall Bloom, Sam Lovejoy and Harvey Wasserman, continues to host visionaries from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. The Farmhouse is home to interns, visitors and staff members, ensuring a rich exchange of ideas and cultures for years to come.


The Greenhouse

An annex to the original Farmhouse, the hotbed situated in the Greenhouse is the earth itself: an internal soil bed will be stocked with rich organic loam. Complementing the Peacemaker philosophy of permaculture, the herbs, flowers and vegetables grown in the central bed will support the self-sufficiency of the campus kitchens. Seedlings and transplants for external gardens will be grown in the planting areas around the perimeter of the internal space.

Facilities To Be Built

The Teacher-in-Residence Cottage

Our teachers-in-residence program would not be complete without a charming stand-alone cottage for our guests to enjoy their extended stay. The cottage will be a cozy, secluded efficiency apartment nestled among the trees and gardens. The deck will be a perfect place to observe the natural beauty of the surrounding campus.

The Ellen Burstyn Amphitheater

The principles of simplicity, beauty and longevity grace the landscape of a fitting, living tribute to a woman who has dedicated a lifetime to the joy-and, sometimes, the anguish-of creative expression. The Ellen Burstyn Amphitheater will be located close to the heart of the campus. The Amphitheater will be made from terraces sculpted into the hillside and will be the main stage for cultural and artistic performances.

With an audience of 350 people, it will be the ideal space for cultural and artistic performances. Actors understand only too well the need for a welcoming, versatile space. The Burstyn Amphitheater will not only be a meeting place of cultures, minds and spirits, but also an intersection for peacemaking and the arts.


The Ancestral Hall

Arriving onto the campus, the first thing that will strike the visitor will be the visual gateway formed by two buildings, the campus library and the Ancestral Hall. Both buildings emulate Chinese lanterns. The Ancestral Hall will be a sacred space to honor and connect with the founders of:

      the Maezumi Institute
      the Zen Peacemakers
      the House of One People

and with people whose ideas and compassionate actions have influenced and inspired the vision of Peacemakers throughout time and space.


The Library

The Library, also designed in the image of a Chinese lantern, will mirror the Ancestral Hall across the way. The library collection will include writings by contemporary authors and teachers as well as works distilling the knowledge and wisdom of the major religions and cosmologies. The library will offer myriad opportunities for the personal enrichment and spiritual guidance of visitors, students, staff, teachers and friends of the Maezumi Institute.

The Wellness Center

The Wellness Center will offer space and inspiration for the healing of body, mind and spirit. The centers integrated components will be constructed with beautiful natural materials. Housed in and around these buildings will be the yoga center and contemplation space, a cedar sauna and open-air hot tub, showers, massage rooms and other spaces for body and energy work, movement and physical care.


The Yurt Village

Yurts have been used as nomadic shelters in Central Asia for centuries. The Pacific yurt to be used in our Yurt Village is a modern adaptation. Circular in design, it combines a beautiful wood frame and durable fabric. The interior of each yurt will be bathed in natural light admitted through the central dome skylight.

Fifteen yurts will provide four-season accommodations for visitors, students and guests. Built with breathable skins, they will be fourteen feet in diameter, tucked amid deciduous forest to balance shade, warmth and comfort. Set on the crest of a ridge, the yurts will offer remarkable views of gurgling Spaulding Brook in the ravine below from their observation decks.






The Main Plaza

Main Plaza graphic

The Main Plaza will be the gateway to the campus. Pathways through gardens will guide and welcome visitors immediately upon their arrival. The center of the plaza will be landscaped with flowers, trees and stonework, and showcasing a unique sculpture made specifically for us by an accomplished artist. Beyond the sculpture, the main plaza will open up to reveal three uniquely designed meeting circles where participants can gather in the shade of native trees.

The Plaza Meeting Circles

Three Plaza Meeting Circles will grace the outdoor areas surrounding the House of One People. These circles will be used for programs and meetings. From the Main Plaza, two or three steps will descend to a spacious main circle, cast in red brick, where participants will meet in large or small groups. This sunken central meeting circle will be landscaped with flowers and shrubs, dappled with the intermittent shade of nearby maples.

Two satellite circles will grace the main plaza space. One will be tucked into a wooded area at the north end of the barn. Another meeting circle will be sculpted into the hillside just below the main hall.

The Permaculture

The entire campus will strive toward local sustainability through collaborative agricultural programs and internships. There will be fourteen varieties of fruits, eleven kinds of berries, an organic vegetable garden, and gourmet and medicinal herbs. Based on the principles of Permaculture, the gardens and orchards will be the centerpieces for the Maezumi Institute's Sustainable Landscape initiatives.

Ellen's Pond

A draw for great blue herons and miscellaneous odd ducks, Ellen's pond will be a natural haven for introspection, contemplation, and communion with nature. The shore will offer a unique meeting space for groups.

The Upper Field Lotus Pond

The Lotus Pond will anchor the northern reach of the campus, drawing visitors to its quiet shore to pause, reflect, and renew in the solitude of lapping water. The banks will be planted with native flowering trees, shrubs and aquatic vegetation that draw wildlife and waterfowl as well as the occasional human pilgrim.

The Moss Garden

Adjacent to the Main Hall Courtyard and located below the library, the Moss Garden will be an enchanted and secluded natural space complete with mountain laurels, mosses and whispering ferns. This garden will be accessed through narrow and opposing passageways. Once inside, stepping stones will lead down a path alongside a trickle of water coming from the pond upstream. Native mosses and ferns will carpet the earth. This space will be the most secluded garden on campus, conducive to the contemplative silence that allows us to be with ourselves.

The Children’s Area

Every well-balanced life needs a place to play after the work is done. Our campus will have a special space for children of all ages. Whether you enjoy team sports, hanging around on the jungle gym, or just seeing if those new sneakers really do make you run faster and jump higher, The Children's Area will give everyone the room and the materials to play as they choose. The playground will be made from natural materials by local craftsmen. The area will include space for live animals, sports of all kinds, a jungle gym, climbing trees, and a meeting place for kid-friendly workshops in creativity and fun.