SYMPOSIUM FOR WESTERN SOCIALLY ENGAGED BUDDHISMAugust 9 to 15, 2010 at the Mother House of the Zen Peacemakers in Montague, MA Honoring Robert Aitken & the Pioneers Who Followed A major gathering of Western Socially Engaged Buddhist activists, academics and sponsors.
![]() The Zen Peacemakers will host a one-week Symposium for Socially Engaged Buddhism from August 9 to August 14, 2010. The event is sponsored by the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, the Lenz Foundation and the Zen Peacemakers. Tricycle: The Buddhist Review is the exclusive media partner. ![]() Robert Aitken's award will be accepted for him by one of his Dharma Successors.
A Plenary Panel will be held to honor Pioneers of Western Socially Engaged Buddhism:
Bernie Glassman, Paula Green, Joan Halifax, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Peter Matthiessen , Frank Ostaseski, Alan Senauke, Joanna Macy, and Gary Snyder. (Gary and Joanna will not be attending the Symposium.) We are gathering leading Western activist practitioners, academics and sponsors of Socially Engaged Buddhism. Each day there will be a keynote address and panels on special topics. In the afternoon there will be simultaneous presentations and workshops offered as electives in breakout sessions. We will address special topics in the practice of Socially Engaged Buddhism, such as social service, social justice and activism, conflict resolution, compassionate care, prison work, ecological advocacy and activism, social entrepreneurship, mental health, wellness and body-mind healing practices, and arts for social change. The Plenary Panel featuring Western Pioneers of Socially Engaged Buddhism will take place on Saturday, August 14, 2010. Purpose The Symposium is meant to honor Robert Aitken and the pioneers of this movement; to promote the practice of Socially Engaged Buddhism; to inspire and encourage members of the Western Buddhist community to join this worldwide movement; to bring together the leading practitioners and theorists in this movement; to explore the breadth of activity being undertaken by socially engaged Buddhists; and to open opportunities for people to get involved by volunteering, joining training programs, and finding internships and jobs in Socially Engaged Buddhism. Proceedings of the Symposium will be published with acknowledgement of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation and Tricycle: The Buddhist Review for their support. Please subscribe me to the Free Online Newsletter for Western Socially Engaged Buddhism The following people have accepted the invitation to be at the Symposium. By clicking on their name you can read about them. We are still in the process of talking with other possible presenters. We will continue to update the list below.
The information that follows is a work in process. We are firming up dates of arrivals and departures for the Presenters and will modify the events to accommodate their schedules. Monday August 9: Welcome and Orientation
Tuesday August 10: Community
Wednesday August 11: Social Entrepreneurship
Thursday August 12: Justice and Activism
Friday August 13: Wellness and Healing
Saturday August 14: Arts, Media and the Future
Fees The fee for the entire Symposium (Mon-Sun) is $600. Link here to pay the full fee now. The fee includes tuition, continental breakfast and lunch. It does not include lodging and dinner. A Deposit of $300 can be made to reserve a place at the Symposium (link here to pay your deposit.) Once our Symposium participant level has been reached, priority will be given to fully paid participants. Participants having paid deposits will be notified as we are reaching our participant level and, if they don’t pay the full fee, will receive refunds of all but $50 of their fees. The full fee of the Symposium ($600) must be paid within 3 months of the Symposium. Starting in March 2010, we will post registrations for part-time participants. Priority will be given to full-time participants. Refund Policy If the Symposium is canceled by the Zen Peacemakers, registrants will receive full credits or refunds of the paid registration fees. No refunds can be made for lodging, airfare or any other expenses related to attending the workshop. 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 retreat fee. Fees are nonrefundable if a registration is cancelled by the participant within two weeks (14 days) of the start date of the retreat. All refunds will be processed within 60 days of notification of cancellation. |




