Pilgrimages (Yatras) 

Since 2001, we have been regularly conducting (Pilgrimages) Yatras from daylongs in the city to three weeks or more in the countryside. Yatras have been held in France, Israel, England, North America and elsewhere. The Yatra consists of silent, single file walking for three hours each morning and afternoon, plus, meditation, discussion groups, dharma teachings, sharing, music and participation in a free-spirited way of life with others. It is an opportunity for men, women and children to spend time together, look into daily life issues. Some Yatras include a focus on peace, justice and reconciliation issues while other Yatras keep focussed on dharma practices. 

Further information contact our www.dharmayatra.org website and our www.middleway.org website or e-mail insightmeditation@gn.apc.org. You will find below our Digest for Yatras giving all the information you need should you wish to organise a Yatra.

Pilgrims Of Peace

The Walk

An Urgent Appeal From The Heart

The Walk - A Resource Manual 

Introductory Workshop On Spiritual Peacemaking

Pilgrims of Peace

We are pilgrims of peace. We walk in a single file. Silently.

We walk with loving kindness and deep friendship for everybody – without exception.

We walk mindfully and respectfully, step by step, on the Earth.

We walk to heal ourselves from the pain of conflict, terror and war.

We walk to overcome our fears, develop inner strength and show our deepest concern for all those who suffer – regardless of nationality or religious beliefs.

We are willing to listen. We are willing to speak from the heart.

Like you, we feel helpless and frustrated. So we walk. Together.
We meditate in silence. Together.

In the evenings, we share our experiences. Together. We welcome everybody.

We are ordinary people appealing to ordinary people for a change of heart.

It is our deepest yearning that Palestinian and Israeli citizens reconcile their differences. Together. Join us.

May all men, women and children
live in peace, harmony and security.

Christopher Titmuss

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THE WALK

Every single step of the way matters
every step makes a difference
every step is a step towards peace and reconciliation
The Walk reveals the deepest aspirations of men, women and children
to live on earth at peace with each other.

Every step confirms that the pilgrims on this walk
hear the cry of pain and grief of people in the Palestinian and Israeli community.
every step is turning our back on fear and hate
and turning our attention towards transformation and liberation for one and all.

There is no turning back,
there is no sinking back into the painful patterns of the past
The Walk is a movement forward
a step from the known to the unknown
The Walk reminds people of the direction to go in to resolve suffering
through silence each participant bears witness to the nobility, dignity and togetherness.

There are many forms of demonstration; 
The Walk is the most powerful demonstration of all
since it demonstrates, love, interconnection and spiritual presence,
The Walk is a deeply spiritual event having the power to turn the hearts of people towards the realisation of common humanity, common heritage and shared experiences

The Walk is a deep expression of the way.

Christopher Titmuss

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AN URGENT APPEAL FROM THE HEART

We are all in the midst of a living nightmare.

One community lives in fear because of terrorist attacks. Another community endures the terror of military invasion and suffers through a major humanitarian disaster.

Both sides blame the other. Both sides claim the other side is the cause of the nightmare.

Leaders of both sides refuse to stop the bloodshed.

We have all become locked in a grim cycle of revenge and retaliation. Fear and hate rules our lives.

We believe both sides must develop the civilised values of our respective traditions and cultures.

We call for a profound change of heart so that we can all move forward

Together.

We must learn to live with one another with mutual respect, with security and a worthwhile nationhood for Palestinian and Israeli citizens.

We appeal to you to express your voice of concern. Help us end the nightmare.

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THE WALK - a resource manual

This digest serves as a resource manual for individuals interested in organizing a Dharma Yatra. We hope it will inspire others to join a Yatra or organize their own Yatras either in the city or the countryside. Since this form of practice is organically evolving over time, this digest is written primarily as a summary of ideas and insights gleaned over past Yatras that we have held since our first meeting in August 2000 in France. Where appropriate, tips or suggestions for organizing future Yatras are organized in a 'what to do' box in each section of the digest. Individuals interested in organizing a Yatra should use this digest as a starting guide, and customize its suggestions to meet their own community needs.

Table of contents
I what is a Dharma Yatra?
II. Ethical considerations
III. Philosophy of the Dharma Yatra
IV. History of the Dharma Yatra
V. Examples of Dharma Yatras
VI. Considerations for organising a Dharma Yatra
-the route
-camping
-food and kitchen crew
-washing up and waste management
-financial issues
-volunteers
-first aid and safety
-“walking as a sangha”
-linking Yatra to a symbolic 'cause'
-sample daily schedule
VII. Special considerations for one day Yatras
VIII. Appendices
a: personal narratives/stories from participants in Dharma Yatras
b: sample menu
c: sample grocery list
d: portions for meal preparation
e. Volunteer duties for countryside Yatras
f: first aid kit



I. What is a Dharma Yatra?
The Dharma refers to teachings and practices that contribute to awakening our life. A Yatra is a pilgrimage named after a long-standing Buddhist tradition of spiritual journeying and peaceful activism. It involves meditative, single-file walking where individuals travel in the company of friends, embraced by silence, awareness and simplicity, in an effort to rediscover the joy and contentment of being at peace with the world. Dharma teachings, discussions and meditation form part of the Yatra. The particular theme for the walk may depend on the organisers, but the essential philosophy relates to harmlessness, self-exploration, and peaceful living. No one is too young or too old, too wise or too inexperienced to participate in a Dharma Yatra. 

Yatra - a Pali word meaning 'travel, journey, pilgrimage.' literally means 'journeying through life.' We can regard life as a Yatra. Referring to Yatras, the Buddha said: "How many days can one practice this austere life if one does not rein in one's mind? 
“One would trip up with each step through being under the control of one's desires. Independent, not harassing others, one would not blame anyone (for anything). 
“Having reached the end of suffering, one journeys evenly amidst the uneven." SN1.v.32,36. 

II. Ethical considerations
Ethical considerations underpin any spiritual endeavor or undertaking, and in participating in Dharma Yatras. Five guidelines of the Buddhist tradition support the safety and wellbeing of all. 
1) To respect all life and therefore refrain from intentionally killing or harming any living beings
2) To respect the property of others and therefore to refrain from taking anything not freely given to us.
3) To respect other people and therefore to refrain from any inappropriate forms of sexual behavior
4) To respect truth, honesty and integrity and therefore to refrain from lying, gossip and hurtful speech
5) To respect consciousness and therefore to refrain from clouding or intoxicating the mind.*
* Yatras are drug and alcohol free

III. Heart of the Dharma Yatra
Here are three examples of the essential attitude of recent Yatras. 

¨ There is no way to peace, peace is the way.
¨ “We are pilgrims of peace. We walk in a single file. Silently
We walk with loving kindness and deep friendship for everybody–without exception.
We walk to heal ourselves from the pain of conflict, terror and war.
We walk to overcome our fears, develop inner strength and show our deepest concern for all those who suffer–regardless of nationality or religious beliefs.
We are willing to listen. We are willing to speak from the heart.
Like you, we feel helpless and frustrated. So we walk. Together. We meditate in silence. Together.
In the evenings we share our experiences. Together. We welcome everybody.
We are ordinary people appealing to ordinary people for a change of heart.”. (Written by Christopher Titmuss for Yatras in areas of conflict). 

¨ Peace is possible (adopted as a daily theme by the Israeli sangha for its Yatra)

IV. History of the Dharma Yatra 
The Dharma Yatra has the backing of a 2500-year-old tradition. The Buddha strongly advocated the importance of the Yatra as a great opportunity to 
lead a simple life, to go deep into oneself, to share austerities with 
others and realise the joy of freedom through exposure to the changing 
face of nature. The Buddha encouraged the sangha to live as wanderers, to 
experience a homeless life walking through towns, villages and the 
countryside relying on the support and kindness of local people. For three 
months a year, he called on the sangha of practitioners to meet together 
to listen to teachings, practices and intensive meditation. 

In Buddhist countries today, there are ordained practitioners who 
faithfully maintain this tradition. Abbots of various monasteries still lead monks and nuns on various Yatras. They walk in silence during the day and offer teachings and practices in the villages in the early morning and evenings. In the early 1990's, venerable Maha Ghosananda of Cambodia, who spent several years in a hut in the monastery of Ajahn Dhammadaro in southern Thailand, began leading Yatras in Cambodia, which had endured a terrible 
genocide. 
Venerable Ghosananda took with him a single message on the Cambodian Yatras that he led. He told the warring factions in Cambodia to 'put down their rifles and kill the hate inside of themselves.' tens of thousands of Cambodian men, women and children died or lost limbs due to anti-personal mines. He said: "we have to uproot the landmines in our own mind as well as those in the ground." 

In August 1990, Christopher Titmuss, Martin Aylward. Dan Faveroff and senior Dharma students formed the Dharmanetwork to initiate Dharma Yatras, Dharma Gatherings and other projects in the West. 

V. Examples of Dharma Yatras
In the summer of 2001 a group of Dharma practitioners from around the world participated in a Dharma Yatra in southern France. This walk lasted three weeks and covered nearly 300 km (200 miles), involving altogether more than 100 people from countries around the world. 
In 2002, a number of Yatras followed in places such as Washington, London, and Israel. Three Yatras were held in Israel during 2002. The first from Jaffa to Jerusalem in Passover/Easter week. The second through the Arab communities in western Galilee in august. In October, the third Yatra was held close to the occupied territories. The heart of the message of the Yatra was 'peace is possible.' 
The walks in Israel have been powerful with Arabs and Jews walking side-by-side, bringing messages of peace and reconciliation to dangerous areas of conflict. 
In the evenings, talk and discussions are held during Yatras. These meetings are open to the public. 
These walks, in various countries ranged from one day to 20 days and included a few people to several hundred. Thousands of leaflets have been handed out to members of the public detailing briefly the purpose of the Yatra and contact address and website.

In the summer of 2002, another Dharma Yatra took place in southern France. This time the walk lasted 7 days and was followed by five days for a Dharma gathering for teachings, practices and discussion groups. During this Yatra, people rededicated their interest to future walks in Israel, London, Washington, DC, and France while others dedicated their intention to organise walks in new areas, such as Canada, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and elsewhere. Also, that same summer, two previous France Yatra participants engaged in their own “couple Yatra” for 100 days across Europe. (See appendix a for narratives and stories written by Dharma Yatra participants).

More Yatras and Dharma gatherings are planned for Britain, France, Israel and elsewhere during 2003. Information about these Dharma gatherings will be posted on the www.Dharmanetwork.org, www.insightmeditation, org and www.middleway.org (for Israel)

Vi. Basic practice elements of a Yatra
There have been four basic practice elements to previous Dharma Yatras. 1) walking in silence 2) discussion groups 3) meditation and 4) teachings. A few words follow below about each of these elements.

Walking in silence. 
The power of silence is profound. Simply being together and walking, with feet on the earth, with others in silence is something that carries deep meaning. Walking, and resting in silence allowed the walk to offer meditative moments for reflection and contemplation. Silence has been a key element of the Dharma Yatra form. Most typically, silence was maintained throughout most of the walking, with opportunities for verbal interaction during lunch breaks and discussion periods. In some walks, organisers included a 1-hr period of verbal walking in the afternoon following lunch, and then returned to silence well before the final destination for the day was reached. 

Discussion groups
The main discussion format that has been used in previous Dharma Yatras has been small group discussions around themes that the teachers or the participants suggest. These discussion groups usually lasted 1 hour and typically occurred over the lunch break. Communication circles and other forms of interactive discussion have also been used. 

For some city day-Yatras discussion groups have taken place with interested participants at a café following the walk.

Meditation
In addition to the meditative walking, periods of sitting meditation have been organized in the morning, before lunch and in the evening on each of the Yatras.

Teachings
Teachings about peace, compassion and freedom have added a special dimension to previous Yatras. Dharma teachers usually ended the day with a Dharma talk and began the day with a short inspirational message. 


VI. Considerations for organizing a Yatra
Below is a summary of important considerations that organizers from previous Yatras have found to be important. A number of tips for future organizers have been included in text boxes ('what to do') at the end of each section.

A. the route 
Deciding on the route for walking is one of the most important decisions organisers from previous Yatras have had to make. Obviously the longer the walk, the more investigation was required. 

In planning the route, organisers needed to be mindful of where they wanted the walk to begin and end, how many days the walk would last, how long participants would walk each day and so on. In longer countryside Yatras, often final routes were dependent on the availability of camping night stops.

On longer walks, the average days' walk ranged from 12-18 km. This differed depending on the terrain, the participant needs and other such factors. On shorter walks, the walks have typically been about 10km.

'what to do'
¨ The organisers will want to keep in mind the need for toilets (or bushes) as well as places for 15 minute breaks every hour or so.
¨ Participants need to be reminded of bringing a good quantity of water to rehydrate during the walk. In addition, it is good to give the participants the ability to refill water bottles along the way.
¨ Depending on the city or region, the organisers will also need to be conscious that permission or permits may be required for a group to pass through an area. At the very least, the organisers should let the city or region know that the group will be passing through.
¨ It is essential that the organisers conduct a trial walk of the route before the Yatra, ensuring that the person who will lead the walk (or that portion of the walk) is also present.
¨ To ensure an evenly paced walk, organisers should suggest to have slower walkers join the front of the group. The lead walker can then set an appropriate pace and help maintain the group's unity throughout the walk.

B. camping
During countryside Dharma Yatras, participants camped each night. Each morning participants packed their belongings and made them available to be loaded on the truck that carried the participants' baggage to the night stop for that day. At the night stop in the evening, participants gathered their baggage and set up their tents.

The campsite was prepared each day by a rotating “site crew”. The site crew, usually consisted of 2-3 people (for a 60-70 person Yatra) and they rotated 2-4 days depending on the length of the Yatra. The site crew was responsible for driving the baggage truck (which was 
Also the kitchen truck) to the evening night stop each night. 

Once the site crew arrived at the site, they were also responsible for digging toilets, making showers and hanging bags for rubbish (see section d below) or verifying the facilities that exist for these purposes. The site crew also unloaded the baggage and set up tarps for shade/rain protection. 

'what to do'
¨ When exploring camping sites, organisers must ensure that fresh drinking water is available near the site.
¨ Other factors organisers may want to keep in mind are the following: are showers available? Are toilets available? Is shade available for sun? Is cover available for rain?
¨ When the group arrives to a new camping site, a member of the site crew should briefly describe the main aspects of the site, e.g. Showers, toilets, possible tent locations, area reserved for group meditations and Dharma talks.

C. food and kitchen crew
In addition to the “site crew”, the Yatra also required a “kitchen crew”. The kitchen crew, usually made up of 3-4 people (for a 60-70 person Yatra) was responsible for buying the daily food, cooking breakfast, preparing lunches and making the evening meal and hot drink.

'what to do'
¨ Yatra organisers will want to give some thought to how the kitchen crew will be organised. During the longer Yatras, participants volunteered to be in the kitchen for 4 days in a row, each day taking on more and more responsibility until they were in charge of the kitchen on the last day. During shorter Yatras, organisers have rotated volunteer participants through the kitchen for fewer days. Regardless of how the kitchen crew is organised there should be some agreement beforehand about how individuals will work together, what level of creativity will be tolerated, who will be in charge, how people with less experience will be supported and how decisions will be made. 

Buying daily food/supplies
¨ Much of the food for the Yatra was purchased in bulk before the Yatra began. This included rice and other grains, cereal grains such as porridge, spices, tea, oil and other bulk essentials. 
¨ Yatra organisers made an effort to support local farmers and businesses when buying food.
¨ Every day the kitchen crew assessed the daily food supply and purchased the necessary supplies for that day's evening meal, plus the breakfast and lunch for the following day. (see appendix b for a sample menu and appendix c for a sample grocery list). 
¨ During the daily shopping, the kitchen crew also assessed the amounts of cooking gas as well and any other supplies that were needed for the camp, such as the first aid supplies.

'what to do'
¨ If the kitchen truck is also going to be used as a baggage truck, space must be carefully assessed to ensure there is enough space to store bulk food supplies as well as daily food purchases, plus the participants baggage.
¨ Yatra organisers will likely vary their cuisine based on local food availability
¨ Inevitably participants will need certain supplies, a shopping list for participants can be collected and items can be gathered during the kitchen crew's shopping trip
¨ The kitchen crew may have to work around statutory holidays and Sundays, and therefore purchase food to cover more than one day of meals.
¨ See appendix b for a sample menu
¨ See appendix c for a sample grocery list
¨ See appendix d for portions for meal preparation

Cooking breakfast
A sample breakfast menu in France included hot porridge with stewed warm prunes, herbal and caffeinated tea, and a fruit. Sugar, milk and cinnamon were also available. 


'what to do'
¨ The kitchen crew may find it helpful to fill the various pots with water the night before so as to save time in the morning. Total preparation time for breakfast is about 1 hour. 

Preparing lunches
Lunches on the Yatra are simple. A sample participant's lunch menu in France included a baguette with cheese, a fresh tomato or cucumber, a small bag of chips or a cookie, plus some commercially prepared salad dressing. In France, the bread was ordered from the bakery at the latest the day before the pickup and was collected in the early morning from a local bakery. 

The participants' lunches were made after breakfast in the morning with the help of volunteers during packing up time. Total preparation time for lunch is approximately 40 minutes.

After breakfast and after the lunches were prepared, the pots were washed (with the assistance of pot washer volunteers) and food was re-stored and the kitchen area was cleaned. Once the kitchen crew was finished with the clean-up, they would pack their tents and bags to be loaded on the truck. Since the site crew drove the kitchen truck, the kitchen crew needed their own vehicle. (a small van was optimal so the kitchen crew could empty garbage, fill gas containers and also have room for daily food supplies). After the kitchen crew was finished shopping, they went to the night stop where they, after a short break, began to prepare dinner.

'what to do'
¨ For lunch preparation, requesting volunteers who pack quickly or who can have someone else pack for them is very helpful. 

Dinner
Preparation for dinner usually took support from all members of the kitchen crew. A sample dinner menu from France typically included: a vegetable-type curry; a grain, such as rice, bulgar wheat, cous-cous or pasta; a pulse, such as lentils or split peas; and a green salad.

Evening hot drink 
During camping Yatras, after the evening meditation a hot drink was served. This usually included a non-caffeinated tea.

D. Washing up and waste management

Washing up
¨ Participants washed their own dishes on the previous Yatras. In preparation for this washing up, before each meal, the kitchen crew set up three dishwashing buckets for the “washing-up”. The first bucket was filled with soapy water, the second with clear water and the third with clear water with added sterilising solution (1 tsp.). (e.g., Dettol)
¨ Pots and other major cooking utensils were washed by volunteer pot washers after each meal. 
¨ To maximise hygiene, a bucket system was devised for tasks related to washing. Rubber buckets were painted with coloured markings that identified the purpose for each in the following way:
red: food scraps
White: fresh food (useful for serving salads, washing up vegetables etc.)
Blue: laundry and clothing
Yellow (is it yellow?): Dishwashing 

'What to do'
¨ Organisers should post the bucket system for participants to avoid cross-contamination among buckets.

Waste management
¨ Organisers for long and short Yatras found it essential to consider a strategy for managing waste from the Yatra. For shorter Yatras, this simply meant insuring that garbage containers were available during rest and lunch periods. During longer Yatras, more thought was given to this. Recycling was maximised as much as possible and the following 4 component waste management system was put into place. Four garbage/rubbish bags were labelled and placed in a convenient location at each campsite by the site crew. The four bags were for rubbish, paper, glass, and plastic. 
¨ Cooked food waste and uncooked food waste were collected separately but in large rubber buckets. 
¨ All rubbish and recyclables were collected and disposed of in appropriate bins by the kitchen crew during their shopping trip the following morning. 

'What to do'
¨ Depending on the location, uncooked food may be composted by digging a hole in the camping site area (if this is appropriate or composted if possible.) 
¨ Cooked food should be carefully discarded, as it is prone to attracting rodents. 

E. Volunteers
Past Yatras have run completely on the good will of volunteers. Whether the volunteer was helping to organise the Yatra, taking registration, helping as site crew or kitchen crew or other miscellaneous tasks such as pot washing and bell-ringing, volunteers were essential to the start-up and ongoing success of the Yatra. In longer Yatras, a sign up sheet for volunteers was created and posted for all the various tasks over several days at a time. 
¨ Some of the key tasks for which volunteers were needed include:
1. People who did a trial walk of a day's route (or portions of the route).
2. Contact person before the Yatra to collect registrations (it is important to know approximately how many people will be 
Attending a longer Yatra so appropriate amounts of food can be purchased.)
3. Registration person on site the evening before or morning before the Yatra began
4. Person responsible for organising transportation. This was more complicated in rural Yatras where co-ordinations of rides from the airport or train station were necessary.
5. For other volunteer duties on the Yatra, see appendix e.

'What to do'
¨ It is important that each volunteer understands what he/she must do for his or her task. This can be done verbally or in written form.
¨ For longer Yatras, organisers should consider taking out insurance. In France, participants joined the “Dharma network association” by paying a small fee that helped provide insurance in the event something happened. 
¨ Registration for longer Yatras is essential. Not only is this important for insurance reasons, but it is also necessary so that emergency contact information is gathered on each person. 
¨ See appendix d for a sample list of volunteer duties for countryside Yatras. 


F. financial issues
¨ In the past, Yatras have run completely on the generosity of participants. The principle of “dana” or generosity underpins the walk, running on goodwill, co-operation, kindness and generosity. There are many expenses incurred in planning, publicising and organising walks (especially longer walks), as well as purchasing equipment and bulk food. There are also “road” expenses to consider including diesel/petrol, phone calls, food and occasional campsite fees. Dana (donation) tins were placed out each evening with dinner. Any money that was gathered that exceeded the running costs of the Yatra was donated to charities or Dharma centres. Separate dana tins were also made available for the donations for the teachers as well.

'What to do'
¨ Yatra organisers should ensure that one person is ultimately accountable for the money. This person will give the daily shopping money to the kitchen crew, will gather any dana and will account for other expenses related to the Yatra.

G. First aid and safety
Safety has been a priority on previous Yatras. This began with the walking itself, ensuring that participants were alert and cautious about any traffic that they may encounter. City and urban environments offered unique challenges. Some city Yatra organisers have used cellular phones so if the Yatra was split by traffic, the rest of the participants could be alerted. In other Yatras, the participants committed to staying together regardless of traffic lights. Such activity should be carefully thought through with the priority given to the safety of the participants. In the country, rural traffic often emerged suddenly, around a corner for example, so participants took necessary precautions during walking and rest stops to be clear of potential traffic.

Finally, participants who walk long distances tend to get blisters on their feet. On previous long Yatras, organisers placed a medical person as the last person in the line. This person had prior medical experience and offered support to anyone who needed assistance. 

'What to do'
¨ The health and well being of the participants should also be maximised. It is important, during the registration process to identify anyone who has illness or allergies that may be life threatening or is taking any special medication.
¨ The items for the first aid kit that this person carries can be found in appendix f.

H. Walking as a sangha
Here is a sample of the text used to communicate this concept to participants in a past Yatra
“Walking as a sangha means supporting each other as we go. If you find walking easy and see another struggling, perhaps you could offer to take something from their backpack and put it in yours. If you struggle and someone offers help, don't be proud! Let them help. In this way we serve each other and allow ourselves to be served. If you find yourself often at the back of the walking group and finding the walking difficult, start the next period of walking near the front, which can greatly help one's morale. And if the person behind you is getting further away, stop and wait for them. If we all do this, the front of the group will never be too far away from the back, and we move forward together. 

I. Symbolic linking of the Yatra 
In previous Yatras, some of the groups identified a specific symbolic peace 'cause' for which they were walking. Examples include: dropping a letter off at the Israeli embassy, linking the walk Yatra with a larger peace demonstration, walking on a meaningful day or stopping at a meaningful symbol of peace. Other groups have chosen not to link the Yatras to any specific symbol or 'cause' beyond the intention of peaceful walking. 

J. Sample daily schedule to countryside camping Yatras
6 a.m. Wake up 
6.30 sit 
7.30 breakfast and packing tents etc. 
9.00 circle, practice reminders 
9.15 walk, single file, resume silence (one or two silence breaks during this time) 
12.15. Lunch, rest 
13.45 Dharma discussion groups 
15.00 walk (single file, resume silence) (one or two silence breaks during this time) 
18.00 set up camp 
19.00 dinner 
20.00 sit 
20.45 talks and discussions (open to the public)
21.00 rest 


Vii special considerations for one-day Yatras (under development)

A number of one-day city Yatras have been organised during 2001-2002. While the philosophy of these Yatras is similar to longer Yatras, a number of items deserve special consideration when organising these shorter events. These items include considerations for: routing through the city, permits,

10.00 welcome to all. Instructions for the day. Explanations for leaflets. 
10.30 walk, single file, silence (a handful of volunteers to give out leaflets) 
12.30 lunch. Dharma discussion 
14.30.walk, single file, resume silence 
16.00 end walk, sharing of experiences, future meetings, e-mail exchange etc. 

We wish to update this digest at regular intervals. Please continue to keep us informed.

In the Dharma

Susan Macrae
www.dharmanetwork.org

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Introductory Workshop on Spiritual Peacemaking

By Dr. Stephen Fulder, Founder, Amuta Tovana, Amuta Shvil Zahav.

Spiritual peacemaking has components which are beyond the goals and methods of conventional dialogue and negotiation. It is not instead of but in addition to other conventional efforts to solve conflicts.

• Spiritual peacemaking goes beyond the positions we hold, and explores the states of mind and situation of the human being who holds the positions. 
• The emphasis is on present moment feelings and experiences. These are the raw material. They might include peaceful or painful experiences.
• It is acknowledged that individual attitudes, emotions, past experiences, inner states of peace, anger, fear, insecurity, etc. create the climate for peace or conflict and are the basis for political and social actions in society. Therefore the effort is to empower each person to change and become a peacemaker.
• Tools which are used include experiences of peacefulness, mindfulness, deep listening, reducing ego-centred and obsessive mind states, and the exposure and recognition of inner pain. This reduces the automatic projection of these states onto others leading to violence, isolation, etc. These tools are now slowly becoming recognised worldwide.
• All peacemaking activities are intended to enrich and empower the actor, and contribute to the outside world. This balance between inner and outer protects against despair, exhaustion, etc. so often experienced by activists.
• These tools are being used as the basis for 'The Walk', and a powerful contribution to a new form of non-violent peace-making. They were used as the basis for the 3 – year program of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians in Nablus.

It is proposed that a short workshop be organised in order to introduce these tools and themes to the staff of Givat Havivah. The workshop would be one morning or afternoon of 2-3 hours. Workshop content will be:

1. Introduction to the workshop. Purpose themes and 'housekeeping'
2. Experience of silent presence. Practice being at home in changing circumstances.
3. Talk on peacefulness, steadiness and mindfulness and their contribution to peace-making. Examples will be a detailed analysis of the tools used, success and failures of the dialogue workshop 'The Transformation of Suffering' in Nablus, and The Walk (with short film clip from Channel 1 TV).
4. Discussion and dialogue using rules used in the Nablus dialogues. Short break.
5. The Circle. Guided exercise.
6. Guided practice in non-responding, steadiness.
7. Concluding circle and evaluation.

Dr. Stephen Fulder:

fulder@zahav.net.il

www.tovana.co.il 
www.middleway.org

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