Intersein

The first German-language Mindfulness Bell will debut in November. It will include the lead article by Thay from the Mindfulness Bell, translated into German, Thay's retreat schedule in Europe, all Sangha activities in Europe, including retreats, Days of Mindfulness, lectures, etc., addresses and information of Sangha members, and other articles particularly suited to readers of German. Photos, poems, comments, and other information, as well as subscription requests should be sent to the editor, Marcel Geisser, Meditationcenter hausTao, CH-9427 Wolfhalden, Switzerland. Tel: 071-44 35 39.

Pilgrimages in the Footsteps of Buddha

December 19, 1992 to January 3,1993, and February 7 to 27, 1993, led by Tiep Hien member Shantum Seth. For information contact: Aradhana Seth, 5135 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Bethesda, MD 20816, USA. Tel: (301) 229-5224.

Conference on Ecological Responsibility

Dialogue with Buddhism, March 2-6, 1993, with inaugural address by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. For further information, contact Tibet House, 1 Institutional Area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003, India Tel: 011-611515.

Teaching Circle

A semi-annual journal by and for educators who practice meditation. Topics have included being peace in the classroom, spiritual exemplars of teaching/learning/caring, environmental sensitivity, and work with special beings. Subscriptions are $10. Please make checks payable to Teaching Circle, and mail to Patrick McMahon, 2311-C Woolsey Street, Berkeley, CA 94705.

New Books

The Parallax Press Fall catalog includes Touching Peace: Practicing the Art of Mindful Living, a collection of Thay's Dharma talks (from 1987-1992) similar in style and format to Being Peace; The Dragon Who Never Sleeps, a collection of original gathas by Robert Aitken, Roshi; as well as two important new books from other publishers: Buddhism and Ecology, a collection of essays edited by Martine Batchelor and Kerry Brown (contributors include Thay, the Dalai Lama, A.T. Ariyaratne, Joanna Macy, Helena Norberg-Hodge, and Stephen Batchelor) from Cassell Publishers, London and NY; and Inner Peace, World Peace: Essays on Buddhism and Nonviolence, edited by Kenneth Kraft (contributors include Sulak Sivaraksa, Robert Thurman, Luis Gomez, Gene Sharp, and Donald Swearer) from SUNY Press, Albany, NY. The catalog will be sent to those on the Parallax mailing list in September.

GLOBAL Sangha

During the June 1992 retreat at Plum Village, the Gays and Lesbians in Practice Affinity Group formed an international network, GLOBAL (Gay and Lesbian Organization of Buddhist Activists for Liberation) Sangha, in support of increased awareness of inclusivity and acceptance in our home Buddhist communities. We drafted the following statement: "Being mindful of those among the community who cannot be visible because of the risk of losing children, jobs, or community support, some lesbian, gay, and bisexual sangha members take the following vow:

We vow to practice the courage to be visible, not only to free ourselves and our children from homophobia,* but also to free all our sisters and brothers from the fear and suffering caused by homophobia and heterosexism.*

We ask the sangha to help us by being mindful that all loving relationships are worthy of community recognition and support. The re-wording of the Five Precepts, as articulated by Thich Nhat Hanh, which first spoke of 'marriage' and now recognizes long-term commitments other than marriage, is a happy example of deep listening and inclusiveness. Joyfully accepting our identities as lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals, we offer our whole-hearted efforts to our sanghas, in the belief that everyone will benefit from an end to prejudice."

* Homophobia is the fear of and/or prejudice against lesbians and gay men; heterosexism is the belief that heterosexuality is the only legitimate or natural form of sexual expression.

Signed by the founding members of GLOBAL Sangha, Plum Village, France, June 1992:

Shelley Anderson, Alkmaar, The Netherlands Sande Carpentier, Cambria, Wisconsin, USA Barbara DiPietro, San Francisco, California, USA Marianne Dresser, San Francisco, California, USA Geoffrey Landis, Tesuque, New Mexico, USA Kate O'Neill, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Francoise Pottier, Alkmaar, The Netherlands Beth Reninger, Madison, Wisconsin, USA Robert Schaibly, Houston, Texas, USA Steven Storla, Houston, Texas, USA Gary Stuard, Plum Village, France

We are interested in your ideas, poems, artwork, articles, etc. about your experiences as lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals in Buddhist practice, for possible inclusion in future issues of The Mindfulness Bell. GLOBAL Sangha's contacts in Europe are Shelley Anderson & Francoise Pottier, van der Woudestraat 23,1915 Alkmaar, Netherlands, Tel. (31) 72 12 5579. Our North American contact is Marianne Dresser c/o Community of Mindful Living, P.O. Box 7355, Berkeley, CA 94707. Tel. (510) 527-3751; Fax (510) 525-7129. Please send us your contributions!

Plutonium Free Future

"As I hold my goddaughter in my arms, singing her a Japanese lullaby, my heart fills with grief Tomorrow, we will take you to the shrine to pray for your health and longevity. Can we preserve a safe world for our children to grow up in? The world is in such danger. I cannot just sit in silence anymore. I must use all my creativity and compassion to transform myself and this world in distress." -Mayumi Oda

Plutonium Free Future is an environmental group formed by Mayumi Oda, Kaz Tanahashi, and others to call attention to the dangers of Japan's plutonium energy drive. A nuclear plant under construction in northern Japan will produce 200 tons of plutonium over the next 30 years. One-billionth of one ounce of plutonium is lethal for a human being.

International awareness and pressure are needed to awaken and alert the Japanese public. Plutonium Free Future is calling for help to make this a top-priority environmental issue worldwide. For a copy of an informative booklet, write: Plutonium Free Future, 2018 Shattuck Avenue, Box 140, Berkeley, CA 94704. A $2 donation to cover printing and postage would be appreciated.

Environmental Studies

Naropa Institute now has an Environmental Studies program. For information, contact: Bruce Byers, Director of Environmental Studies Program, Naropa Institute, 2130 Arapahoe A venue, Boulder, CO 80302, phone: (303) 444-0202.

Trees for Life

For $10 you can send one of your favorite people a Trees for Life Adventure Kit, which contains seeds, instructions, a starter carton, and other materials. We will also plant 10 fruit trees for a needy family in India, in cooperation with the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. These trees will be planted in the name of the person you've chosen, and we'll let that person know with a certificate we send along with the kit. The fruit trees we plant give hungry people a self-renewing source of food. And trees help protect the environment. Please write: Trees for Life, Wichita, KS 67203, phone: (316) 263-7294.

Ecological News

This bi-monthly newsletter, provides ecological news and information concerning wildlife preservation, toxics and chemicals, human health, food and hunger, acid rain, plant conservation, wetlands and refuges, energy sources, endangered species, and global warming. To subscribe ($20 for one year), make checks payable to Educational Communications, P.O. Box 351419, Los Angeles, CA 90035.

GeoCommons College

This school offers a nine-month residential program for students ages 18-25 and older. We are a school for ecologically sustainable lifeways, harmonious democratic communities, global perspectives, and development of the whole, healthy, compassionate person. The overseas program, from September-February, will take young people to five innovative communities in Europe, India, and Russia, including Plum Village. This program is designed to connect young adults with communities that are actively striving to practice sustainable, creative, and compassionate lifestyles. For more information, contact: Bruce Kantner, GeoCommons College, Derbyshire Farm, Temple, NH 03084, phone: (603) 878-1818.

Fresh Start Farms

Fresh Start Farms is working to establish an organic farm for 25 homeless families. Its purpose is to help the homeless become more self-sufficient, and create a climate in which agribusiness would be compelled to become more responsive to the environment and the consumer. For information, write to Ruth Brinker, c/o Fresh Start Farms, 336 Moultrie Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, Phone: (415) 695-9670.

Land in Colorado

I'm looking for investor(s) or buyer(s) with a vision to develop property for a possible retreat center in the Colorado mountains. Location: approx. 30 miles west of Denver; spiritually, environmentally, ecologically, and nutritionally oriented. Please send inquires to: Vone Sumers, 777 EI Camino Real, #2, Burlingame, California 94010; phone: (415) 342-3802.

Mining in Grand Canyon & Navajo Nation 

Twenty years after the first uranium boom ended, there are still more than 3,000 underground and open-pit mines abandoned and unprotected on Navajo Nation lands. More than 200 Navajo families continue to experience the deaths of fathers and sons who mined uranium to fuel the "atoms for peace" programs, and these communities continue to have a high rate of birth defects. The Little Colorado, Puerco, San Juan, Animas, Gunnison, Dolores, and Green Rivers have all been contaminated. Many of the beaches in the Canyon are contaminated with radioactive sand. Every vein of water has experienced essentially uncontrolled dumping of radioactive materials. Yet no cumulative environmental impact statement has ever been made. The Kaibab Paiute Tribe, on the northern edge of the Arizona strip, have seen their ancient and historic burial sites destroyed. Environmentalists are calling for a moratorium on new mining in the Grand Canyon and an environmental impact statement.

If you would like to support this moratorium, please write to Manual Lujan, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior, 18th and C Streets N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240.