June 1995 Retreat on Nuns' Practice

The Sangha of nuns at Plum Village is a organizing a seminar on "The Shaping of Communities of Nuns in the West," from June 17-22, 1995, to look deeply into the establishment of communities of western nuns from various traditions. Anyone interesed—monks, nuns, laypeople, Buddhists, non-Buddhists—is invited to attend. The dates are subject to change depending on the response.

You are warmly invited to contribute articles on the following topics: 1. Eastern practices of community living that may be useful in a Western community of nuns. 2. Western practices within non-Buddhist communities of nuns, that may be useful to Buddhist nuns. 3. What we can do to assist in the revival of the Bhikkhuni order within the Theravada tradition. Any other suggestions on topics to cover as well as activities that may be useful to include in this seminar would be welcome. Please address inquiries to: Sister Eleni, Plum Village, Meyrac, 47120 Loubes-Bemac, France. Fax: (33) 53.94.75.90.

CML Volunteers Needed

Let us know if you would like to help us with the various aspects of producing The Mindfulness Bell—editing, typing, gathering sangha news, design, or soliciting articles—or helping in the offices of CML and Parallax Press. We need your input! Call (510) 527-3751.

News from Suhita Dharma

Buddhist monk Suhita Dharma takes care of a homeless shelter in New York for those with HIV, and he recently began a meditation group in Tennessee that helps raise funds to support Appalachian families. For information, contact Metta Vihara Community, P.O. Box 316, Ansonia Station, New York, NY 10023.

Buddhist Witness in the Desert

is planned for Buddha's birthday, April 7-10, at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The superpowers are the closest they have ever been to accomplishing a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTB). But President Clinton has ordered preparations for a resumption of U.S. Testing in 1994. In order to achieve a CTB and greater adherence to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the U.S. must not test again. The retreat will include meditation, a tour of the test site, meeting with Western Shoshone leaders, a poetry reading, nonviolence training, a service at the test site gates, and whatever direct action is agreed upon by the group. For more information, contact: Buddhist Peace Fellowship, P.O. Box 4650, Berkeley, CA 94704 Tel: (510) 525-8596.

Listening Projects

is a conflict resolution tool that has been used to help communities throughout the world deal with vital community concerns and conflicts. Rural Southern Voice for Peace, a southeast regional training and resource organization, will offer a Listening Project Training in Asheville, North Carolina on March 10-13. For information, contact: RSVP, 1898 Hannah Branch Road, Burnsville, NC 28714; (704) 675-5933.

Peaceworkers

is a nonprofit organization that works with other groups to form international nonviolent peacemaking teams. These teams are prepared to go into conflict areas in various parts of the world to provide an international nonviolent presence and work with local groups on all sides of conflicts. For information about upcoming trainings, contact: Peaceworkers, 721 Shrader Street, San Francisco, CA 94117, Tel: (415)751-0302.

Conscientious Objection for Taxpayers

The Peace Tax Fund Bill was introduced in Congress first in 1972. Support in Congress has grown since its inception. The bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide that a taxpayer conscientiously opposed to any participation in war could have his/her income, estate, and gift tax payments spent for non-military purposes only. Tax money received into the fund could help finance peace-enhancing projects, such as:

• Retraining of workers displaced in the conversion from military production or activities
• Disarmament efforts
• International exchanges for peaceful purposes
• Research and study to develop and evaluate non-military and nonviolent solutions to international conflicts
• Improvement of international health, education, and welfare
• Providing public information and education about the above activities.

You can help by urging your Representative and Senator to co-sponsor the U.S. Peace Tax Fund Bill (H.R. 1870, S.689).

Passages

Scott Mayer and Metta (Manuele Lepouse) were married at Plum Village, France on August 4, 1993.

Michael and Geraldine Kline are the parents of Sarah Mae, born October, 1993, Thenac, France.

Daniel and Linda Reeves are the parents of a daughter, Adele Grace, born on January 28, 1994 at their home in Carrick House, Scotland.

Howard Lapin of the Berkeley, California, Sangha passed away of a heart attack on December 22, 1993.