American Buddhist Net

PEMA CHODRON
PRACTICING PEACE IN TIMES OF WAR
at the Center for International Conflict Resolution (CICR),
Columbia University June 6-8, 2008

Beloved Buddhist teacher, Pema Chödrön, will teach a three-day program at Columbia University on strategies to support individuals and organizations working to create a peaceful and just world. Pema Chödrön has focused her teachings on how the inner practices of mindfulness-awareness from the Tibetan Buddhist path can be used by people of any faith in all walks of life to deal with extreme stress and suffering. Pema will be joined by a remarkable and diverse group of activists experienced in peace keeping and human rights worldwide.

The weekend will include teachings by Pema Chödrön, training in mindfulness practice and small group discussions. The practices for finding peace in oneself can be used as the means for transforming larger conflicts and for dealing with the personal chaos and hopelessness that many people experience in the face of increasing aggression in the world.

Chödrön will be joined by: Richard Reoch, formerly of Amnesty International and chairperson of the International Working Group on Sri Lanka, and Laura Simms, internationally renowned storyteller and activist. Panelists include: Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier, now UNICEF ambassador and author: Sandra Dunsmore, former President of the Pearson Peackeeping Centre; Senator Romeo Dallaire, former head of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Rwanda; and Marianne Elliot former UN Human Rights Officer in Afghanistan. Aldo Civico, the Director of CICR actively working on behalf of peace in Colombia, will introduce the event.
Schedule: June 6th-8th, New York City

· Public Talk by Pema Chödrön, Friday June 6th, 7:00 pm
· Teachings and Practices, Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am-5:00pm
· Panel discussion Saturday evening, 7:00 pm
· Film Sunday June 8th, 7:00 pm -- Shaking Hands with the Devil, with Senator Romeo Dallaire

COST: The cost of the weekend is $600. (A limited number of tickets are available for the public talk on Friday June 6th, price $50)

INFORMATION/REGISTRATION: www.cicrtraining.com (complete program available online) Email : practicingpeace@yahoo.com or Call: (917) 434-6291
For those interested in applying Pema’s teachings in a year long program, which includes working with a mentor, see: www.cicrtraining.com Yearlong Tab