Peacemakers Podcast
The Peacemakers Podcast, produced by Zen Peacemakers, is grounded in the Three Tenets of Not Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Taking Action. It features conversations with activists, spiritual leaders, and changemakers who apply these principles in their work and lives. The show shares stories of compassion, justice, and transformation, offering insight and inspiration for those committed to making a difference in the world.
Episodes
Listening Creates Belonging
In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, we shares the story of Jennifer Dohrn — midwife, activist, longtime student of Zen, and a person whose life has been shaped by the simple, radical practice of listening.At the heart of this episode is the birthing center she helped build in the South Bronx of New York.Created for women and families who had often been pushed to the edges of healthcare, th
Bearing Witness at Auschwitz-Birkenau
There is a difference between knowing a thing and being changed by it.In this episode of The Peacemakers Podcast, we enter the heart of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Bearing Witness Retreat, held each November by Zen Peacemakers. Through the voices of Barbara Wegmüller, Bernie Glassman, Fleet Maull, Genro Gauntt, Tani, and Jishu Holmes, this episode explores what it means to sit at the selection site, re
The Right of Remembrance - 1864 Sand Creek Massacre
There are stories that history books only partially hold—and others that live on in families, in land, in memory carried across generations.In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, we listen to Southern Cheyenne leader Chris Tall Bear as he shares the story of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre—not as distant history, but as something still present. His ancestors survived Sand Creek. What he offers h
Not Turning Away: Hozan Alan Senauke and the Practice of Staying
In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, we sit with Hozan Alan Senauke — a Zen priest, teacher, musician, and lifelong practitioner of engaged Buddhism — in a conversation that feels less like an interview and more like being in the presence of a life deeply lived.At the heart of Hozan’s path is a simple but demanding vow: “I will not abandon you.” Not as a sentiment, but as a practice. A Nort
Growing Up in the Shadow of The Troubles — Bearing Witness with Ryushin Paul Haller
In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, Zen teacher Paul Haller reflects on how the practice of Zen meets the realities of a divided world.Paul grew up in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, a time when political conflict and religious identity shaped daily life. Neighborhoods, schools, and communities were divided, and the tensions between Catholic and Protestant communities formed the back
The Three Tenets - The Intimacy of Taking Action
We see suffering.Something inside says: Do something.Another voice answers: What if I get it wrong?In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, Geoff Shōun O’Keeffe sits down with five longtime Zen Peacemakers to explore the raw, human edge of Taking Action—the third of the Three Tenets.Not a strategy.Not performance.Relationship.From street retreats in Los Angeles to immigrant support in Seattle,
Appamāda: Care, Responsibility, and Being Like Water with Roshi Joan Halifax
In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, Roshi Joan Halifax reflects on Appamāda—a Buddhist teaching often translated as vigilance or heedfulness, and here offered simply as care.Speaking from a life shaped by civil rights work, caregiving, and decades of practice alongside Bernie Glassman, Joan explores what it means to stay present with moral distress without rushing toward answers. Drawing o
Bernie Glassman: Sixty Years of Practice
This episode of the Peacemakers Podcast features reflections from Bernie Glassman, drawn from a three-day gathering held in 2014.Across those days, Bernie occasionally spoke from the vantage point of the first, second, and third twenty-year periods of his life — not as a formal structure, but as a way of noticing how practice matures through time. What comes through most clearly is not biography,
Your World Is Not the World
In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, we sit with T. Marie King in a conversation that invites honest reflection on identity, power, and how we show up in community.Rather than offering answers or analysis, this episode creates space to notice what we assume, who we may be missing, and how listening itself can become an act of care and responsibility. Rooted in lived experience and grounded
The Art of Appreciative Attention — with Poet & Teacher John Brehm
The Art of Appreciative Attention — with Poet & Teacher John BrehmAs we approach the end of the year, Geoff and I wanted to offer something a little different—something quieter, more spacious, and genuinely nourishing. This week’s Peacemakers Podcast feels like exactly that.Geoff opens with one of his own poems, a tender moment he rarely shares publicly, and we talk together about how poetry has s
Faith in the Night
In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, we walk after dark with San Francisco Night Ministry, a multi-faith community offering spiritual care on the city’s streets and phone lines. No preaching, no agenda—just presence.Our guest, Rev. Trent Thornley, shares how these night walks become both an expression and inspiration of faith—moments of deep listening, compassion, and unexpected connection.
The Gifts of Courage: Stepping Into It All With Open Hearts — with Jeff Bridges & Krishna Das
In this episode, two of Bernie’s dear friends—Jeff Bridges and Krishna Das—sit down with us for a funny, tender, deeply alive conversation about courage, friendship, and the love that keeps cooking long after the meal. We open with Krishna Das recalling how Bernie invited him to turn lines from the Gate of Sweet Nectar into a singable prayer—what became the beloved song “Hungry Hearts.”Recorded in
Beyond Us & Them: Council, Connection, and Taking Action (with Jared Seide)
In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, hosts Jim Hōden Fricker and Geoff Shōun O’Keeffe sit down with Jared Seide of Beyond Us & Them to explore a simple, radical practice: sitting in a circle and truly listening. What begins as “ordinary” turns out to be transformative—calming classrooms, easing tensions in neighborhoods, helping people heal in prisons and police precincts, and weaving conne
The Buddhist Coalition for Democracy: Tending the Spark
In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, hosts Jim Hōden Fricker and Geoff Shōun O’Keeffe welcome Seth Zuihō Segall and John Murphy to present the vision of the newly formed Buddhist Coalition for Democracy.Seth Zuihō Segall is a Zen priest ordained in the White Plum and Zen Peacemaker Order lineages, and a retired clinical psychologist who served for three decades at the Yale School of Medicin
"Everything Changes, Everything is Connected, Pay Attention”: The Poetry of Jane Hirshfield
In this new Peacemakers Podcast episode, poet and Zen practitioner Jane Hirshfield sits down with Geoff O’Keeffe for a luminous, grounded conversation about how poems—and practice—help us meet a fractured world. From her seven-word distillation of the dharma (“Everything changes. Everything is connected. Pay attention.”) to the vow that undergirds compassionate action, Jane invites us into a way o
Taking Action: Zen Center of Denver at Metro Caring
Zen Peacemakers founder Bernie Glassman taught that practice doesn’t end on the cushion—it must move into the world. In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, we see how a Zen Peacemaker Affiliate, the Zen Center of Denver, brings this vision to life through their ongoing work at Metro Caring.What emerges is a reminder that service isn’t about charity, but about belonging—creating spaces where d
Opening to Oneness with the Zen Precepts
What if being ethical wasn’t about being good, but about being whole?In this moving and revelatory episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, Zen teacher Nancy Mujo Baker Roshi invites us to experience the Buddhist precepts not as commandments or even ideals—but as expressions of oneness itself. Through stories, teachings, and poetic insight, she guides us through the subtle terrain of “non-killing, non-
Committed Relationships & Peacemaking
In this heartfelt episode, we turn the lens inward to explore how the Zen Peacemakers' Three Tenets—Not Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Taking Action—manifest in our closest and most personal relationships.Host Geoff O’Keeffe guides a powerful roundtable conversation with eight longtime Zen teachers, including Roshis Pat Enkyo and Barbara Joshin O’Hara, Gerry Shishin Wick and Ilia Shinko Perez, June
Occupation, Faith & Forgiveness - Life as a Palestinian Christian
In today’s episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, we’re honored to share the voice of Elias D’eis, a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem and a leader with the Holy Land Trust.Elias grew up during the First Intifada—surrounded by military patrols, fear, and the weight of inherited trauma. As a child, he opened his Bible and read, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem”, even as his father was being arreste
The Three Tenets of Current Affairs with Peter Coyote
Actor, activist, and Zen priest Peter Coyote joins the Peacemakers Podcast for a powerful episode that pulls no punches. With a voice shaped by decades of spiritual practice and political engagement, Peter traces how we arrived at this moment—from the ideals of the 1960s to the calculated strategies of political and economic power.Peter reminds us that Buddhist practice isn’t a retreat from the wo
The Three Tenets of Current Affairs (Episode Preview)
(Episode Preview) In this timely and compelling episode, actor, activist, and Zen priest Peter Coyote reflects on how spiritual practice can anchor us in the turbulence of political and cultural change. Through stories from his life—from the counterculture of the ’60s to the challenges of today—Peter invites us to look closely at how fear and disconnection shape our shared reality.More than a conv
No One Escapes the Grain - with Norman Fischer
What happens when the world goes mad—and we go mad right along with it? In this episode of The Peacemakers Podcast, Zen teacher and poet Norman Fischer brings to life the prophetic parable of the tainted grain by Rebbe Nachman. Norman gently walks us through what it means to live in a world turned upside down. Through the lens of the Bodhisattva path, he invites us to surrender the illusion of sep
What Shall I Sing to You? - Krishna Das & Bernie Glassman
In this heartfelt and unfiltered conversation, Krishna Das and Roshi Bernie Glassman reflect on the power of bearing witness—from Auschwitz to the Black Hills to the city streets.Recorded not long after the 20th anniversary of the Zen Peacemakers’ first Bearing Witness Retreat at Auschwitz/Birkenau, this exchange touches the heart of our second tenet: turning toward what we often avoid.Together, t
“Getting Old—What’s the Deal Here?” with Jeff Bridges & Eve Marko
“Yeah, well, you know, that’s just like, your opinion, man…” — and in this episode, Jeff Bridges lays down some serious Dude-style truth about aging.Jeff reflects on his role in The Old Man, his time with Bernie Glassman, and his experience of illness and vulnerability. Together, Eve and Jeff explore what it means to surrender, to grow older, and to stay creatively alive.🌀 “The Dude abides,” sure—
Episode Preview: "Getting Old – What’s the Deal Here?" with Jeff Bridges
Aging is inevitable, but how we experience it is up to us. In this special preview of next week’s Peacemakers Podcast, we sit down with the legendary Jeff Bridges for a candid and heartfelt conversation about growing older, embracing change, and finding joy in the process.Jeff reflects on the lessons he’s learned—not just from his remarkable career, but from life itself. He shares personal stories
America's Racial Karma
In this episode of the Peacemakers Podcast, Dr. Larry Ward, a renowned teacher and author in the Plum Village tradition, delves into America's Racial Karma as collective trauma and the necessity for healing. He opens with a powerful personal story involving chains and cuffs once used to enslave children, which serves as a stark reminder of the enduring impact of history. Through history, Buddhist
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