At the heart of Zen practice is a vow: to meet all of life with responsiveness, care, and an unwavering commitment to alleviate suffering. This isn’t just our practice at Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community—it’s the essence of Zen itself. It calls us to the places we’ve othered and ignored, inviting us to let differences drop away and meet the world as self, and self as the world.
This isn’t abstract. It’s about developing the willingness to show up, let go of the idea of separation, and use the ingredients of our life to respond to what’s right in front of us in healing ways.
Sometimes, these situations come up unexpectedly, like they did here. During our Rohatsu retreat last month, we learned that the owner of the property next door to the new BLMZC building in Middlebury had tragically been killed in a car accident. In their grief, the family decided to sell the property quickly and invited us to make an offer. They accepted our bid from among other stronger offers at a significantly reduced price of $510,000, in part because of our intention to preserve the building’s current purpose.
This four-unit property, seen in this picture just beyond our new temple, has been providing low-cost transitional housing for people coming out of prison, homelessness, and addiction treatment programs. Housing like this is rare and deeply needed in our region, where long waiting lists mean many eligible people are left without options. The sale of the property put these units at serious risk of being lost to market pressures.
We didn’t set out to buy this property. But the situation asked something of us, and we responded—not with grand solutions, but with steady presence, open hearts, and practical action.
Since then, we’ve been navigating inspections, lease reviews, and financing details, and our board has chosen to move forward. We’re set to close on February 7th.
This step feels deeply consistent with the vow that’s guided us all along: to address loneliness through Gather, food insecurity and community-building through Street Greens, and belonging by creating spaces where everyone feels welcome and valued.
More Than Shelter
With the social service support of Pathways Vermont, these apartments are more than just housing—they are a foundation for stability, care, and the possibility of rebuilding a life.
Pathways Vermont brings deep expertise in housing-first models, offering critical support services to residents. Together, Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community and Pathways Vermont will provide individuals transitioning out of incarceration, homelessness, and addiction treatment programs not just a roof over their heads, but a safe, secure space to rest, reestablish themselves, and reconnect with their community.
All the units are already occupied, underscoring just how rare and essential housing like this is in our area. By taking ownership of this property, we are preserving a vital resource in the face of a severe local housing crisis that disproportionately affects our most vulnerable neighbors. Had we not stepped in to buy this, these high-demand transitional units would most likely have been converted to market-rate rentals.
Why Housing Matters
In ancient Buddhist teachings, stable housing is recognized as one of the four requisites—alongside food, clothing, and medicine—necessary for personal transformation and spiritual practice.
Without a safe place to rest, caring neighbors, and the chance to form healthy patterns, it’s nearly impossible to rebuild a life. Housing isn’t just shelter—it’s the ground on which stability, growth, and belonging can take root.
This work isn’t separate from our Zen practice; it is our Zen practice. It’s a continuation of what we’ve been building through Gather, our meals program, and our ongoing community care efforts. At its heart, this project expresses our Bodhisattva vow: to meet suffering not with grand solutions, but with steady presence, open hearts, and practical action.
Looking Ahead to 2025
This year marks a significant chapter for our Middlebury temple grounds:
- In February, our practice of offering supportive transitional housing will begin at 74 Court St.
- In April, our renovations of 76 Court St will begin, and in June, our meditation and teaching halls, Gather, and residential rooms will reopen.
These hands-on, place-based practices will continue to shape and inform our online practice communities, creating a bridge between local and digital spaces of connection.
We know this work will require patience, humility, ongoing learning, and a commitment to keep showing up. But it feels like the right next step—a step guided by the principles of Community Zen: bridging, bonding, and belonging.
An Invitation to Support
We’re asking for your support—not just financial, though that’s deeply appreciated—but also your moral and spiritual encouragement.
This isn’t just about buildings and contracts; it’s about creating a community where no one is forgotten, where people are given the space to breathe, rest, and begin again.
While rental income will cover our monthly mortgage payments, our current financial model leaves very little margin for unexpected costs or long-term flexibility. Day-to-day operations are sustainable, but large, unforeseen expenses—like major repairs or system failures—would strain us. Reducing our mortgage will allow us to have a larger building reserve and create a healthier, more resilient financial base for this project and our community as a whole.
We also have two important improvements to the property that we need to make in the coming months: New windows in two of the apartments, and some repair and moisture work on the foundation of the old building. The cost of these updates will be about $30,000. We ask that you consider a gift to help us cover these costs.
We’ve come this far thanks to the generosity of donors who have forgiven loans or made outright gifts to help secure this property. Their support has been essential in preserving this rare and vital housing resource.
If you’re in a position to help reduce our mortgage—whether through an outright gift or a low-interest flexible loan—your contribution will have a lasting impact on this project and the lives it touches.
Your support, in any form, makes this practice possible.
Walking Together
Bernie Glassman’s words guide us:
“Loving action is right action. It’s as simple as giving a hand to someone who stumbles or picking up a child who has fallen on the floor. We take such direct, natural actions every day of our lives without considering them special. And they’re not special. Each is simply the best possible response to the situation in that moment.”
Thank you for walking alongside us in this unfolding effort.
With gratitude,
Joshin and the Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community Board of Directors
