Meet Our 2025 Community Zen Fellow, Maya Pemble
We are delighted to introduce Maya Pemble as our 2025 Community Zen Fellow at Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community. The Community Zen Fellowship is a six-month immersive residential program designed to cultivate Dharma-inspired leadership qualities, including self-awareness, resilience, openness to diverse perspectives, and the practice of wise compassion through hands-on service.
Maya joined us in February 2025 after spending time at Plum Village, the practice center founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in southwest France. They graduated with a BA in French Studies from Smith College in 2024 and were raised in Kentucky’s Bluegrass region. Maya’s decision to apply for the Community Zen Fellowship stemmed from a growing aspiration to transition their Zen practice from a traditional monastic setting to active engagement within community life.
The Community Zen Fellowship, initiated with generous support from the Khyentse Foundation’s Ashoka Grant, offers emerging practitioners an opportunity to deepen their understanding of socioeconomic disparities, navigate complex systems, and integrate their efforts within local communities in compassionate and sustainable ways. The Fellowship’s mission is to support younger individuals in blending contemplative practice and intentional personal growth with initiatives that foster positive community change, all within the framework of Buddhist ethical training and a culture of care.
Reflecting on their experience so far, Maya shares:
“One of the most profound aspects of my journey has been learning to embody the Zen Peacemaker Tenets: Not Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Compassionate Action. Serving as a ‘Friend’ at Gather several times a week has offered me rich opportunities for insight and transformation—cultivating skillful communication, exploring the essence of inclusivity, and listening deeply to be fully present with people I might not have connected with otherwise. It’s been a true gift to make new friends and get involved with the Middlebury community in wonderful and unexpected ways. I’m feeling really at home here in the practice.”
Maya’s presence enriches our community, and we are grateful to walk this path together.