Council is an important aspect of training at SWZC. In Zazen (seated meditation), we bear witness to thoughts and feelings as they come and go. In council, we share and bear witness to each others’ thoughts and feelings, and experience powerful group connection. Just as meditation can offer powerful experiences of insight into our True Nature, council practice very often provides similar experiences of oneness and compassion.

"Participating in council teaches us how to let go of personal expectations and become fully attentive to others. Listening to the voice of council teaches us that the circle’s knowledge is greater than the totality of its members’ individual knowing. Learning to hear this voice can help people transcend even the most deeply ensconced cultural, racial, and personal identifica­tions. Witnessing the truth of the circle emerge from a cacophony of diverse views can be a remarkable experience." —Jack Zimmerman and Virginia Coyle in The Way of Council

• Be on time. Due to the confidential and intimate nature of council, the group may decide not to open the circle for you if you are late.
• Listen and speak from a place of not-knowing. Bear witness to all that is going on. Allow the healing process to occur.
• Speak from your heart. Avoid lectures, expressing ideas, doing others inventory. Remember “no fixing, no saving, no advising, no setting each other straight.”
• No cross-talk. The person who holds the talking piece has the attention of the circle.
• Listen from the heart. Listen without judgment. The success of council is largely determined by the quality of listening in the circle.
• Be lean. Say what needs to be said. Avoid tangents. Avoid repetition. But do say everything that needs to be said.
• Spontaneity. Don’t rehearse. Let the intuitive voice speak. Find the voice of the circle.
• Confidentiality. As a general rule, everything shared during council is agreed upon by participants as confidential. However, if anything is shared that threatens someone’s safety, that would be an extenuating circumstance where it is appropriate for a participant to contact the appropriate channels.

• The Way of Council by Jack Zimmerman, Virginia Coyle
• Non-Violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg
• Where Compassion Begins by Jared Seide