Harris Breiman, age 71, entered peacefully into eternity on February 25, 2025, in Woodstock, New York. He is survived by his much loved daughter Seraphina, his ex-wife and dear friend Marijo Mallon, his brother Mark in Florida, his close friends Sheryl Anderson and Ken Shillin, and many others who have been lovingly supportive of him over these past several years.
Harris was born on August 26, 1953, the elder of Evelyn and Jack Breiman’s two sons. He graduated from Lehman College in 1975 with a major in Philosophy, a subject that informed his lifelong passion for study and activism. After college, he and Marijo, his fellow student at Lehman, together co-managed The Fertile Earth, one of the first gourmet vegetarian restaurants in NYC. In 1978, Harris and Marijo married and left NYC for Woodstock, where Harris’s interest in the efficacy of various healing modalities led to his pursuit of a license as a NYS massage therapist and, subsequently, his holistic health practice. Together with Marijo, he created The Mustard Seed Center for Healing, serving a wide community for almost 25 years.
During that time, Harris became a participant, and then a leader, in the Men’s Movement of the late 1980’s. This new focus on self-healing led to his work, with his dear friend Onaje Benjamin, in Shawangunk Correctional Facility.
As Harris’s study of Buddhism deepened, he became a dedicated follower of Bardor Tulku Rinpoche–he liked to say that he had become a JewBu–and spent many hours at KTD Monastery in Woodstock, meditating and studying in that monastic circle as well as offering the monks his own healing skills in massage therapy. He was a lifelong learner who aspired to a more conscious spirituality and self awareness, but always took time for dancing and laughter with his family and community.
In his final years, Harris struggled with mental health issues, but remained steadfast in his efforts to practice what his teacher Thich Nhat Hanh called an “engaged Buddhism.” He would certainly echo Nhat Hanh’s teaching about death: “Please do not put my ashes in a vase, lock me inside, and limit who I am…. If you must build a stupa though, please make sure that you put a sign on it that says, ‘I am not in here.’ In addition, you can also put another sign that says, ‘I am not out there either,’ and a third sign that says, ‘If I am anywhere, it is in your mindful breathing and in your peaceful steps.’” (Vox,1.21.22)
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network (UIDN) or Earthjustice.org.
A memorial service will be planned at a future date. Remembrances may be posted on the life tribute page on the Gormley Funeral Home website(www.gormleyfuneralhome.com).
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