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Hey, click on this link to see the prior posting about our retreat, which starts Weds. evening. Come by and sit with us!

Come to HSZC this Saturday for a talk by Jana, priest-ordained at San Francisco Zen Center. Jana has been very involved with Religious Witness for the Homeless and other outreach programs for the disenfranchised, and received Dharma Transmission from retired Abbess Blanche Hartman. We’ll have 9:25 a.m. zazen, of course, then the talk at 10:15, and tea-and-cookies after. All are welcome.

Our annual retreat begins Wednesday evening, 7 Dec., and ends with the Enlightenment Day Ceremony by noon on Sunday the 11th. Please join us for this special time of concentrated practice. You may participate in any of the scheduled activities in the zendo (meditation hall), but only those who have signed up in advance will be able to partake of the semi-formal meals in the dining hall. The proposed schedule is available for view by clicking this link . You can sign up for all or part of the retreat by sending email to hszc108@yahoo.com, or leaving a phone message at (415) 863-2507.

Our board of directors will meet this Wednesday, starting promptly at 7:30 p.m., and lasting until 9 p.m. Board meetings are open to visitors, unless an executive session is invoked (a rare occurrence!).

Please come to the temple for our monthly Bodhisattva Ceremony, where we renew our practice vows. The ceremony will begin right after the evening period of zazen, at 6:40 p.m., and take about a half-hour. Full prostrations are typically done during the ceremony, but standing bows are perfectly ok, too.

In keeping with recent custom, we’ll observe the national holiday this Friday, 11 November, and not open the zendo (meditation hall) that day. Please join us again on Saturday morning for our regular program, beginning with zazen (seated meditation) at 6:30 a.m.

Given the, um, exuberant nature of Halloween in our ‘hood, we’ll just go with the flow and not get up so early on Tuesday the 1st of November. Zazen (that’s seated meditation, y’all) will happen as usual at 6 p.m., though!

This Saturday, 22 October, following a short Dharma talk by Rev. Myo, we’ll celebrate the ancient ceremony known in Japanese as Sejiki, or “Feeding the Jiki (wandering spirits)”. This ceremony addresses our connection to the “unseen world”, typically overlooked in the West. All aspects of our life that have been disowned, disrespected and denied are invited to come forth from exile and be nourished, a gesture that may have particular significance for members of the LGBTiQQ community, whose own place in the social order has been undermined by fear, prejudice and violence. Costumes and sundry noisemaking devices are encouraged, and everyone is invited to participate. (Time approximate after the Dharma talk, but about 11:00 a.m.)

Please come and join us this Saturday for a Dharma talk at 10:15 a.m. by Tova Green. Tova was priest-ordained by San Francisco Zen Center Abiding Dharma Teacher Jiko Linda-Ruth Cutts, is a former Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and presently serves as Director of the S.F. Zen Center city temple. Zazen will precede as always at 9:25, and the ever-popular tea and cookies will follow. All are welcome.