Greetings from Issan-ji Sōtō Zen Temple. We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and in good health during this difficult time. Practice is ongoing with Hartford Street Zen Center‘s residential students and we encourage you to continue your practice at home. We invite you, the Sangha, to connect through online technology, creating a safe temple space without physical borders.
There are currently three online options:
• Saturday mornings we offer a Zoom web conferencing for video and/or audio presence for the scheduled events. 9:25 zazen (you can log into the conference starting at 9am) and a Dharma talk at 9:45am, followed by Q&A as well as an opportunity to check in and see how you are doing. https://zoom.us/j/167153141 – Please send an email request to info@hszc.org to obtain the password.
• Thursdays we will reconvene our Study Hour offering 7:30pm – 8:30pm via Zoom conferencing for video and/or audio access – Send an email to info@hszc.org to be added to Rev. Myō’s weekly study hour email list and to receive Zoom conference details
• Wednesday evenings 6pm – 6:40pm as of April 8th, you can also join us online for a period of zazen hosted outside the temple by a community member via Zoom conferencing – https://us04web.zoom.us/j/626141223
We also would like to encourage you continue to visit us at hszc.org and our Facebook page as we adjust our offerings during these trying times.
From our Abbot, Rev. Myō – These painful circumstances have created a kind of retreat space for us, which we can use in a helpful way. Remember that ‘staying close to home’ has meaning for us beyond the literal, and that the ancient meditation instruction “follow the stream to the source” is accomplished in an instant, whether one considers oneself ‘beginner’ or ‘advanced’.
Establish some structure for your time, including some Dharma practice and study, gentle exercise, cleaning, and plenty of rest. Try not to brood, and try to avoid such habits as nervous snacking on high-calorie foods. Remember that taking care of yourself is a gateway to caring for others as well. One can demonstrate this by the practice of mettă meditation, among other ways. –