Author: TetsuGen KeiDo

Masking requirements will be eased on October 15, as COVID-19 cases recede San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) announced that so long as case and hospitalization rates remain stable or decline, indoor masking requirements will be lifted on October 15 in certain, limited settings.

This includes places where stable cohorts of fully vaccinated individuals gather, and where other safety measures are followed.

These settings include religious gatherings, offices, gyms, and fitness centers, employee commuter vehicles, and indoor college classes or other organized gatherings of individuals who meet regularly, not exceeding 100 people.

Daruma-san, a round red-colored doll, is known as a good-luck talisman associated with temples and shrines.

The good fortune associated with Bodhidharma (Daruma) comes from the legend that no matter how many times Bodhidharma fell down he would always get up.

In the areas where silk worms are cultivated, there is a custom of painting in one of the eyes on the Daruma doll if the worms produce much silk thread in spring and painting in the other one of Daruma’s eyes if the worms produced much silk thread in autumn.

Bodhidharma, the inspiration for the Daruma doll, was originally one of the ancestral teachers of The Soto Zen School. He was the first Ancestors of Zen in China and also known as Bodai Daruma Daishi.

The red Daruma doll seen throughout Japan was originally modeled on this great teacher who sat facing a wall unflinchingly for nine years and lived to the old age of 150.

Bodhidharma died on October 5th and this is the date on which his death is generally commemorated. Early autumn is the harvest time in Japan and also the time when the autumn silkworm is cultivated. For this reason, this ceremony includes our feeling of gratitude to Bodhidharma as well as a prayer for a good harvest in the next year. There is also the wish expressed that those who participate in the ceremony will enjoy a long life.

Please join us Saturday for this memorial after the Dharma talk, to join visit here

We will thank our dear founder of our temple, little Zen community and space and remember him for those who knew him. after the talk on Saturday.

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Master Dōgen (1200-1253 C.E.) brought the Sōtō branch of Zen Buddhism to Japan after his 1223 visit to China. Master Keizan (1268-1325 C.E) initiated the great social development of the Sōtō sect throughout Japan. Thanks in large part to these individuals, Sōtō Zen Buddhism has gained great popularity in Japan and throughout the world.

For the lay believers of Sōtō-shu, it can be said that Dōgen Zenji and Keizan Zenji are, in terms of their faith, like father and mother.

By the Eastern calendar, Dōgen Zenji died on August 28, 1253 at the age of 53 and Keizan Zenji died on August 15, 1325 at the age of 58. According to the Western calendar, both of these dates fall on September 29th. On this day, a ceremony called Ryosoki is respectfully held at Sōto-shu temples to honor these two important ancestors.

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We hope that you continue to be safe and sound through our very complicated and concerning times. Please enjoy the gentle shift of daylight hours and join us for our offerings when you can.

This Saturday our Abbot Rev. Myō Lahey will offer our talk.

Please join us for a way seeking mind talk offered by  Rev. Daigan Gaither.

Daigan began Buddhist practice in 1995 as a Vipassana practitioner, and began to study Zen in 2003 with Ryushin Paul Haller. He received Lay Ordination in 2006 and Priest Ordination in 2011. His work and practice include many hours devoted to community service as one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (since 1995) and a volunteer caregiver with Zen Hospice Project (since 2003). He has spoken nationwide on sex, sexuality, queer identity, and gender and has sat on a number of boards of community organizations serving marginalized communities. He has lectured at colleges as well as conferences and is featured in Sex, Sin and Zen by Brad Warner.

Please join us for this wonderful event! 

Saturday mornings we offer a Zoom web conferencing for video and/or audio presence for the scheduled events. 9:30 zazen (you can log into the conference starting at 9am to socialize) for 40 minutes and a Dharma talk at 10:25am, followed by Q&A as well as an opportunity to check in and see how you are doing. — If you have a full series of vaccinations and can and do wear a mask while inside the temple you can also join us in-person. —  Please click here to be routed to our Zoom gathering.

*** If not otherwise noted in our update section, Saturday Dharma talks will still occur and the Speaker will be our Abbot Rev. Myō Lahey***