Author: TetsuGen KeiDo

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Guest Speaker (Zoom Sangha): Sat. 12/12 –Rev. Peter Van Der Sterre

Peter was ordained by Richard Baker in 1975 and practiced at Zen Center in San Francisco, Tassajara and Green Gulch, returning to the market place in 1983 to establish a construction company and support his family. Prior to his arrival at Zen Center in 1972, he was practicing the solitary path of unguided meditation and rough carpentry in Zuni, New Mexico, Boston, Massachusetts, and Custer, South Dakota. He joined the Everyday Zen Community in 2001, and was the first Bay Area Shuso.

Since receiving transmission from Norman in 2011, He has been exploring the challenges and opportunities that poses, with the intention to extend his practice and support to others.

A few years ago he discovered an old Basque boarding house in the old North End of Boise, Idaho. He renovated one of the existing units and extended the new space up into the attic level, which required the removal of the roof and sagging rafters and reinforcing the existing structure. The new attic Zendo and guest space is light and warm, with a view to the south which includes several old church spires and part of the city center. Boise has several Buddhist groups, and he has connected with the Floating Cloud Sangha, who now have a place to meet, study and hold half day sittings, called The 7th Street Zendo. They can be located on the web at 7thStreetZendo.org

In San Francisco, located less than three blocks from Zen Center, he and others created The Oak Street Zendo, which offers a daily morning schedule, as well as classes and half day sittings on a semi regular basis, since it’s dedication in January 2015.  The power and engagement of group sitting and study has formed the core of his activity, both within and without the Everyday Zen practice calendar. On the web, they are located at OakStreetZendo.org.

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 to socialize) 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. Please click here to be routed to our Zoom gathering.

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Winter Light Retreat & Saturday Metta Service

Please join us for the Winter Light Retreat Dec 4-6! The details are here. We also wanted to announce that on Saturday December 5th at 6pm we invite not only our retreat attendees, but all to join us for a Metta service or practice lead by Rev. Myō, our Abbot. It has been a turbulent year for many in 2020 and this is a great opportunity to hold the world in our hearts and generate loving kindness for all.

Please join us for this Metta service during the Winter Light Retreat and the retreat itself as your schedule and life allows.

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Winter Light Retreat Dec 4 – 6, 2020

As we navigate the ongoing pandemic, social and political change, within the Issan-ji temple walls the Hartford Street Zen Center Winter Light Retreat Sesshin will begin Friday, December 4th, including the Rohatsu celebration/ceremony; and concludes on Sunday, December 6th, mid-day. Thursday the 3rd of December evening there will be an orientation as well.

We offer this schedule to join and are sharing the full routine schedule you’ve known in the past and some suggestions for creating your at home sacred Zendo and Buddha hall space. You can apply more retreat time, self directed, using our usual schedule, or follow our in-temple retreat schedule for 2020 and in both cases please join us online when Issan-ji resident students and priests log on.

As always, the Hartford Street Zen Center relies on both your participation, but also your generous donations. We know we aren’t providing space and food this year to the community, but we still humbly request your generosity for this annual event.

Please click here for the schedule and additional information.

Suggested Virtual Attendance is $30 per day – or – an amount of your own choosing. 

Login links for virtual attendance:
* Thursday night instruction 7:30pm through 8:30pm– click here

* Friday, Saturday 6am through 7am Service/Chanting – click here

* Friday, Saturday 10:15am through 11:50am Chanting – click here
***Talk will begin at 10:30am***

*Friday, Saturday 6pm through 8:30pm Refuges– click here

* Sunday 6am through 12 noon (6am-7am service, 10:15am to 11:40am preparation and then Bodhi day ceremony, but zoom open whole entire 6am to noon time slot) – click here

Chant book pages for Service/Chanting here (updated 12/5/2020 @noon)
posted here as well as on facebook.

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Guest Speaker (Zoom Sangha): Sat. 11/28 – Rev. Heather Shoren Iarusso

Rev. Heather Shoren Iarusso first moved to Tassajara in June 2008 thinking she’d stay for six months. Her spiritual sabbatical morphed into a way of life, residing amid the peace and beauty of the monastic valley for seven years aggregate. Heather was ordained as a Zen Priest in October 2015 by Teah Strozer, who served as the guiding teacher for Brooklyn Zen Center (BZC) for many years. Heather worked at BZC for two years as the Ino (Head of Meditation Hall), program director, communications coordinator, and the interim executive director.

Heather has served in various practice roles at Tassajara including the Ino, Tenzo (Head Cook), Shika (Guest Manager), and the Shuso (Head Student) with their Senior Dharma Teacher Paul Haller. She’s completed twelve, 90-day practice periods at Tassajara and has also participated in meditation intensives with Pema Chodron, Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi, Shohaku Okumura Roshi, and Shodo Harada Roshi. Heather holds master’s degrees in communications, creative writing, and English literature.

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 to socialize) 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. Please click here to be routed to our Zoom gathering.

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Guest Speaker (Zoom Sangha): Sat. 11/21 –Rev. Gengyoko, Tim Wicks

Please join us for a Dharma talk by Rev. Tim, priest-ordained in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-rōshi, and who is a longtime leader in the Bay Area Recovery community, as well as a skilled instructor in the practice of sewing Buddhist Dharma robes. Born in Utah and raised in London, Gengyoko Tim Wicks studied fine art at San Francisco State University and received his MFA with distinction from California College of Arts and Crafts. He studied for four years with Spirit Rock teacher Eugene Cash and was a steering committee member of the Insight Meditation Community of San Francisco.

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 to socialize) 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. Please click here to be routed to our Zoom gathering.

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Guest Speaker (Zoom Sangha): Sat. 11/14 – Rev. Koshin, Steven Tierney

Please join us for a Dharma talk by Rev. Steven, priest-ordained by Rev. Dairyu Michael Wenger, and who is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and frequent consultant to mental health and recovery programs, as well as group facilitator for our Issan-ji Sangha (community of practitioners). We’ll have zazen (seated meditation) as usual at 9:25, with the talk to follow at 9:45. Everyone is welcome!

Steven has been a long term guiding light for the HSZC Sangha Council to discuss temple activities, status and the community at large.

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 to socialize) 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. Please click here to be routed to our Zoom gathering.

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Guest Speaker (Zoom Sangha): Sat. 11/07 –Rev. Ryuei, Michael McCormick

Please join us this Saturday morning for a Dharma talk by Rev. Ryuei, Michael McCormick, who was ordained to the Nichiren-shū (Lotus Sutra School) ministry in 2001 by Rev. Ryusho Matsuda, of the San Jose Nichiren Temple.

Rev. McCormick is also a long-time practitioner of zazen (seated meditation) and a student of the writings of Dōgen-zenji.

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 to socialize) 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. Please click here to be routed to our Zoom gathering.