Author: TetsuGen KeiDo

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11 March – full moon ceremony 7:10am & Shukke Tokudo, Sōtō Zen Priest Ordination 出家得度 @11am!

Our monthly full moon ceremony will be conducted during Saturday Morning Service and then usual sitting schedule, dharma talk by Rev Myo @10:15am followed by…

A Sōtō Zen Priest will be ordained for the first time in over 20 years at Issan-ji!

The Sangha is very excited to announce the ordination of Hogetsu, Max Swanger, who will receive ordination from Rev Myo Lahey as the first to be ordained at Issan-ji (HSZC) since two students of Zenshin, Philip Whalen ordained priests (who are unfortunately for us no longer with us).

Issan Dorsey, our temple founder also ordained three priests and our surviving lineage survives today in one priest, Daiko Tanzen, David Bullock. This is an honor and celebratory moment to have Max join the lineage from hartford street zen center/Issan-ji!

This is looking to be a heavily attended event, but please know all are invited to celebrate the continuation of the Soto Zen priest lineage of Issan-ji, HSZC!

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4 March @10:15am, Guest Speaker- Rev. Kogen Seido, Jamie Howell

Please join us this upcoming Saturday for guest speaker Kogen Seido Jamie Howell (Wild, Untamed Source – Sincere Way) who began his Zen practice with Joshu Sasaki Roshi in 1979 at the Mount Baldy Zen Center.

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In 1983, when he was living in San Francisco and his eldest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, Jamie began to study with Michael Wenger at the San Francisco Zen Center. He spent the next 28 years raising four children with his wife, working in the music business and later the real estate business while dedicating himself to Zen practice. He now has three grandchildren.

Jamie was a soccer player and coach for over 40 years and still competes in triathlons with the Golden Gate Triathlon Team. He road managed Hot Tuna and Natalie Cole, was the sales manager of Hill and Company, and currently works with his partner Luba Muzichenko at Zephyr Real Estate.

It took Jamie almost 17 years to sew his first rakusu; he received the precepts in a jukai ceremony in 2000. He was chairman of the board of San Francisco Zen Center in 2004 and 2005, and was shuso at City Center in 2006. In 2011, Jamie received lay Dharma Entrustment from Dairyu Michael Wenger.

Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30 am. And again zazen at 9:25 am. We wrap up with a Dharma talk at 10:15 am (followed by ceremony if applicable) and then socializing,  tea and cookies.

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18 Feb @10:15am guest speaker, 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 being support for his family. Prior to his arrival at Zen Center in 1971, He was practicing the solitary path of unguided meditation and rough carpentry in Zuni New Mexico, Bolton Mass. and Custer South Dakota. In addition to the exquisite geography, he states his practice in those years was influenced by his extended family, good friends and the work of Castenada, Gurdieff and Ouspensky. He was Shuso with Everyday Zen in San Francisco two years ago this past October.

“My live/work history with Zen Center began with kitchen practice of the “getting to know you” school, followed by stone wall building at Tassajara, with tours in the treasury, carpentry and kitchen realms. My strongest associations with teachers during that period were Jerry Fuller, Issan Dorsey, Darlene Cohen and Okusan, the founder’s wife, who taught tea ceremony (one of the most durable influences from that era.)

My current commitment to Everyday Zen involves me with an ever-widening circle of friends from weekly classes and monthly sittings. The great bonding seems to occur with practice periods and sesshins, both in California and Mexico. In a wider sense, my practice includes bay swimming, residential construction and development, and cooking for family and friends. My immediate family includes my two sons: Max, a dancer in New York; and Sam, his younger brother, the word wizard.”

Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30 am. And again zazen at 9:25 am. We wrap up with a dharma talk at 10:15 am (followed by ceremony if applicable) and then socializing,  tea and cookies. Please join us!

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17 February @7:30pm – Sangha Council

We’ve formed council with the intention and hope of building a forum to continue to talk of and discuss with each other – and with the sangha at large – operational concerns, issues, conflict or any other concerns, questionsand challenges – or downright hard  to talk about which are appropriate to discuss in a group setting. If a one on one person conflict or concern arises we invite the two individuals involved to discuss utilizing HSZC’s common neutral space, for support we invite members and residents to approach and utilize temple clergy for support and when deemed necessary a mediator can be requested of the clergy or one of HSZC’s connected professionals with training and expertise in mediations.

If a conflict matter is involving added sangha members or impacting the harmony of the general sangha or continues beyond mediation to go unresolved, we invite the community to bring these matters to the sangha council.

We also utilize the council and have been primarily focus recently in process to support the board in activities for planning and executing on new projects, initiatives and continue to work to ensure HSZC’s survival and success into the future.  We’ll use a practice model of working with each other with the most skillful speech we can access. This is a great opportunity also for those who haven’t been around lately to reengage and be a part of the present and future Hartford Street!

You do not need to have an ‘issue’ or overt concern to attend.  Council is sangha building beneficial to the temple and healing. Council runs up to 90 minutes maximum. All are welcome!”

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11 February Parinirvana ceremony & speaker Daiko Tanzen, David Bullock

…the Tathagata has completely extinguished the fire of the mental afflictions that have been accumulated over countless aeons, the nature of the diamond Tathagata permanently endures – not transforming and not diminishing.*

This coming Saturday, we’ll have a brief ceremony commemorating the entry into Nirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha, following a short Dharma talk at the usual time of 10:15 a.m. this week the talk is offered by resident priest Daiko Tanzen, David Bullock.

Everyone is welcome & invited to attend.

Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30 am. And again zazen at 9:25 am. Dharma talk at 10:15 am; ceremony after when applicable; then socializing, tea and cookies. Please join us!

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Sat, Feb 04 @10:15am; Guest Speaker Ko Shin, Steven Tierney

Please join us for a Dharma talk Next Saturday by Ko Shin Steven Tierney, Ed.D. CAS who is Professor of Counseling Psychology and Chair of the Community Mental Health Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. A certified addiction specialist, he is the Co- Founder of the San Francisco Mindfulness Foundation, providing relapse prevention and mindfulness- based services to individuals and families.

Steven has been studying and practicing Buddhism for more than 20 years and was ordained by Michael Wenger on January 6, 2013. Steven’s commitment is to a community based Buddhism and he has spent the last ten years extending Buddha’s teachings to those living with addictions, in recovery and those facing serious health and mental health challenges.

Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30 am. And again zazen at 9:25 am. We wrap up with a Dharma talk at 10:15 am and then socializing,  tea and cookies.

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28 of January @11am double feature events! Dōgen Zenji’s birthday & Lunar New Year!

After the dharma talk @10:15am on Saturday January 28th we will have short ceremony to pay homage to the Birth of Dōgen Zenji the founder of our school of Zen Buddhism in Japan and then we will hop the sea of Japan for our 5th annual Chinese New Year Celebration (lunar new year) as we welcome in Chinese Astrology the year of the Fire Rooster or sometimes referred to as the year of the Phoenix.

817 years ago born in Kyōto, Dōgen founded the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan after traveling to China and training under Rujing, a master of the Chinese Caodong (Chinese Sōtō Zen) lineage.

He is widely respected for his  beautiful writing, teachings and thorough documentation of how a monastery should operate. Click here to read more about Dōgen.

Then…

Gong Xi Fa Cai ! Please join us for the fifth annual event for a Chinese (lunar) New Year Celebration and remembrance to those who have gone beyond. This is the year of the FIRE Rooster.

After the dharma talk and birthday ceremony by our Abbot Rev Myō Lahey, join us for some Chinese New Year  décor, treats and the symbolic call to our deceased loved ones, followed by offerings to make their current state a more enjoyable one and just remember them and send loving intentions through joss paper offerings.

It is also the event we recognize our completed goals and wishes by offering our Daruma  to the beyond in the joss paper fire and installing a  new Daruma by coloring in one eye as setting the goal (traditional Daruma process).

This day in China is also recognized as the birthday of Maitreya Bodhisattva (better known as the more familiar Budai Luohan), the Buddha-to-be. Thus people also abstain from killing animals (eating meat) on this day.

Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30 am. And again zazen at 9:25 am. Dharma talk at 10:15 am followed by tea and cookies.

Please join us this Saturday for this celebration and we hope to see you often!

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Jan 21st @ 11am – – honoring the first Buddhist nun and adopted mother of the Buddha

Next Saturday is the annual observance of  Mahapajapati‘s life as well as a great opportunity to celebrate women in Buddhism through the first female nun. It is also near in general, international Women’s day.  Mahapajapati Gotami, the first woman to be ordained from the Buddha and to join the Sangha. She was the Buddha’s maternal aunt and adopted mother after her sister, Queen Maya (Mahāmāyā), the Buddha’s birth mother, died.

Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30 am. And again zazen at 9:25 am. Dharma talk at 10:15 am followed by ceremony (when we have one) and then tea and cookies. We also have a regular schedule 6 days each week.

Please join us this Saturday for this celebration and we hope to see you often!