Guest Speaker, Sat. 19 Nov.: Rev. Jana Drakka

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.

Annual Retreat: Winter Light – 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 December

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.

HSZC Board Meeting – Weds. 9 Nov.

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!).

Full-Moon Bodhisattva Ceremony – Thurs. 10 Nov.

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.

Veteran’s Day Holiday: no Zendo events

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.

Early Sitting and Founder’s Memorial: Sat. 5 Nov.

We’ll start sitting earlier than usual this coming Saturday. There will be two periods of zazen (seated meditation) beginning at 5:30 a.m., with a period of kinhin (walking meditation) in between at 6:10 a.m., and morning chanting following at 7:00. You may think, “Oh, that’s too early for me”, but you should give it a try, and you can always nap later. Also, we’ll serve a simple breakfast to participants, but you MUST sign up ahead-of-time, either via email at hszc108@yahoo.com, or by phone at (415) 863-2507.The rest of the Saturday schedule will be according to custom, with another period of sitting at 9:25 and the Dharma talk at 10:15 a.m., followed by a brief ceremony of commemoration of the death of our founder, Rev. Issan Dorsey. Afterwards, there will be fistfuls of cookies for your enjoyment! Everyone is welcome…