Hartford Street Zen Center | Issan-ji temple
A Sōtō Zen temple for the LGBTQ+ community, friends and allies in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood
Please join us this week for a special guest talk by Rev. David. He was ordained by Rev. Issan Dorsey, the founder of our temple, in 1990, and is one of the original members of the Hartford Street Sangha. He was also deeply involved in Issan’s establishment of the Maitri AIDS Hospice, and has for years been one of our treasured gardeners. We’ll have zazen as usual at 9:25 a.m., with the talk following at 10:15, and tea-and-cookies afterwards. Everyone is welcome.
This Saturday, 22 October, following a short Dharma talk by Rev. Myo, we’ll celebrate the ancient ceremony known in Japanese as Sejiki, or “Feeding the Jiki (wandering spirits)”. This ceremony addresses our connection to the “unseen world”, typically overlooked in the West. All aspects of our life that have been disowned, disrespected and denied are invited to come forth from exile and be nourished, a gesture that may have particular significance for members of the LGBTiQQ community, whose own place in the social order has been undermined by fear, prejudice and violence. Costumes and sundry noisemaking devices are encouraged, and everyone is invited to participate. (Time approximate after the Dharma talk, but about 11:00 a.m.)
Please come and join us this Saturday for a Dharma talk at 10:15 a.m. by Tova Green. Tova was priest-ordained by San Francisco Zen Center Abiding Dharma Teacher Jiko Linda-Ruth Cutts, is a former Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and presently serves as Director of the S.F. Zen Center city temple. Zazen will precede as always at 9:25, and the ever-popular tea and cookies will follow. All are welcome.
We’ll have the monthly Full-Moon Ceremony renewal of our Bodhisattva vows right after the 6:00 p.m. period of evening zazen, on the above date. The ceremony takes about a half-hour and involves some thirty full prostrations, but simple standing bows are also all right if prostrations are too strenuous. Everyone is welcome to take part in this celebration of the Bodhisattva Way.
Please join us this Saturday for a Dharma talk by Kansan David Zimmerman. David has been practicing Zen for 20 years, over half of which have been in residence at San Francisco Zen Center. He was ordained in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi by Rev. Teah Strozer in 2006, and spent eight years at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, where he held a number of positions including monastery director and Head Monk (Shuso). David is now Program Director at City Center/SFZC and also serves on the SFZC Diversity and Multiculturalism Committee, is a co-facilitator of Queer Dharma, and supports Dr. Lee Lipp with classes and workshops on “Transforming Depression and Anxiety”. Zazen (seated meditation) is at 9:25 a.m., the talk to follow at 10:15, and, as (almost) always, top-drawer tea and cookies afterwards. Everyone is welcome.
This retreat (follow link for details) offers a unique opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to be together in spiritual community. It is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditators.
We will offer extensive practice, with instruction, in both mindfulness (vipassana) and lovingkindess (metta) practice. Mindfulness helps us to see clearly into the truth about ourselves and the conditions in which we live. Lovingkindness (which the Buddha first taught as an antidote to fear) opens the heart and deepens our capacity to hold and accept our lives with compassion, appreciation and a measure of equanimity.
The two practices support and enhance one another. Mind and heart open together so we can more easily hold who we are, the difficult emotions that arise, and the challenges our world presents. We begin to see the difference between what is actually happening and the stories we tell ourselves. You can call it freedom or you can call it learning to meet life fearlessly with an open mind and heart.
Each day is composed of silent sitting, walking, movement and eating meditations, question and answer sessions, and a dharma talk. There will also be time during the retreat to meet with the teachers both in a group and individually. We will conclude by breaking silence together in a closing circle.
It is our wish to support the practice needs of meditators in early adulthood. To this end, Spirit Rock extends a special invitation to young adults (age 18-26) who wish to attend this retreat at a special rate of $15 per night, on a first come, first served basis.
Dear Sangha Members: Please join us on September 24th for our Annual Meeting. We will begin the meeting at 12 noon, right after our traditional Saturday morning Tea & Cookies. So come for zazen at 9:25, the Dharma talk at 10:15, followed by tea and cookies, and then stay for the meeting at 12noon, thus spending a lovely morning in the bosom of the Sangha! We look forward to seeing you…
