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 Saturday morning, 17 September, for a Dharma talk by Rev. 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. We’ll have zazen at 9:25 as usual, the talk to follow at 10:15, and our beloved tea-and-cookies afterwards. Everyone is 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.
The zendo (meditation hall) will be closed both morning and evening on the above-noted days, except for the G.B.S. which will meet as usual. We’ll resume our regular schedule of zazen (seated meditation), chanting service, temple cleaning and ceremonies at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 6. Have a good holiday, everyone!
Please join us Saturday morning for the monthly ceremony of renewal of our Bodhisattva vows. Come for zazen (seated meditation) at 9:25 a.m., an edifying (we hope) Dharma talk at 10:15, and the ceremony will follow directly. Full prostrations are traditional, but standing bows are fine, as well. Tea-and-cookies will be served subsequently, as (almost) always. Everyone is welcome!
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 the recent changes we made, 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…
Furyu Nancy Schroeder, a resident at San Francisco Zen Center for
over 30 years, was formerly the Director of Green Gulch Farm, where she lives with her partner and daughter. Fu has been active in the Marin Interfaith Council for many years and has continued supporting special events for children, people of color, and the LGBTQQI communities. She was ordained in 1986 by Tenshin Reb Anderson, and received Dharma Transmission in 1999.
We’ll have zazen (seated meditation) at the new time of 9:25 a.m.,
with the talk to follow at 10:15, and, as (nearly) always, tea and
cookies afterwards. Everyone is welcome.
This month’s Full-Moon Bodhisattva Ceremony will take place after the 6 p.m. period of zazen on Friday 15 July. The ceremony will conclude by 7:15. Everyone is welcome to attend.