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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 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.
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.
Renshin Bunce was a resident of SF Zen Center from 2001 to 2008, first for three years at Tassajara and then for four more years at City Center. She has helped hundreds of students sew their rakusus in the SFZC sewing room, where she currently leads a class with Tim Wicks every other Saturday afternoon.
She is a great caring support in the process of the sewing of Buddha’s robe (rakusu) and a tremendous good humor and a very warm heart. She is also known for her photographs, and her page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/renshin/ has been called “The Zen Center Yearbook.”
Ren made jukai with Myogen Steve Stücky in 1996, when he gave her the name Renshin Jiko (Lotus Heart/Mind, Boundless Compassion); was priest ordained with Zenkei Blanche Hartman in 2003; was Shuso with Myogen-roshi at Tassajara in 2008; and received Dharma Transmission from him in 2013. She lives on the Peninsula, where she works as a hospice chaplain.
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.