Hartford Street Zen Center | Issan-ji temple
A Sōtō Zen temple for the LGBTQ+ community, friends and allies in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood
Rev. Jordan Thorn describes what happens when one sits zazen and how to deal with the challenges that arise from doing so. There is an unexpected opportunity for interfaith dialogue partway through as a Christian minister attempts to interrupt the talk to speak out against “false doctrines.”
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Please come and join us this Saturday for a Dharma talk by Shokan Jordan Thorn. Jordan has been at SF Zen Center for 30 years. Ordained by Richard Baker in 1977, later received Dharma Transmission from Zoketsu Norman Fischer, he lives at SFZC’s City Center. He came to SF Zen center as a result of the beat poetry movement that was of interest to several Zen students in it’s early years and he even played in a rock band briefly with a famed beat poet (being in a rock band an area of interest his daughter carries on touring and perfoming currently). He has lived at all three practice centers, has served in a variety of roles on senior staff and as an officer, and was shuso at Tassajara. Recently he served as City Center Tanto (Head of Practice) and became SF Zen Center’s Treasurer/CFO in September 2011 and he is the teacher of a few of the HSZC Sangha. Zazen will precede as usual at 9:25, then the talk at 10:15, and the ever-popular tea and cookies will follow. All are welcome.
Rev. David Zimmerman reads from the book And There Was Light by Jacques Lusseyran, a blind French resistance fighter during World War II, and relates his description of interacting with the world without sight to Buddhist teachings of interdependence, mindful awareness, and compassion.
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City Center Director Rev. Tova Green talks about her history engaging in causes for peace and social justice and explains the relationship of inner peace to world peace. She then discusses the current undertaking of the San Francisco Zen Center to foster greater diversity in the sangha and increase awareness of the effects of white privilege.
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Come to HSZC this Saturday for a talk by Rev. 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.