Category: Events

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16 November, Full (Frosty) Moon Ceremony 11am

UntitledWe’ll have the monthly Full-Moon Ceremony renewal of our Bodhisattva vows Saturday morning after the Dharma talk. According to the Farmer’s Almanac this is the full Frosty or Beaver moon.

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. All are welcome to join in this ceremony/celebration.

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 tea and cookies.

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November 2nd – Guest Speaker, Sensei Elaine Donlin @ 10:15am

Sensei Elaine Donlin is a fourth-generation San Franciscan native and is so very grateful to be living in the city she loves. She was raised Catholic, attending 12 years ShinranShoninDof Catholic school, and made a conscious decision to leave the church—at 17 years of age—after struggling with Church doctrine around homosexuality, birth control, and female clergy. Elaine discovered Buddhism through a comparative religion course in college and thus began a 30-year journey of practice in a variety of traditions. Her home is in Jodo Shinshu, a Pure Land Buddhist tradition.  Since 2008 she has been teaching “Essentials of Buddhism” courses at Buddhist Church of San Francisco (BCSF) and serves as the Buddhist Community Clergy Chaplain for several SF hospitals. Elaine is an ordained priest serving the Resident Minister at BCSF.

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 tea and cookies.

Please join us this Saturday and we hope to see you often!

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Tuesday, Oct 29 – 7pm: Women’s Sangha

Quan_Yin_Eight02Rev.Beata Chapman will be leading Women’s Sangha on Tuesday 29 October at 7:00pm. This is an Open ongoing group for ALL Women.

Rev. Keiryu Lien Shutt will be speaking the following Tuesday 5 November at 7:00.

We are pleased and honored to have Rev. Beata Chapman leading the Women’s Sangha this coming Tuesday 29 October at 7:00pm.

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26 October 2013: Sejiki & Guest Speaker

mahakala_detailSaturday 26 October – Sejiki Ceremony:  Following a Guest Speaker Dharma talk from Rev Jeffrey Schneider, 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 11:10 a.m.)

Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), 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 tea and cookies.

Please join us this Saturday and we hope to see you often!

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26 October 2013: 10:15am – Guest Speaker – Jeffrey Schneider

gandharabuddhajaJeffrey Schneider is a priest at SF Zen Center, where he has lived, worked and practiced since 1978. He has taught and led retreats at a number of Buddhist centers, including ones in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina. The founder of the SF Zen Center recovery programs, he is currently the Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator.

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 tea and cookies.

Please join us this Saturday and we hope to see you often!

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Saturday October 5, 10:15am – Guest Speaker: Zachary Smith – Anshi Daigi

1212Please join us this Saturday for a Guest Speaker (and our normal Saturday program). Anshi Daigi – Zachary Smith  “has been practicing since 1993, took jukai in 1995, and was shuso under SFZC former Abbot Paul Haller in Fall of 2007. He currently directs North Mountain Zendo, a zazenkai group in North Beach. In addition to his involvement with Zen, Zachary is a husband and father (of 4), an engineer, a musician, a bike fanatic, and an avid but mediocre poet. He may be the only person in the history of Zen in the West to have interrupted a residential practice period to tour with a rock band”

Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), 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 tea and cookies.

Please join us this Saturday and we hope to see you often!