Hartford Street Zen Center | Issan-ji temple
A Sōtō Zen temple for the LGBTQ+ community, friends and allies in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood
Our Practice Leader Rev. Myo Lahey will give a talk this Saturday: “Older…” Feb 9, 2013 @ 10:15 am after the morning Zazen periods. Please join us!
After our usual Saturday program will be a Lunar new year event & treats, Joss burning to our loved ones and friends who have passed beyond and to set into motion our next Daruma Goals and say goodbye to our old fulfilled goals!
We hope to see you!
In Tibet it is known as Losar and more locally here in San Francisco many of us know it is the start of the Chinese New Year as of February 10, 2013. This is the year of Element Water and Animal Snake in Chinese Astrology.
In our very own SF Chinatown stores are packed full of Joss paper items to burn. This time of year is also said to be when the veil between the living physical world and any spirit worlds are thin and so an ideal time to burn paper representations of money or desired objects to “send” to deceased loved ones in their smoke and ashes.
At the start of our social, tea and cookie time a few of us are going to gather and using a western device of a chiminea burn some Joss paper in our garden to memorialize our passed loved ones as well as the many individuals who passed from this physical seen world at HSZC and Maitri Hospice. It will be a small informal, heartfelt gesture; we can even supply some joss paper for you, followed by a few traditional Chinese new year treats.
This event is not so much one of a specific Buddhist tradition, but has more roots in modern Chinese folk traditions which has some modern expression of Taoism. Ancient Taoism has historical roots that are part of our expression of today’s Zen.
To incorporate our Japanese tradition and lineage we will also burn the 2012 Daruma of HSZC whose goal has been realized and install a new single pupil Daruma for a new year of goals for HSZC! Please feel free to join us in remembering your loved ones, those of Maitri and all beings who have passed beyond the physically viewable world and setting some new hopes and intentions for the upcoming lunar year for you and HSZC.
We’ll have the monthly Full-Moon Ceremony renewal of our Bodhisattva vows Saturday morning.
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.
Please rejoin us for our regular schedule as of Dec 27th and have a safe and equanimous few days or if you celebrate… Holiday!
HSZC will house a pot luck dinner on December 25th for those who are around. Please see our facebook page post on Dec 16th for details!
The Hartford Street Zen Center Sangha Council: We’ve formed council as a forum to continue to talk of and discuss with each other – and with the sangha at large – issues, concerns, questions and conflicts which have been challenging – downright hard to talk about or never seem to have an appropriate time we are all together to discuss. We’ll use a practice model of working with each other with the most skillful speech we can access. This is a great opportunity also for those who haven’t been around lately to reengage and be a part of the present and future Hartford Street!
Our next meeting will be on Saturday 12:30pm to 2:30pm, January 5, 2012 for 120 minutes (with a break included).
We’re continuing this format that is flexible enough for a diversity of needs. This session will be facilitated by Beata Chapman, a long time member and Board president of the Santa Cruz Zen Center. She is knowledgeable about many aspects of zen communities. The scaffold we’ll be working from is based on the Council process developed by the Ojai Foundation.
You do not need to have an ‘issue’ or overt concern to attend. Council is sangha building, connection and healing. All are welcome!
If you have questions regarding this, call Peter Goetz at 510.595.1281. If you’d like a copy of the Ojai Foundation guidelines for Council process, email Peter at goetzpj@aol.com
Ko Shin Steven Tierney, Ed.D. CAS is Professor of Counseling Psychology and Chair of the Community Mental Health Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. A certified addiction specialist, he is the Co-Founder of the San Francisco Mindfulness Foundation, providing relapse prevention and mindfulness-based services to individuals and families. Steven has been studying and practicing Buddhism for more than 20 years
Every Saturday we offer a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30 am. Zazen (seated meditation) at 9:25 am. A dharma talk at 10:15 am followed by tea and cookies.
Please join us for whatever part of the program you are able.
An open invitation to the Sangha to attend the Annual Member, Resident Student & Board of Director meeting Saturday December 15, 2012 after the normal morning program schedule.
This meeting covers important items such as Board of Director elections, annual reporting and discussions on larger initiatives, our temple’s current operation conversation(s) and talks of and planning for the future state.
Please join us for this important annual event!
