Our annual Winter Light Retreat will begin the evening of Wednesday, December 6th and conclude on Sunday the 10th. Everyone is welcome to join for meditation and services, but if you expect to join for meals (suggested donation $30 per day; no one turned away due to lack of funds), please call (415) 863-2507, email info@hszc.org, or sign up on the sheet in the living room. Help with meal preparation is also greatly appreciated, so if you are interested you may contact Rev. David at daikotanzen@gmail.com. The schedule for the retreat may be previewed here, but bear in mind that there may need to be occasional adjustments.
Sangha Council Meeting – Saturday October 14th, noon-1pm
Half-Day Sitting, Sat. August 12
We will be hosting a half-day sitting on Saturday, August 12th. The program begins slightly earlier than the regular Saturday program (6am) and includes a semi-formal oryoki breakfast in the dining room and an additional period of zazen after the dharma talk. Everyone is welcome to join for any or all of it, but we request that you sign up so we know how much food to provide if you intend to come for breakfast. We would also appreciate a $25 donation ($20 for members) to cover the cost of the meal, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
You can visit the event page for the full schedule and to register, or you can sign up below.
13 May 2017 @ 11am – Full Moon Ceremony
May is the Full Flower Moon! In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon. 
This is our renewal of our Bodhisattva vows after the Saturday Morning Dharma talk.
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 invited to join in this ceremony/celebration.
Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30am. And again zazen at 9:25 am. We wrap up with a dharma talk at 10:15am followed by ceremony when applicable and then right to social time, tea and cookies. Please join us!
1 April 2017 @ 10:15am – guest speaker Rev. Jisan, Tova Green
Jisan Tova Green, LCSW, currently serves on the Board of Directors af San Francisco Zen Center.
Before being named vice president, she served as the Director and many other capacities at SFZC. She has given many dharma talks at HSZC, but it has been a few years since she joined us and offered a talk.
She received priest ordination from Eijun Linda Cutts in 2003. Tova is a practice leader at San Francisco Zen Center and co-founded Zen Center’s Queer Dharma Group.
Tova received her MSW from Smith College School for Social Work and completed Smith’s certificate program in Contemplative Social Work in 2008. Tova was a social worker at Hospice by the Bay until April 2011.
Please join us for this wonderful event!
8 April – a half day retreat!
25 March 2017 @ 11am: Way Seeking Mind Talk offered by HSZC Resident & recently ordained Priest – Rev. Hokai, Max Swanger!
Rev Hokai (Max) has been part of the SFZC/Shunryu Suzuki Roshi lineage of Soto Zen Buddhist centers, for the past 19 years. He has lived at Tassajara, Green Gulch and is in his second residence period with hartford street zen center, issan ji temple. He also has been engaged in Buddhist practice in additional traditions and in other lineages.
He was recently ordained as a Soto Zen Priest through Rev Myo Lahey at HSZC. Professionally Rev. Hokai is in process of completing training in Clinical Pastural Education while he resides at hszc,
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 a ceremony if applicable, then tea and cookies with socializing. Please know you are welcome and invited!
11 March – full moon ceremony 7:10am & Shukke Tokudo, Sōtō Zen Priest Ordination 出家得度 @11am!
Our monthly full moon ceremony will be conducted during Saturday Morning Service and then usual sitting schedule, dharma talk by Rev Myo @10:15am followed by…
A Sōtō Zen Priest will be ordained for the first time in over 20 years at Issan-ji!
The Sangha is very excited to announce the ordination of Hogetsu, Max Swanger, who will receive ordination from Rev Myo Lahey as the first to be ordained at Issan-ji (HSZC) since two students of Zenshin, Philip Whalen ordained priests (who are unfortunately for us no longer with us).
Issan Dorsey, our temple founder also ordained three priests and our surviving lineage survives today in one priest, Daiko Tanzen, David Bullock. This is an honor and celebratory moment to have Max join the lineage from hartford street zen center/Issan-ji!
This is looking to be a heavily attended event, but please know all are invited to celebrate the continuation of the Soto Zen priest lineage of Issan-ji, HSZC!