Category: Events

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18 Feb @10:15am guest speaker, Peter van der Sterre

Peter was ordained by Richard Baker in 1975 and practiced at Zen Center in San Francisco, Tassajara and Green Gulch, returning to the market place in 1983 to establish a construction company and being support for his family. Prior to his arrival at Zen Center in 1971, He was practicing the solitary path of unguided meditation and rough carpentry in Zuni New Mexico, Bolton Mass. and Custer South Dakota. In addition to the exquisite geography, he states his practice in those years was influenced by his extended family, good friends and the work of Castenada, Gurdieff and Ouspensky. He was Shuso with Everyday Zen in San Francisco two years ago this past October.

“My live/work history with Zen Center began with kitchen practice of the “getting to know you” school, followed by stone wall building at Tassajara, with tours in the treasury, carpentry and kitchen realms. My strongest associations with teachers during that period were Jerry Fuller, Issan Dorsey, Darlene Cohen and Okusan, the founder’s wife, who taught tea ceremony (one of the most durable influences from that era.)

My current commitment to Everyday Zen involves me with an ever-widening circle of friends from weekly classes and monthly sittings. The great bonding seems to occur with practice periods and sesshins, both in California and Mexico. In a wider sense, my practice includes bay swimming, residential construction and development, and cooking for family and friends. My immediate family includes my two sons: Max, a dancer in New York; and Sam, his younger brother, the word wizard.”

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. Please join us!

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17 February @7:30pm – Sangha Council

We’ve formed council with the intention and hope of building a forum to continue to talk of and discuss with each other – and with the sangha at large – operational concerns, issues, conflict or any other concerns, questionsand challenges – or downright hard  to talk about which are appropriate to discuss in a group setting. If a one on one person conflict or concern arises we invite the two individuals involved to discuss utilizing HSZC’s common neutral space, for support we invite members and residents to approach and utilize temple clergy for support and when deemed necessary a mediator can be requested of the clergy or one of HSZC’s connected professionals with training and expertise in mediations.

If a conflict matter is involving added sangha members or impacting the harmony of the general sangha or continues beyond mediation to go unresolved, we invite the community to bring these matters to the sangha council.

We also utilize the council and have been primarily focus recently in process to support the board in activities for planning and executing on new projects, initiatives and continue to work to ensure HSZC’s survival and success into the future.  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!

You do not need to have an ‘issue’ or overt concern to attend.  Council is sangha building beneficial to the temple and healing. Council runs up to 90 minutes maximum. All are welcome!”

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Sat, Feb 04 @10:15am; Guest Speaker Ko Shin, Steven Tierney

Please join us for a Dharma talk Next Saturday by Ko Shin Steven Tierney, Ed.D. CAS who 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 and was ordained by Michael Wenger on January 6, 2013. Steven’s commitment is to a community based Buddhism and he has spent the last ten years extending Buddha’s teachings to those living with addictions, in recovery and those facing serious health and mental health challenges.

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 and then socializing,  tea and cookies.

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Jan 21st @ 11am – – honoring the first Buddhist nun and adopted mother of the Buddha

Next Saturday is the annual observance of  Mahapajapati‘s life as well as a great opportunity to celebrate women in Buddhism through the first female nun. It is also near in general, international Women’s day.  Mahapajapati Gotami, the first woman to be ordained from the Buddha and to join the Sangha. She was the Buddha’s maternal aunt and adopted mother after her sister, Queen Maya (Mahāmāyā), the Buddha’s birth mother, died.

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. Dharma talk at 10:15 am followed by ceremony (when we have one) and then tea and cookies. We also have a regular schedule 6 days each week.

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

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New Year 2017! join us Dec 31! starting at 7:30pm

Join us for an evening event kicking off at 7:30pm Dec 31 and taking us into 12am Jan 1 2017! please note: we will be closed on Jan 31st until ~7pm.

IMG_1981There’ll be some soji or traditional New Year’s temple cleaning, a light snack , zazen (seated meditation), striking our large bell 108 times, a burning ceremony of things to leave behind in 2016, and finally a toast to the new year.

Please note: There won’t be the regularly scheduled zendo events on the 31st… and we will be closed the 1st of January (We will additionally observe Chinese new year and goals set with a new Daruma, as we have been the past few years along with joss offerings to those beyond our visible realm for the year of the Rooster early February).

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26 November – 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 of 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.

15450584185_ba6a585ac9_k-2Elaine 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) serves at several Buddhist Church locations 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 are offered a dharma talk at 10:15 am followed by tea and cookies.