19 Dec – Way Seeking with Rev Rin McCarthy @10:15am

20150712_091304As many of you know our own Rin McCarthy ventured earlier this year on a cross country walk to raise awareness of the negative impact to our planet and encourage compassion and attention to the way we interact with our mother with a BIG “M” meaning Mother Earth of which we are all made and will return to. Due to mid journey health concerns she didn’t make it all the way in this first attempt, but did get all the way to Colorado which is no small feat!

She has graciously offered to come and tell us a bit about that journey, her life journey and include the whole of it within the Dharma.

Please join us for this event! 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.

 

7 November @11am – Daruma Memorial (Darumaki)

Please join us on November 7th for – Daruma Memorial.

Daruma is a Japanese name for the famous Indian monk daruma shiba kokanBodhidharma who lived during the 5th/6th century A.D. The accounts of his life are largely legendary (see Comics “Bodhidharma” 1-12 at Sotozen-net International website) but according to Denkoroku (The Record of Transmitting the Light) written by Keizan Zenji, he was born as the third son of the king of Koshi in southern India. He became a monk and practiced under the guidance of Venerable Hannyatara (Prajnatara). He is considered to be the 28th Indian Buddhist teacher in a direct line from Gautama Buddha, and also regarded as the first master in Chinese Zen tradition.

Following the instruction of his Master to transmit Dharma to China, Bodhidharma traveled east to Southern China in 526 A.D.

Please join us for a memorial recognizing our first ancestor in China! 

27 October, Tuesday @ 7pm Oragami!

We photowant to offer an invitation to everyone for next Tuesday 10/27 post-zazen for a very informal, very impromptu Origami Practice with artist and explorer Brian Shae.
His work was shown at SFZC, 300 Page Street in June. Brian approaches paper folding as an organic process and mindfulness inquiry. It seems quite interesting.
There will be paper for us to fold + tea and some kind of treat.

 

26 September Full Moon Ceremony

full moon ceremony – saturday, Sept 26 @11am: Harvest Moon 2015 –  is a big event! It brings the nearest Supermoon of the year and a total lunar eclipse that will be visible across North America!harvest_moon

This year, the Full Moon is a “perigee” Moon—which means that the day the Full Moon rises happens to also coincide with the day when the Moon is nearest to Earth in its orbit.

A recent popular tern for a “perigee” full Moon is a “Supermoon.”  A bit catchier, perhaps?September’s Supermoon is ALSO the nearest Supermoon of the entire year. It will appear as the largest and brightest Moon of the year.When this happens, there are some physical effects, such as elevated tides.

Further, the year’s BEST lunar eclipse for North America unfolds on the 27th! Totality begins at 10:11 P.M. (ET) and ends at 11:24 P.M. (ET). See this Eclipse page for more information. This full moon’s name is attributed to Native Americans because it marked when corn was supposed to be harvested. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief Indian staples are now ready for gathering.

This is thus our renewal of our Bodhisattva vows this upcoming Saturday morning 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 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 8:30am. 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!