Category: News

Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently has been observed in Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Please take some time this month to celebrate and educate on the many Black leaders, innovators, and influential people in the Black American community who have lived or live in the United states and beyond.

Welcome to the year of the TIGER.

Thank you for joining us on this twisted and turning pandemic journey we are on together. As of February 2022, the SF local government powers have stated that we can gather as vaccinated individuals without the need of masks.

We invite vaccinated individuals to join us in person with or without, as their comfort dictates, masks. We do apologize if this impedes on your personal body or beliefs, comfort or choices to have to be vaccinated to join us, but this is the requirement we have for in-person attendance. Otherwise you are still very invited to continue to join us on zoom.

Thank you and we look forward to a post pandemic world and state. Please be prepared to show vaccinated evidence if you attend in person and have it on you.

Dogen was born in Kyoto on January 2nd (January 26th in the solar calendar). On January 26th, two ceremonies are held in many Soto Zen temples in celebration of his birth, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. In the morning ceremony, a scroll with a painting of Dogen is hung in the Lecture Hall (Hatto). A pail is placed in front of the painting containing holy hot water in which such incense as aloes, sandal wood have been boiled. In the afternoon is the ceremony of appreciation (Ho-on Koshiki). Special shomyo Buddhist music is chanted as an expression of gratitude.

The image is from a film depicting his life with historical and fictional aspects.

With Bodhi day just past and other traditions you may or may not recognize and celebrate we wanted to say: We wish you health, happiness, joy & peace this season and always.

May you and all insentient and sentients beings be filled with love.

Issan-ji will be closed Saturday December 25 for the American Christmas holiday. See you soon we hope!

Rev. Heather Shoren Iarusso first moved to Tassajara in June 2008 thinking she’d stay for six months. Her spiritual sabbatical morphed into a way of life, residing amid the peace and beauty of the monastic valley for seven years aggregate. Heather was ordained as a Zen Priest in October 2015 by Teah Strozer, who served as the guiding teacher for Brooklyn Zen Center (BZC) for many years. Heather worked at BZC for two years as the Ino (Head of Meditation Hall), program director, communications coordinator, and the interim executive director.

Heather has served in various practice roles at Tassajara including the Ino, Tenzo (Head Cook), Shika (Guest Manager), and the Shuso (Head Student) with their Senior Dharma Teacher Paul Haller. She’s completed twelve, 90-day practice periods at Tassajara and has also participated in meditation intensives with Pema Chodron, Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi, Shohaku Okumura Roshi, and Shodo Harada Roshi. Heather holds master’s degrees in communications, creative writing, and English literature.

Join us for zazen (seated meditation), with the talk to follow, we offer in-person distanced attendance for those vaccinated fully + 2 weeks; We also will continue to offer a Zoom web conferencing for video and/or audio presence for the scheduled events. 9:30 zazen (you can log into the conference starting at 9am to socialize) for 40 minutes and a Dharma talk at 10:25am, followed by Q&A as well as an opportunity to check in and see how you are doing. Please click here to be routed to our Zoom gathering.

A special acknowledgement to Rev. Hokai – Max Swanger, Marc Johnson and Frank all the way from Italy who were on Zoom and we did not capture in photos