Sozan Michael McCord has lived and
worked at San Francisco Zen Center since 2009, and served as Ino (Head of
Meditation Hall) and Tenzo (Head Cook) at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He was
ordained as a Zen priest by Ryushin Paul Haller in the lineage of Shunryu
Suzuki in 2014.
Michael holds a BA in Theology from Ambassador University and worked as a volunteer for their non-profit Ambassador Foundation in Amman, Jordan, doing vocational training for mentally challenged individuals. He had careers in the technology and financial sectors before coming to Zen practice. He was Program Director of SFZC from 2016 to 2019 and is currently the Director of SFZC, City Center/Beginner’s Mind Temple.
Saturday mornings we offer a Zoom web conferencing for video and/or audio presence for the scheduled events. 9:25 zazen (you can log into the conference starting at 9am) and a Dharma talk at 9:45am, followed by Q&A as well as an opportunity to check in and see how you are doing. https://zoom.us/j/167153141 – Please send an email request to info@hszc.org to obtain the password.
Greetings from Issan-ji Sōtō Zen Temple. We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and in good health during this difficult time. Practice is ongoing with Hartford Street Zen Center‘s residential students and we encourage you to continue your practice at home. We invite you, the Sangha, to connect through online technology, creating a safe temple space without physical borders.
There are currently three online options:
• Saturday mornings we offer a Zoom web conferencing for video and/or audio presence for the scheduled events. 9:25 zazen (you can log into the conference starting at 9am) and a Dharma talk at 9:45am, followed by Q&A as well as an opportunity to check in and see how you are doing. https://zoom.us/j/167153141 – Please send an email request to info@hszc.org to obtain the password.
• Thursdays we will reconvene our Study Hour offering 7:30pm – 8:30pm via Zoom conferencing for video and/or audio access – Send an email to info@hszc.org to be added to Rev. Myō’s weekly study hour email list and to receive Zoom conference details
• Wednesday evenings 6pm – 6:40pm as of April 8th, you can also join us online for a period of zazen hosted outside the temple by a community member via Zoom conferencing – https://us04web.zoom.us/j/626141223
We also would like to encourage you continue to visit us at hszc.org and our Facebook page as we adjust our offerings during these trying times.
From our Abbot, Rev. Myō – These painful circumstances have created a kind of retreat space for us, which we can use in a helpful way. Remember that ‘staying close to home’ has meaning for us beyond the literal, and that the ancient meditation instruction “follow the stream to the source” is accomplished in an instant, whether one considers oneself ‘beginner’ or ‘advanced’.
Establish some structure for your time, including some
Dharma practice and study, gentle exercise, cleaning, and plenty of rest. Try
not to brood, and try to avoid such habits as nervous snacking on high-calorie
foods. Remember that taking care of yourself is a gateway to caring for others
as well. One can demonstrate this by the practice of mettă meditation, among
other ways. –
Please join us for a Dharma talk by Rev. Steven, priest-ordained by Rev. Dairyu Michael Wenger, and who is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and frequent consultant to mental health and recovery programs, as well as group facilitator for our Issan-ji Sangha (community of practitioners). We’ll have zazen (seated meditation) as usual at 9:25, with the talk to follow at 10. Everyone is welcome!
You may join the Zoom meeting for meditation any time starting at 9 a.m. The link is: https://zoom.us/j/167153141
Due to the prevailing public health situation, One Mountain Temple (Issan-ji) is suspending all public events until safety concerns have subsided. This regrettable step is in line with the efforts being made by reasonable parties to “flatten the curve”, i.e. to prevent the pace of infection by the Covid19 virus from outstripping available healthcare resources. Our residential practice will continue without interruption as much as possible. Any updates to our circumstances will be posted to our website.
Please know that our concern extends beyond our immediate congregation, to include our neighbors, family members, distant friends and relatives, and, inevitably, all sentient beings.
May all beings be happy, may they be well, and may they live in safety, free from danger, want and care.
Rev. Daigan Gaither began Buddhist practice in 1995 in the Vipassana (Insight) tradition, and then began to study Zen in 2003 with Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi. He received Lay Ordination in 2006 where he was given the name Daigan or “Great Vow”, and received Priest Ordination in July 2011. Daigan speaks internationally on a variety of topics particularly around gender, sexuality, social justice and their intersections with the Dharma. He has a BA in Philosophy and Religion from San Francisco State University, and an MA in Buddhist Studies from the Graduate Theological Union and the Institute of Buddhist Studies.
Come for zazen (seated meditation) at 9:25 a.m., and stay for tea-and-cookies after the talk. All are welcome!
Please join us for a Dharma talk by Rev. Steven, priest-ordained by Rev. Dairyu Michael Wenger, and who is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and frequent consultant to mental health and recovery programs, as well as group facilitator for our Issan-ji Sangha (community of practitioners). We’ll have zazen (seated meditation) as usual at 9:25, with the talk to follow, and afterwards tea and cookies will be on offer in the living room. Everyone is welcome!
Please join us for a Dharma talk by Rev. Steven, priest-ordained by Rev. Dairyu Michael Wenger, and who is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and frequent consultant to 12-step programs, as well as group facilitator for our Issan-ji Sangha (community of practitioners). We’ll have zazen (seated meditation) as usual at 9:25, with the talk to follow, and afterwards tea and cookies will be on offer in the living room. Everyone is welcome!
We’ll observe the annual memorial for Dr. King on Monday, 20 January, so there won’t be the regular periods of zazen (seated meditation). Please join us again Tuesday, 21 January, beginning at 6:30 a.m., as usual.
