Our most recent newsletter
Monday, 17th of April – HSZC closed for the day –
8 April – a half day retreat, still time to join us and sign up for the meal!
email to register info@hszc.org or use the sign up sheet at the temple. It is a day filled with auspicious events, half day retreat, Buddha’s birthday and the scheduled full moon which is an opportunity to renew bodhisattva vows!
Most Recent Sangha news
4 March @10:15am, Guest Speaker- Rev. Kogen Seido, Jamie Howell
Please join us this upcoming Saturday for guest speaker Kogen Seido Jamie Howell (Wild, Untamed Source – Sincere Way) who began his Zen practice with Joshu Sasaki Roshi in 1979 at the Mount Baldy Zen Center.
In 1983, when he was living in San Francisco and his eldest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, Jamie began to study with Michael Wenger at the San Francisco Zen Center. He spent the next 28 years raising four children with his wife, working in the music business and later the real estate business while dedicating himself to Zen practice. He now has three grandchildren.
Jamie was a soccer player and coach for over 40 years and still competes in triathlons with the Golden Gate Triathlon Team. He road managed Hot Tuna and Natalie Cole, was the sales manager of Hill and Company, and currently works with his partner Luba Muzichenko at Zephyr Real Estate.
It took Jamie almost 17 years to sew his first rakusu; he received the precepts in a jukai ceremony in 2000. He was chairman of the board of San Francisco Zen Center in 2004 and 2005, and was shuso at City Center in 2006. In 2011, Jamie received lay Dharma Entrustment from Dairyu Michael Wenger.
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.
28 of January @11am double feature events! Dōgen Zenji’s birthday & Lunar New Year!
After the dharma talk @10:15am on Saturday January 28th we will have short ceremony to pay homage to the Birth of Dōgen Zenji the founder of our school of Zen Buddhism in Japan 
and then we will hop the sea of Japan for our 5th annual Chinese New Year Celebration (lunar new year) as we welcome in Chinese Astrology the year of the Fire Rooster or sometimes referred to as the year of the Phoenix.
817 years ago born in Kyōto, Dōgen founded the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan after traveling to China and training under Rujing, a master of the Chinese Caodong (Chinese Sōtō Zen) lineage.
He is widely respected for his beautiful writing, teachings and thorough documentation of how a monastery should operate. Click here to read more about Dōgen.
Then…
Gong Xi Fa Cai ! Please join us for the fifth annual event for a Chinese (lunar) New Year Celebration and remembrance to those who have gone beyond. This is the year of the FIRE Rooster.
After the dharma talk and birthday ceremony by our Abbot Rev Myō Lahey, join us for some Chinese New Year décor, treats and the symbolic call to our deceased loved ones, followed by offerings to make their current state a more enjoyable one and just remember them and send loving intentions through joss paper offerings.
It is also the event we recognize our completed goals and wishes by offering our Daruma to the beyond in the joss paper fire and installing a new Daruma by coloring in one eye as setting the goal (traditional Daruma process).
This day in China is also recognized as the birthday of Maitreya Bodhisattva (better known as the more familiar Budai Luohan), the Buddha-to-be. Thus people also abstain from killing animals (eating meat) on this day.
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 tea and cookies.
Please join us this Saturday for this celebration and we hope to see you often!
Jan 7, 2017 – Jukai lay initiation ceremony @11am
Two of our dear and beloved Sangha members will have a Jukai (lay initiation) receiving of precepts ceremony immediately following the Saturday morning Dharma talk. This public ceremony is to celebrate and formally mark a practitioner receiving the sixteen Bodhisattva precepts (3 refuges, 3 pure precepts, 10 essential precepts) and vowing to work to live their life in accordance with these precepts.
Please join us for this wonderful event to celebrate Ben and Richard’s vows, renew our own, to congratulate Richard, Ben and all on the Soto Zen path!