guest speaker – Hartford Street Zen Center

February 19, 2017February 19, 2017

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.

October 29, 2016

5 November @10:15am – Guest Speaker Zenshin Greg Fain

Please join us this upcoming Saturday for guest speaker Zenshin Greg Fain. Greg was ordained by Sojun Mel Weitsman in 2002, and received dharma transmission in 2012. Greg is married and currently serves as tanto (head of practice) at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Greg has been studying and practicing Yoga for the past six years, and now considers it an essential part of his daily practice. “The more I practice zazen (seated meditation) the more I realize how completely this is body practice, and how yoga supports the body to be present for the practice.”

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!

January 27, 2016June 3, 2016

Jan 30@ 10:15am – Dharma talk by Daiko Tanzen, David Bullock

Join us next Saturday for A talk at 10:15am offered by Rev. Daiko Tanzen, David Bullock; one of our current connections to the early days of Hartford Street’s Zen Center founding; the garden’s long term friend, current Board President and many other capacities past and present of HSZC (as well as the past Maitri); and he was ordained by the temple’s founder – Rev. Issan Dorsey.

Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), 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 a ceremony if applicable, then tea and cookies with socializing. Please know you are welcome and invited!

January 3, 2016June 3, 2016

9 January @ 10:15am – Guest Speaker – Kai Ji Jeffrey Schneider

Jeffrey Schneider is a priest at SF Zen Center, where he has lived, worked and practiced since 1978. He has taught and led retreats at a number of Buddhist centers, including ones in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina. The founder of the SF Zen Center recovery programs, he is currently the Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator.

6 days a week we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, and Soji.

Saturdays include the early morning sitting, 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 and socializing.

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

September 9, 2015June 3, 2016

12 September 2015 – Guest Speaker, Peter van der Sterre @10:15am

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 support 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, 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.

His 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. His strongest associations with teachers during that period were Jerry Fuller, Issan Dorsey, Darlene Cohen and Okusan, who taught tea ceremony (one of the most durable influences from that era.)

His current commitment to Everyday Zen involves him 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, he states his practice includes bay swimming, residential construction and development, and cooking for family and friends. His 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 8:30am. 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.

July 4, 2015June 3, 2016

11 July Guest Speaker@ 10:15am-Anshi Daigi, Zachary Smith

Anshi Daigi, Zachary Smith, has been practicing since sticker375x360 1993. He took jukai in 1995 and was shuso in 2007 under Abbot Paul Haller, who ordained him as a priest in 2014. He currently directs North Mountain Zendo, a zazenkai group in North Beach. In addition to his involvement with Zen, Zachary is a husband and father (of 4), an engineer, a musician, a bike fanatic, and an avid but mediocre poet. He may be the only person in the history of Zen in the West to have interrupted a residential practice period to tour with a rock band.

June 13, 2015June 3, 2016

20 June @ 10:15am Guest Speaker – Ryuko, Laura Burges

Ryuko, Laura Burges is a lay entrusted teacher in the Soto Zen tradition. A teacher of children for 27 years, her work has been featured in the PBS special The Digital Divide and in the book Teach Our Children Well. She is active in bringing mindfulness practices into elementary classrooms. Laura co-founded the Sangha in Recovery program at the San Francisco Zen Center and lectures and leads retreats at different practice centers in Northern California.

May 3, 2015June 3, 2016

9 May @10:15am – Guest Speaker, Fugan Eugene Bush

Fugan Eugene Bush, D.D., Practice Leader of Santa Cruz Zen Center will offer a talk for the HSZC Sangha.

Eugene or ‘Gene’ began formal Zen practice in 1982, was ordained as a priest in 2005 and received Dharma Transmission from Katherine Thanas in 2010. Until recently Gene served for many years as the Administrator of Santa Cruz Zen Center. He is now Coordinator of the Sangha Support Net.

He also teaches the traditional practice of sewing Buddha’s Robe (rakusu and okesa). His paid work was as teacher in a public alternative high school in Santa Cruz. He is most interested in the ways in which formal practice trains us for everyday life.