Updates

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SEEKING

We have an opening for a short-term Guest or longer term, Resident Student and invite you to apply if of interest. Having lived in community (even more so Soto or other schools of Zen or other meditation/Buddhist) is a big plus as it has its own rhythm and unique attributes that are good for practice but different than solitary or living with a family or romantic partner.

What’s involved? You’re a student and engaging in a full life practice with a room to occupy as a student under the HSZC clergy warm guiding support. Soto Zen ordained clergy also very welcome to apply! The details of student minimal requirements (more focused on long-term stay) and asks is outlined in our temple roles document voted in by our board of directors found here (second to last page of document). Additionally there is a tuition expense you can discuss with inquiry.

After you reviewed the requirements or for short-term guest please come by and meet the Abbot, Rev. Myo Lahey (join Saturday program and maybe meet during tea & cookies are a good time) and best to send an email before as well to info@hszc.org

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November 2024 temple closures dates/times

Please note we will be closed the following days in November:

November 20 evening session (6pm PT)
November 27, 28, 29 & 30th. ~~~ Happy Thanksgiving~~~

beginning schedule again Dec 3rd (Tuesday AM schedule)

And please note: We are starting to seek input on interest and those who know or believe they will want to join our annual winter light retreat (around rohatsu). If you think you will join please shoot us an email indicating so at: info@hszc.org — For anyone unsure of the retreat here are the details of years past and would for 2024 would be, roughly on about Dec 4-8.

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Guest Speaker (and a request of you) – 16 Nov –Rev. Fugan Eugene (Gene) Bush

Fugan Eugene (Gene) Bush began formal Zen practice in 1982 and received Dharma transmission from the late Rev. Katherine Thanas in 2010. Gene serves as one of the Practice Leaders of Santa Cruz Zen Center.

He also became a teacher for the Arcata Zen Group in 2013, with occasional forays to Hartford Street Zen Center and to Queer Dharma at San Francisco Zen Center.

REQUEST of YOU – We are starting to seek input on interest and those who know or believe they will want to join our annual winter light retreat (around rohatsu). If you think you will join please shoot us an email indicating so at: info@hszc.org — For anyone unsure of the retreat here are the details of years past and would for 2024 would be, roughly on about Dec 4-8.

We hope you can join us Saturday and a Retreat!

Join us Saturday for zazen (seated meditation) at 9:30am, with the Dharma talk to follow at 10:30. We offer in-person distanced attendance, and we also will continue to offer a Zoom web conferencing for video and/or audio presence for the scheduled events. There’s an earlier sitting at 6:30am, in addition to the later one at 9:30am (you can log into the conference starting at 9am to socialize). A period of zazen is typically 40 minutes, and it’s ok to adjust your sitting posture as needed. The Dharma talk includes time for questions and answers, occasionally followed by a particular ceremony such as the celebration of Buddha’s Birthday. We enjoy tea and cookies together afterwards. Please click here to be routed to our Zoom gathering  

And as always you can contact us to arrange an introductory session ~8:45am if you are a beginner.

As a reminder any week you do not see a speaker announced it is our Abbot, Rev. Myo Lahey.

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Guest Speaker (and a request of you) – 9 Nov – Rev. Hokyo Lorenzo Garbo

Rev. Hokyo Lorenzo Garbo first came to Zen practice in 2001, and studied mostly as a non-resident at Green Gulch Farm while working as a college professor in Southern California.

He received the bodhisattva precepts from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 2006 during a sabbatical year spent in residence at Green Gulch, and became a full-time resident at City Center in 2020. He received priest ordination from Kiku Christina Lehnherr in 2023 and currently serves as the San Francisco Zen Center’s director of the Hospitality department.

REQUEST of YOU – We are starting to seek input on interest and those who know or believe they will want to join our annual winter light retreat (around rohatsu). If you think you will join please shoot us an email indicating so at: info@hszc.org — For anyone unsure of the retreat here are the details of years past and would for 2024 would be, roughly on about Dec 4-8.

We hope you can join us Saturday and a Retreat!

Join us Saturday for zazen (seated meditation) at 9:30am, with the Dharma talk to follow at 10:30. We offer in-person distanced attendance, and we also will continue to offer a Zoom web conferencing for video and/or audio presence for the scheduled events. There’s an earlier sitting at 6:30am, in addition to the later one at 9:30am (you can log into the conference starting at 9am to socialize). A period of zazen is typically 40 minutes, and it’s ok to adjust your sitting posture as needed. The Dharma talk includes time for questions and answers, occasionally followed by a particular ceremony such as the celebration of Buddha’s Birthday. We enjoy tea and cookies together afterwards. Please click here to be routed to our Zoom gathering  

And as always you can contact us to arrange an introductory session ~8:45am if you are a beginner.

As a reminder any week you do not see a speaker announced it is our Abbot, Rev. Myo Lahey.

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Sejiki-e & O-bon in Soto Zen

In the USA often Sejiki-e is aligned with Halloween having reference to ghosts and departed also associated with O-bon which is in Japan during the Summer.

Artist – Sandra Yagi

*O-bon

The memorial services held at Obon have two meanings.

One is to honor the Buddha and show reverence for one’s ancestors and others who have died. The other is to express gratitude to all people to whom we are indebted, including people who are alive such as our parents, relatives, and friends.

The full expression for Obon is Urabon-e which is derived from “Ullabana,” an old Indian word. According to the Bussetsu Urabon Sutra, the origin of this tradition goes back to a ceremony performed by Shakyamuni Buddha for the deceased mother of Maudgalyayana, one of the Buddha’s immediate disciples. Ullabana means “hanging upside down” and it was by means of this ceremony that the suffering of that world in which she lived (the suffering was so intense it was like hanging upside down) was removed.

These days, people think that this ceremony will prolong the life of parents and remove all suffering and anguish. This is also one of the traditional holiday periods in Japan when people exchange gifts. The other traditional time is over New Years. Obon is a ceremony to respectfully honor the spirits of the ancestors; it is also to ask for the long life or our parents. In preparation for meeting the spirits, it is customary to thoroughly clean our house and put ourselves in order as if meeting guests.

*A Ceremony to Comfort the Ancestral Spirits (Sejiki-e)

The Obon Sejiki-e, a ceremony to comfort the ancestral spirits, is an important ceremony in The Soto Zen School. At every The Soto Zen School temple, this ceremony is performed as a way of making offerings to the family ancestors, to one’s parents, relatives, and spirits of other people we are connected with, as well as for spirits that are no longer connected to any living person.

* quoted from: main soto website at sotozen.com

Happy safe and enjoyable Halloween!

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26 October 2024 – Speaker, Rev. Koshin Steven

Steven Tierney (Kai Po Koshin) is a Dharma transmitted teacher in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. Steven practices with: Meditation in Recovery, Great Spirit, SFLGBTQA, and Dragons Leap Sanghas in addition to the Harford Street Zen Center. Steven believes that we can find wisdom, compassion and awakening wherever good people come together for practice, healing, service and joy. Tierney is a psychotherapist in private practice and Professor Emeritus in Counseling Psychology at CIIS.

We hope you can join us!

Join us for zazen (seated meditation) at 9:30am, with the Dharma talk to follow at 10:30. We offer in-person distanced attendance, and we also will continue to offer a Zoom web conferencing for video and/or audio presence for the scheduled events. There’s an earlier sitting at 6:30am, in addition to the later one at 9:30am (you can log into the conference starting at 9am to socialize). A period of zazen is typically 40 minutes, and it’s ok to adjust your sitting posture as needed. The Dharma talk includes time for questions and answers, occasionally followed by a particular ceremony such as the celebration of Buddha’s Birthday. We enjoy tea and cookies together afterwards. Please click here to be routed to our Zoom gathering  

And as always you can contact us to arrange an introductory session ~8:45am if you are a beginner.

As a reminder any week you do not see a speaker announced it is our Abbot, Rev. Myo Lahey.