Upcoming

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.

Join us Saturdays 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). 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.

We will thank our dear founder of our temple, little Zen community and space and remember him for those who knew him. after the talk on Saturday.

Please join us!

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.

Join us Saturdays 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). 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.

Rev So’on is a Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teacher of the *Valley Streams Sangha – In Sacramento, California.

At Valley Streams he serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.

Additionally he is on the HSZC board of Directors and participates in some of our activities and most routinely the Winter Light Retreat held early December each calendar year and has practiced and studied with our Abbot for quite some time.

*Valley Streams Zen Sangha is dedicated to the study of Buddha’s teaching and the practice of meditation. We invite newcomers and experienced Zen students to join us.

Their sangha is maintained by a community of people who have traveled many different paths. We come together to support each other in practicing Buddha’s way.

Valley Streams Zen Sangha Like Issanji Temple/HSZC is affiliated with the Branching Streams network of the San Francisco Zen Center. Our forms and practice are inspired by the teachings of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.

Please join us Saturdays 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). 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.

Rev. 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, CFO, and Program Director. He was ordained as a Zen priest by Ryushin Paul Haller in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki in 2014. He is currently their Board of Director’s President of the Board.

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.

Join us Saturdays 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). 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.

Saturday, 15 February @ 10:45 a.m – We will have a simple ceremony commemorating the death of Śākyamuni Buddha this coming Saturday, following the 9:25 a.m. period of zazen and a Dharma talk at 10:15. Tea and cookies in the living room afterwards, as usual. Everyone is welcome!

We hope you had some time to engage in thought and or activity for international Women’s day and we often have recognition of the first Buddhist Nun Mahapajapati recognized around that same time. as mentioned in recent post about seasonal Zen Buddhist observations, this time of year.

We would like to make mention that the recent holiday of the following events are in near future or have recently passed.

Equinox Ceremony (Higan-e) – This week-long ceremony takes place on the spring and fall equinoxes, the middle of an important week when the weather is usually very good.

Higan is the teaching that leads people from the world of delusion to the world of awakening. There are six components of this teaching: giving, precepts, perseverance, diligence, zazen, and wisdom. It is taught that if we carry out these practices we will be blessed with happiness and good fortune.

Mahapajapati -This week many temples also observe the contributions in reverence and gratitude of Buddhism’s first Buddhist nun and adoptive mother of the person who would awaken (the Buddha) Mahapajapati. It s memorialized often with  an annual Buddhist ceremony held to honor Mahapajapati Gotami, the Buddha’s maternal aunt and foster mother, and the first Buddhist nun, often celebrated in March. It commemorates her request to be ordained and her role in establishing the order of Buddhist nuns. 

In recent past: Nirvana Ceremony, Commemorating the Buddha’s Death (Nehan-e) February 15th

And in the near future as well Flower Festival (Hana-matsuri) April 8th – Shakyamuni Buddha’s birthday is celebrated on April 8th

He was born 2500 years ago to King Suddhodana and Queen Maya in the garden of Lumbini which was located in Kapilavastu, a small kingdom in the Himalayan foothills. He was called Siddhartha and later, Shakyamuni Buddha.

Temple rememberances and expressions of gratitude – Also a reminder each 6th of the month or as near as we can mange we remember Rev. Issan Dorsey our temple founder/first abbot and remember the third abbot Rev. Philip Whalen of beat poet fame each monthly routine of around the 26th.