Our annual retreat begins Wednesday evening, 7 Dec., and ends with the Enlightenment Day Ceremony by noon on Sunday the 11th. Please join us for this special time of concentrated practice. You may participate in any of the scheduled activities in the zendo (meditation hall), but only those who have signed up in advance will be able to partake of the semi-formal meals in the dining hall. The proposed schedule is available for view by clicking this link . You can sign up for all or part of the retreat by sending email to hszc108@yahoo.com, or leaving a phone message at (415) 863-2507.
HSZC Board Meeting – Weds. 9 Nov.
Full-Moon Bodhisattva Ceremony – Thurs. 10 Nov.
Please come to the temple for our monthly Bodhisattva Ceremony, where we renew our practice vows. The ceremony will begin right after the evening period of zazen, at 6:40 p.m., and take about a half-hour. Full prostrations are typically done during the ceremony, but standing bows are perfectly ok, too.
Veteran’s Day Holiday: no Zendo events
See and Be Seen – Rev. Myo Lahey
Peter Coyote Speaks at GBS Meeting – Sunday, 6 Nov., 3PM
The accomplished actor, Emmy Award-winning narrator, writer, singer, songwriter, guitarist and recently ordained Soto Zen priest Peter Coyote will speak at the next weekly meeting of the Gay Buddhist Sangha at HSZC. Peter Coyote was ordained in the same lineage as our temple, that of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and the San Francisco Zen Center, and we are honored to have him come and share the dharma with us. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Sangha Hour, Wednesdays 10:30am – 11:30am
Please join us for Sangha Hour (hosted by Jim S.) weekly each Wednesday between 10:30am – 11:30am in our temple’s living room.
This is an open house format to welcome anyone who has never been to Hartford Street Zen Center, past members, future members and our currently active Sangha members.
Sangha Hour is ideal for questions, exploring Buddhism, connecting, reconnecting, or just an hour of time in a social setting for those who want to enrich their current Sangha life.
Coffee and refreshments will be offered.
*This is a new program we’re trying out and so your thoughts, comments and participation are welcome and encouraged
Early Sitting and Founder’s Memorial: Sat. 5 Nov.
We’ll start sitting earlier than usual this coming Saturday. There will be two periods of zazen (seated meditation) beginning at 5:30 a.m., with a period of kinhin (walking meditation) in between at 6:10 a.m., and morning chanting following at 7:00. You may think, “Oh, that’s too early for me”, but you should give it a try, and you can always nap later. Also, we’ll serve a simple breakfast to participants, but you MUST sign up ahead-of-time, either via email at hszc108@yahoo.com, or by phone at (415) 863-2507.The rest of the Saturday schedule will be according to custom, with another period of sitting at 9:25 and the Dharma talk at 10:15 a.m., followed by a brief ceremony of commemoration of the death of our founder, Rev. Issan Dorsey. Afterwards, there will be fistfuls of cookies for your enjoyment! Everyone is welcome…