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Hartford Street Zen Center | Issan-ji temple
A Sōtō Zen temple for the LGBTQ+ community, friends and allies in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood
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 1972, he was practicing the solitary path of unguided meditation and rough carpentry in Zuni, New Mexico, Boston, Massachusetts, and Custer, South Dakota. He joined the Everyday Zen Community in 2001, and was the first Bay Area Shuso.
Since receiving transmission from Norman in 2011, He has been exploring the challenges and opportunities that poses, with the intention to extend his practice and support to others.
A few years ago he discovered an old Basque boarding house in the old North End of Boise, Idaho. He renovated one of the existing units and extended the new space up into the attic level, which required the removal of the roof and sagging rafters and reinforcing the existing structure. The new attic Zendo and guest space is light and warm, with a view to the south which includes several old church spires and part of the city center. Boise has several Buddhist groups, and he has connected with the Floating Cloud Sangha, who now have a place to meet, study and hold half day sittings, called The 7th Street Zendo. They can be located on the web at 7thStreetZendo.org
In San Francisco, located less than three blocks from Zen Center, he and others created The Oak Street Zendo, which offers a daily morning schedule, as well as classes and half day sittings on a semi regular basis, since it’s dedication in January 2015. The power and engagement of group sitting and study has formed the core of his activity, both within and without the Everyday Zen practice calendar. On the web, they are located at OakStreetZendo.org.
Saturday mornings we offer a Zoom web conferencing for video and/or audio presence for the scheduled events. 9:25 zazen (you can log into the conference starting at 9am to socialize) and a Dharma talk at ~9:45am, followed by Q&A as well as an opportunity to check in and see how you are doing. Please click here to be routed to our Zoom gathering.
Please join us for the Winter Light Retreat Dec 4-6! The details are here. We also wanted to announce that on Saturday December 5th at 6pm we invite not only our retreat attendees, but all to join us for a Metta service or practice lead by Rev. Myō, our Abbot. It has been a turbulent year for many in 2020 and this is a great opportunity to hold the world in our hearts and generate loving kindness for all.
Please join us for this Metta service during the Winter Light Retreat and the retreat itself as your schedule and life allows.
As we navigate the ongoing pandemic, social and political change, within the Issan-ji temple walls the Hartford Street Zen Center Winter Light Retreat Sesshin will begin Friday, December 4th, including the Rohatsu celebration/ceremony; and concludes on Sunday, December 6th, mid-day. Thursday the 3rd of December evening there will be an orientation as well. We offer this schedule to join and are sharing the full routine schedule you’ve known in the past and some suggestions for creating your at home sacred Zendo and Buddha hall space. You can apply more retreat time, self directed, using our usual schedule, or follow our in-temple retreat schedule for 2020 and in both cases please join us online when Issan-ji resident students and priests log on. As always, the Hartford Street Zen Center relies on both your participation, but also your generous donations. We know we aren’t providing space and food this year to the community, but we still humbly request your generosity for this annual event. Please click here for the schedule and additional information. Suggested Virtual Attendance is $30 per day – or – an amount of your own choosing. Login links for virtual attendance: * Thursday night instruction 7:30pm through 8:30pm– click here * Friday, Saturday 6am through 7am Service/Chanting – click here * Friday, Saturday 10:15am through 11:50am Chanting – click here ***Talk will begin at 10:30am*** *Friday, Saturday 6pm through 8:30pm Refuges– click here * Sunday 6am through 12 noon (6am-7am service, 10:15am to 11:40am preparation and then Bodhi day ceremony, but zoom open whole entire 6am to noon time slot) – click here Chant book pages for Service/Chanting here (updated 12/5/2020 @noon) |