Updates

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Guest Speaker (Zoom Sangha): Sat. 9/19 – Rev. Zesho Susan O’Connell ~9:45am

Zesho Susan O’Connell is a Zen teacher with 30 years of meditation experience. She has lived at San Francisco Zen Center since 1995, was ordained as a Zen priest in 1999 by Tenshin Reb Anderson, was Shuso (head student) in 2004, and received Dharma Transmission in 2016.

She has served in many key positions at SF Zen Center, including as Vice President and President from 2006-2016. She is currently Spiritual Director of the Zen-inspired Senior Living Community Project. Before moving into SF Zen Center, Susan had a full work life. As a young woman she was an actress in L.A. and New York and starred in a dozen television shows, and several feature films. After that, she started, with two other partners, her own business as an independent feature film producer with offices in San Francisco and L.A., and continued that business for 25 years.

She produced four award-winning feature films, and one TV movie and has been involved with dozens of development projects. She has consulted with filmmakers around the world on how to develop stories and raise private investment capital for movies. She can’t seem to stop her involvement in film and has helped to produce over 10 video/film projects about SF Zen Center and its teachers. She is a mother and a grandmother (which she does not consider to be “work”).

You may join the Zoom meeting for meditation any time starting at 9 a.m. Zazen begins at 9:25 a.m. followed by the Dharma talk. The link is: https://zoom.us/j/167153141

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Guest Speaker (Zoom Sangha): Sat. 9/12 – Rev. Daigan Gaither ~9:45am

Daigan began Buddhist practice in 1995 as a Vipassana practitioner, and began to study Zen in 2003 with Ryushin Paul Haller. He received Lay Ordination in 2006 and Priest Ordination in 2011 and lived at San Francisco Zen Center properties a number of years.

His work and practice include many hours devoted to community service as one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (since 1995) and a volunteer caregiver with Zen Hospice Project (since 2003). He has spoken nationwide on sex, sexuality, queer identity, and gender and has sat on a number of boards of community organizations serving marginalized communities. He has lectured at colleges as well as conferences and is featured in Sex, Sin and Zen by Brad Warner.

You may join the Zoom meeting for meditation any time starting at 9 a.m. Zazen begins at 9:25 a.m. followed by the Dharma talk. The link is: https://zoom.us/j/167153141

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Guest Speaker (Zoom Sangha): Sat. 8/22 – Rev. Fugan, Eugene Bush

Fugan, Eugene Bush, D.D., began formal Zen practice in 1982, was ordained as a priest in 2005 and received Dharma Transmission from Katherine Thanas in 2010. Gene currently serves as the Support Net Leader of Santa Cruz Zen Center.

He also teaches the traditional practice of sewing Buddha’s Robe (rakusu and okesa). His paid work was as a 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. Please join us for a talk by Fugan this upcoming Saturday!

You may join the Zoom meeting for meditation any time starting at 9 a.m. Zazen begins at 9:25 a.m. followed by the Dharma talk. The link is: https://zoom.us/j/167153141

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Guest Speaker (Zoom Sangha): Sat. 8/8 – Rev. Keiryu Liên Shutt ~9:45am

Rev. Keiryu Liên Shutt is a Dharma Heir of the late Rev. Zenkei Blanche Hartman in the tradition of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Born into a Buddhist family in Vietnam, she began her meditation practice in the Insight tradition of Spirit Rock.

She is a founding member of the Buddhists of Color in 1998. Her Soto Zen training began at Tassajara monastery where she lived from 2002-2005, after which she practiced monastically in Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. Based at San Francisco Zen Center, Liên also teaches at East Bay Meditation Center and other Bay Area groups.

You may join the Zoom meeting for meditation any time starting at 9 a.m. Zazen begins at 9:25 a.m. followed by the Dharma talk. The link is: https://zoom.us/j/167153141

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Guest Speaker (Zoom Sangha): Sat. 7/18 – Rev. Steven Tierney

Please join us for a Dharma talk by Rev. Steven, priest-ordained by Rev. Dairyu Michael Wenger, and who is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and frequent consultant to mental health and recovery programs, as well as group facilitator for our Issan-ji Sangha (community of practitioners). We’ll have zazen (seated meditation) as usual at 9:25, with the talk to follow at 9:45. Everyone is welcome!

We will then follow with a short break and go into Sangha Council to discuss temple activities, status and the community at large.

You may join the Zoom meeting for meditation any time starting at 9 a.m. The link is: https://zoom.us/j/167153141