Updates

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*UPDATED* Offerings during the pandemic

Greetings from Issan-ji Sōtō Zen Temple. We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and in good health during this difficult time. Practice is ongoing with Hartford Street Zen Center‘s residential students and we encourage you to continue your practice at home. We invite you, the Sangha, to connect through online technology, creating a safe temple space without physical borders.

There are currently three online options:

•            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) 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. https://zoom.us/j/167153141 – Please send an email request to info@hszc.org to obtain the password.

•            Thursdays we will reconvene our Study Hour offering 7:30pm – 8:30pm via Zoom conferencing for video and/or audio access – Send an email to info@hszc.org to be added to Rev. Myō’s weekly study hour email list and to receive Zoom conference details

•            Wednesday evenings  6pm – 6:40pm as of April 8th, you can also join us online for a period of zazen hosted outside the temple by a community member via Zoom conferencing   – https://us04web.zoom.us/j/626141223

We also would like to encourage you continue to visit us at hszc.org and our Facebook page as we adjust our offerings during these trying times.

From our Abbot, Rev. Myō – These painful circumstances have created a kind of retreat space for us, which we can use in a helpful way. Remember that ‘staying close to home’ has meaning for us beyond the literal, and that the ancient meditation instruction  “follow the stream to the source” is accomplished in an instant, whether one considers oneself ‘beginner’ or ‘advanced’.

Establish some structure for your time, including some Dharma practice and study, gentle exercise, cleaning, and plenty of rest. Try not to brood, and try to avoid such habits as nervous snacking on high-calorie foods. Remember that taking care of yourself is a gateway to caring for others as well. One can demonstrate this by the practice of mettă meditation, among other ways. –

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Guest Speaker (Zoom Sangha): Sat. 3/28 – 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 10. Everyone is welcome!

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

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Saturday Sangha Online Program

In light of the restrictions on in-person gatherings, we invite everyone to join for an online program (via video conferencing app Zoom) to substitute for our normal Saturday schedule so we may maintain our practice in community until we can meet once again at our temple. We will be doing this every Saturday through May 2nd. Join us on Zoom for zazen at 9:30 a.m. followed by a talk at 10 a.m.

Just follow this link, which will help you set up a free account and download the Zoom app, if you haven’t already done so, and join the meeting starting at 9 a.m.: https://zoom.us/j/167153141

Meeting ID: 167 153 141

May all beings be happy, may they be well and live in safety, free from danger, want and care 🙏

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NOTICE – Temporary Temple Closure

Due to the prevailing public health situation, One Mountain Temple (Issan-ji) is suspending all public events until safety concerns have subsided. This regrettable step is in line with the efforts being made by reasonable parties to “flatten the curve”, i.e. to prevent the pace of infection by the Covid19 virus from outstripping available healthcare resources. Our residential practice will continue without interruption as much as possible. Any updates to our circumstances will be posted to our website.

Please know that our concern extends beyond our immediate congregation, to
include our neighbors, family members, distant friends and relatives, and,
inevitably, all sentient beings.

May all beings be happy, may they be well, and may they live in safety, free from danger, want and care.