Cesar Chavez Day is a national holiday, so there will NOT be a
morning sitting on Thursday 31 March. The evening sitting will take place at 6pm as usual, followed by study hour at 7:30pm.
27 February @10:15am Guest Speaker – Shokan, Jordan Thorn
Please come and join us this Saturday for a Dharma talk by Shokan Jordan Thorn.
Jordan has been at SF Zen Center for 30 years. Ordained by Richard Baker in 1977, later received Dharma Transmission from Zoketsu Norman Fischer. He lives at SFZC’s City Center. He came to SF Zen center as a result of the beat poetry movement that was of interest to several Zen students in it’s early years and he even played in a rock band briefly with a famed beat poet that lead to his connect to Zen. He has lived at all three SFZC practice centers, has served in a variety of roles on senior staff and as an officer, and was shuso at Tassajara. Recently he served as City Center Tanto (Head of Practice) and became SF Zen Center’s Treasurer/CFO in September 2011 and he is the teacher of a few of the HSZC Sangha.
Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30am. And again zazen at 9:25 am. We wrap up with a dharma talk at 10:15am for < 60minutes, followed by ceremony when applicable and then right to social time, tea and cookies.
Please join us!
20 February full moon ceremony & half day retreat
Please join us for a half day retreat/schedule including Oryoki breakfast if you let us know in advance (sign up). this event will go from 6am until a bit after 12, noon. included in the schedule is the monthly full moon ceremony.
The full snow moon. usually the heaviest snows fall in February. hunting becomes very difficult, and hence to some Native American tribes this was the Hunger Moon.
The Full Moon Ceremony is our renewal of our Bodhisattva vows and will occur this upcoming Saturday morning after the Saturday Morning Dharma talk.
The ceremony takes about a half-hour and involves some thirty full prostrations, but simple standing bows are also all right if prostrations are too strenuous. All are welcome to join in this ceremony/celebration.
Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30am. And again zazen at 9:25 am. We wrap up with a dharma talk at 10:15am for < 60minutes, followed by ceremony when applicable and then right to social time, tea and cookies.
Please join us!
Opening for Zen Students (Resident Students)
The Hartford Street Zen Center presently has availability for two practice resident students. We are looking for individuals interested in and committed to experiencing residential practice at a small, urban temple. Ideally applicants would have prior experience with full-time residential Buddhist community practice. Attendance to zazen, study group, ceremonies and teachings/lessons and should be of strong interest. While participation and assistance in the daily events of the sangha are expected of any potential practice resident, it is our expectation that most residents are employed outside of the center (you must be able to pay your monthly tuition), we are accommodating toward one’s professional schedule balanced with the need of assistance in keep up temple operations on required attendance arrangements. If you’re interested but we don’t know you, please make sure to join us for practice as a first step.
13 February Parinirvana ceremony
…the Tathagata has completely extinguished the fire of the mental afflictions that have been accumulated over countless aeons, the nature of the diamond Tathagata permanently endures – not transforming and not diminishing.*
This coming Saturday, we’ll have a brief ceremony commemorating the entry into Nirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha, following a short Dharma talk at the usual time of 10:15 a.m. Everyone is welcome & invited to attend.
We then go on to have social time, tea and cookies. Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30 am. And again zazen at 9:25 am. Dharma talk at 10:15 am. Please join us!
Recent news, happy new year and a reminder…
Reminder : HSZC will be closed for Presidents day Monday, Feb 15th.
And check out our most recent newsletter and;
Welcome to the Chinese new year of year of the Fire Monkey on Feb 8th!
Memorial Service for Shunko Michael Jamvold
We will be holding a simple memorial service for our longtime friend, Rev. Shunko Michael Jamvold, who died of pneumonia this past week in Japan, where he had been living for many years. The service will take place on Friday, 5 February, immediately after the evening period of meditation, which ends at 6:40 p.m. All are welcome.
6 February @11am 恭禧發財 Happy New Year!
恭禧發財 Gong Xi Fa Cai ! Please join us for the fourth annual event for a Chinese (lunar) New Year Celebration and remembrance to those who have gone beyond. This is the year of the FIRE Monkey.
Join us next Saturday for our normal program including a talk by our Abbot Rev Myo Lahey, followed by some Chinese New Year décor, treats and the symbolic call to our deceased loved ones, followed by offerings to make their current state a more enjoyable one and just remember them and send loving intentions through joss paper offerings.
It is also the event we recognize our completed goals and wishes by offering our Daruma to the beyond in the joss paper fire and installing a new Daruma by coloring in one eye as setting the goal (traditional Daruma process).
This day in China is also recognized as the birthday of Maitreya Bodhisattva (better known as the more familiar Budai Luohan), the Buddha-to-be. Thus people also abstain from killing animals (eating meat) on this day.
Every Saturday we offer early morning zazen (seated meditation), morning service, a brief drop-in meditation instruction at 8:30 am. And again zazen at 9:25 am. Dharma talk at 10:15 am followed by tea and cookies.
Please join us this Saturday for this celebration and we hope to see you often!