SFZC alumni

03/25/2018

Hi, this is Taiyo. I took on caring for this Alumni FB page some years ago, but was not given all the necessary info to run the page: admin words, etc. Now i am no longer in the larger circle of alumni having moved to the east coast. So, i want to turn the administration of this site over to someone who would like to do it. I think it could be rather active with lotsa means of passing and sharing SFZC Alumni info. Are you interested? Leave me note in the comments below-thank you.

10/20/2016

Testing ... is this FB page working?

10/08/2014

Manjushri, GGF Zendo Altar

06/17/2014

Still time to sign up for next month's retreat! Beware procrastinators-- although the retreat isn't till July 11 - 14, this Friday, June 20, is when unclaimed retreat housing will open up to general guest reservations, so book now!



http://www.sfzc.org/zc/display.asp?catid=1%2C163&pageid=3152&mode=c

09/09/2013

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED LATER THIS WEEK AT CITY CENTER -- please help if you can. Come on, kitchen practice is the best! Reply to email at the bottom of this message.
_____________

Dear all,

We are in a bit of pickle at City Center. Our kitchen crew, due to a variety of causes and conditions, is small in number (3 people). We are also transitioning Tenzos.

We need volunteers who know the kitchen and who can cook to please help with the upcoming Branching Streams Conference, especially on Thursday, Sept. 12 and Friday, Sept. 13.

If you have any availability or can think of others who are experienced in our kitchen, please let me know.

About Branching Streams: This is a conference consisting of 67 participants from all over the U.S. Many are flying or driving in and staying from Sept. 11th until Sept. 15th to collaborate and share ideas about running small satellite sanghas. This is a wonderful opportunity for our remote alumni and priests to come 'home' for replenishment and encouragement from their peers.

It could not have been foreseen, but turns out we have many people who will be in brand new positions that weekend. The meals that impact the kitchen most are:

Thursday dinner
Friday breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Saturday breakfast

We are ordering out for Saturday lunch and dinner for the conference.

We need help on Wednesday (prep)
Thursday (prep)
Friday (all day, prep)
Saturday (someone to assist w/ breakfast)

Feel free to forward to others as you see fit. Thanks for all that you already do as a volunteer.

Warmly,
Myoki Stewart

09/09/2013

Hi Everyone!

Reminder for local alumni about our upcoming event with the Branching Streams folks next Saturday... please join us! RSVP as soon as you can; we have a cap of about 40 for the dinner and reading, though no limit on the reception. Hope to see you there!
____

Dear Alumni,

Please join us on Saturday, September 14, for an opportunity to mingle with your fellow local alums and with Branching Streams Conference attendees, many of whom are SFZC alumni coming in from around the country.

At 4 pm, there will be a chance for everyone to meet at the Conference Center (308 Page) to chat informally. That will be followed by dinner at 5:30 p.m. and a reading from 7 to 9 p.m. by the original cast of the "Fourth Messenger," a play that premiered on the Ashby Stage in Berkeley to enthusiastic reception this spring, centering on the questions "What if the Buddha was a woman? What if she were alive today?" (For more information on the original production, please visit http://thefourthmessenger.com/.)

Dinner will be pizza from a nearby pizzeria, along with a green salad (GGF lettuce) with dressing on the side and Mitchell's ice cream. A few non-dairy and cheese-only pizzas have been ordered. If you have dietary restrictions not covered by one of these options, please include that information in your RSVP as soon as possible.

Given the number of Branching Streams attendees and available dining room space, we can accommodate a maximum of 40 alumni for the dinner/play. RSVP at your earliest convenience to Myoki Stewart, at [email protected].

Best wishes,
The SFZC Alumni Steering Committee

What if the Buddha were a woman? What if she were alive today? Loosely inspired by the life of the historical Buddha, this captivating new musical imagines a modern day “awakened one” – a world-famous spiritual teacher known to her followers as Mama Sid. Mama Sid has a past, however, which she’s kep...

01/15/2013

Norman's new book is out! His first reading is at Book Passage in Corte Madera this Thursday, the 17th, at 7 p.m.

More readings to be announced, but several are already lined up around the country. Check the EDZ schedule here:

www.everydayzen.org/index.php?option=com_events&Itemid=63

Training in Compassion by Norman Fischer: Lojong is the Tibetan Buddhist practice that involves working with short phrases (called "slogans") as a way of generating bodhichitta, the heart and mind of enlightened compassion. Though the practice is more than a millennium old, it has become...

01/12/2013

no trace of clouds for a thousand miles
a hook hangs in an azure sky
waxing and waning without cease
along with how many joys and sorrows

Crescent Moon in a Clear Sky from: 'Guide to Capturing a Plum Blossom' by Sung Po-jen.
Translated by Red Pine.

01/10/2013

Gone, gone, gone beyond. A deep bow to Marlene Jones on her passing and to the hugely important work she spearheaded to bring Western dharma to a multicultural audience.

Via Larry Yang of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and the East Bay Meditation Center: With a sad heart and deepest sympathies, I share with you that our dharma family member, friend, teacher, and colleague--Marlene Jones--has passed away on at 4:51pm today.

01/10/2013

A Middle Way challenge for the heart:

"Anxiety, heartbreak, and tenderness mark the in-between state. It's the kind of place we usually want to avoid. The challenge is to stay in the middle rather than buy into struggle and complaint. The challenge is to let it soften us rather than make us more rigid and afraid. Becoming intimate with the queasy feeling of being in the middle of nowhere only makes our hearts more tender. When we are brave enough to stay in the middle, compassion arises spontaneously. By not knowing, not hoping to know, and not acting like we know what's happening, we begin to access our inner strength."

- Pema Chodron, "The In-between State"

12/25/2012

Wishing everyone generosity and joy this holiday season...

"Because generosity is characterized by the inner quality of letting go or relinquishing, it reverses the forces that create suffering. It is a profound antidote to the strong habits of clinging, grasping, guarding, and attachment that lead to so much pain and suffering. Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression: we experience joy in forming the intention to give, we experience joy in the action of giving, and we experience joy in remembering that we have given."

- Beth Roth, "Family Dharma: The Joy of Generosity”

12/16/2012

Mid City Zen is looking to spread its wings in New Orleans. Whether or not you know Michaela and Koji or can afford to pitch in some money, it's worth checking out the video and their plan for a new temple. They need help getting the word out now (fundraising deadline is April) and will need help with construction and other work next year. Read on...

Our Buddhist community here in New Orleans has the chance to purchase a piece of land right here in the city to build our new meditation center.