
Introduction to Zen Meditation 禅修入门: New Class Series Taught in Mandarin Chinese
by Rev. Gendo Lucy Xiao (玄道)
Recently I gave meditation instruction at SFZC’s City Center. When I asked the newcomers what brought them to meditation, one person mentioned “peace of mind,” and another said “to be freed from suffering.” It struck me that no matter who we are, there is a common thread that brings us to practice—our inner-most desire to be freed from suffering and to live in peace and happiness.

Year-end Greetings from the Abbatial Leadership, Teachers, and Zen Center Community
Dear Dharma Friends,
Today’s fast-paced and painfully polarized world presents special challenges for all of us committed to the Dharma practice of “right speech.” For most of us this is particularly true in the digital realm where there is a strong impulse to react immediately.

December Art Show: James Ong
December 1 – 31
In the City Center Art Lounge, 300 Page Street, SF

Ceramics Sale to Benefit San Francisco Zen Center’s Prison Outreach Program
Ceramics by Richard Urban
City Center, 300 Page Street, SF
November 24 – December 1

Featured Photo November 16
City Center dining room Thanksgiving altar, 2016. Photo by Brent Haas.

Support the San Francisco Food Bank
During the holiday season, San Francisco Zen Center will be hosting a food drive in collaboration with the San Francisco Food Bank. A large barrel in the City Center lobby is available to receive your donations of nonperishable food items (no glass containers). Donations of food will be accepted through December.

Featured Photo November 9
A favorite image of Zenkei Blanche Hartman at the main door of City Center, 300 Page Street, in 2013. Photo by Shundo David Haye.

Practicing with Jizo in the Garden: Ceremony Honoring Yvonne Rand
Saturday, November 11, 2 pm in the Green Gulch Garden
Honoring Yvonne Rand and the Jizo Garden at Green Gulch by Wendy Johnson and Jizo Dedication by Chris Fortin

Book Event with Michelle Gale and Meg Levie: Mindful Parenting in a Messy World
Interview and Book Reading with Michelle Gale and Meg Levie
in the City Center dining room, 300 Page Street, SF
Friday, March 30, 7:30 – 9 pm
UPDATE: This event will be Livestreamed