Author: zenzdragon
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Christina Lehnherr on Buddha Body, Buddha Mind
By Tova Green Senior Dharma Teacher Kikū Christina Lehnherr, who will lead the City Center Winter 2026 Practice Period, chose the topic, “Buddha Body—Buddha Mind” to affirm that “it is possible to practice with exactly the body we have, as it is. Limitations are not hindrances; instead they are opportunities to be creative and…
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Lay Initiation Ceremony at Green Gulch – November 16
Left to right: Ofosu Jones-Quartey, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel Osho, Terrye Callender, Carmen Phelps and Claudelle Renee Glasgow. Photo by Shundo Gennin. Congratulations to Ofosu Jones-Quartey (Jido Gensei / Compassionate Way, Profound Stillness), Terrye Callender (Mokusen Zenkatsu / Silent River, Pure Aliveness), Carmen Phelps (Yubutsu Shoho / Brave Buddha, Pure Letting Go), and Claudelle Renee…
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I should have thought
Many years ago, when I was still an undergraduate, I traveled from eastern Iowa to the North of England to study English literature at the University of Leeds, a so-called “redbrick” university in West Yorkshire. There I lived for a year in a village on the outskirts of that soot-laden city in a hall of…
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what I’m working on
For my birthday my daughter gave me this monogrammed notebook. It fits in my hand. She inscribed it, “Take this with you everywhere. Use it for everything.” A few days ago I picked it up and put a pen to the pages. This is what I wrote. People ask me what I’m working on now.…
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A peaceable heart
Like the word silly, which once meant “innocent” (“the silly sheep”) but now means “foolish, frivolous, lacking in common sense,” the word contention has a distinctive history. Derived from the Latin contentio, it once meant “striving, struggle, competition.” But sometime in the sixteenth century, contention came to mean “disagreement, argument, fighting.” Unlike silly, contention has…
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Upcoming Holiday Closures
Photo by Shundo David Haye. City Center Closures Thanksgiving The City Center building and the bookstore will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 27–28, and will reopen on Saturday, November 29 for the regular morning program. There will be no public lunch. The online SFZC Store will remain open. Rohatsu Sesshin The City…
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All in the Family: City Center’s Shuso On Living at SFZC
By Tova Green Vanessa Able, City Center’s Shuso (Head Student) for the Fall 2025 Practice Period, arrived from France with her husband and ten-year old daughter in September. A Soto Zen priest and a chaplain, Vanessa began her practice in the UK (where she grew up). She teaches chaplaincy at the Sati Center for…
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zen: the authentic gate
We cannot attain genuine enlightenment unless we practice under an authentic teacher; we will be led to a spurious experience if we practice under a false teacher. ― Kōun Yamada, Zen: The Authentic Gate When I started my practice I received a very specific imprint, a very specific instruction on working with a teacher.…
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An Invitation to Join the Tassajara Summer 2026 Community
Tassajara Director, Ashley Ng, and City Center Abiding Abbot, Dōshin Mako Voelkel. As I watch the sunlight begin to wane and the valley’s leaves turn red, orange, yellow, and brown, I feel deep gratitude for the seasons and how each turning brings its own purpose and beauty. This morning, my mind goes to our…
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Holiday Gifts for Compass Clara House Children
Compass Clara House, located just down Page Street from City Center, is a family shelter with which San Francisco Zen Center has been involved for many years. It has been our tradition for City Center to host a holiday party for the families where each child is given a gift bag that includes, among…