Tag: meditationforsuccess
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Zenshin Florence Caplow’s New Book, Tend to Your Spirit: Mindful Living With Chronic Illness
By Tova Green Zenshin Florence Caplow, a Soto Zen priest and teacher who trained at San Francisco Zen Center, has lived with chronic illness and pain since 1999, and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2021. Three years ago, she began offering an online program at SFZC for people with chronic pain and health…
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On Forgiveness
Photo by Margo Moritz In this letter, Central Abbot Tenzen David Zimmerman writes on forgiveness and repair in his own life and how SFZC is working with former Abbot Richard Baker to reconcile a difficult past and move forward together. Dear Sangha: I first came to San Francisco Zen Center (City Center) in the…
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Meeting the Myriad Things: An Interview with Shinshu Roberts
By Tova Green Shinshu Roberts, a Dharma Heir of Sujun Mel Weitsman, received her priest training at San Francisco Zen Center and from the North American branch of the Japanese Soto School. Her latest book, Meeting the Myriad Things: A Zen Practitioner’s Guide to Dogen’s Genjo Koan, is a new commentary on one of…
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this perfect way
Here we are, in the midst of this perfect way, and our practice is to realize it. — Maezumi Roshi Chapin Mill Retreat October 9-12, 2025 Register here Every year around this time, the people who practice with me come together at Chapin Mill Retreat Center in Batavia, NY. There are many reasons we keep…
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David Chadwick’s Tassajara Stories
By Tova Green Prolific author and archivist David Chadwick may be best known for his biography of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki. David’s newest book, Tassajara Stories: A Sort of Memoir/Oral History of the First Zen Buddhist Monastery in the West—The First Year, 1967 will be…
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Toro Nagashi Ceremony at Sokoji Temple
On Saturday, July 19, the Toro Nagashi Ceremony and lamp-floating event took place at Sokoji Temple, the Soto Zen Mission temple in Japantown, San Francisco. Lamps commemorating the Sangha’s ancestors were floated after the O-bon Ceremony. Toro Nagashi, or “floating lanterns,” is a beloved Japanese tradition marking the close of O-bon. Each August, countless…
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survival training
It started, as most things do, with me. I was the one who needed encouragement. After that impossible November day, it no longer mattered what I believed. It sure as hell wasn’t true. And then the fires from nowhere swept our homes. Everywhere, disasters exploded. Before long, we were broken by sickness, stress, and the…
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Dharma Entrustment Ceremony for Roger Hillyard
Photo by Matt Nickel Roger Hillyard (Henzan Tokuryu, Universally Seeking/Receiving the Stream) received Lay Teacher Entrustment from Central Abbot Ed Sattizahn on May 23, 2025. This ceremony recognizes Roger as a lay teacher in the Suzuki Roshi lineage. In a statement, Roger said: “Lay Entrustment charged me with the responsibility to practice, model, and…
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A Letter to the Sangha: Abbot Mako on Skillful Action
Dear Sangha, As I sit at my desk at Tassajara—a place beloved by myself and so many others—and watch the evening light cast flickering shadows across the tatami floor of the Abbot’s cabin, I feel deeply grateful to be right here. From this seat, I am in harmony with the ancient oaks, the sound…
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The Presence of Poetry in Our Lives: A Conversation with Paul Haller and Naomi Shihab Nye
Ryushin Paul Haller and Naomi Shihab Nye By Tova Green Poet Naomi Shihab Nye and SFZC Senior Dharma teacher Ryushin Paul Haller will co-host A Benefit for Gaza: Writers Witness for Peace on May 18, 4 pm at City Center, 300 Page Street. Naomi and ten writers of diverse faiths and backgrounds will read…