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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T103000
DTSTAMP:20260828T215521Z
CREATED:20260729T024525Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260828T215521Z
UID:10004195-1792832400-1792837800@www.sfzc.org
SUMMARY:The Inner Prison\, Koans and Freedom\, Online 10/10–10/31
DESCRIPTION:The Zoom link to participate in this event will be provided at least 24 hours before it begins. Please call 415-354-0360 if you have any questions. \n\nSaturdays\, October 10–31\, 20269:00–10:30 am PT \nMore than fifteen years ago\, Dario Doshin Girolami first entered Rebibbia Prison with an unusual proposal: to teach meditation behind bars. As abbot of L’Arco Zen Center–Zenmon Ji in Rome\, Doshin brought Zen practice into a labyrinth of bars and concrete\, where daily exposure to suffering led him to question the meaning of freedom. \nThe teachings he offers emerge from this encounter between lived experience and millennia-old Zen wisdom. Through koans and parables\, Doshin weaves together the stories of inmates with the wisdom of Buddhist masters such as Dōgen and Suzuki Roshi. \nTogether\, these stories and teachings open a journey beyond fixed ideas of good and evil\, beyond the visible walls of prison\, and toward the recognition that the most confining prisons are often those built by our own minds. As the Buddha teaches\, we are all imprisoned by greed\, hate\, and delusion. \nRecommended Reading/Viewing: \n\nMeet Dario Girolami\, A Zen Teacher Engaged in Interfaith Work\nLa Via Interiore: Meditazione a Rebibbia (The Inner Way: Meditation in Rebibbia)\, Documentary Film In Italian with English Subtitles\nL’Arco Zen Center (Zenmon Ji) in Rome\, Italy\n\nRecordings:All course sessions will be recorded\, and registered participants will receive temporary access to the recordings for later viewing.
URL:https://www.sfzc.org/event/the-inner-prison-koans-and-freedom-online-10-10-10-31/2026-10-24/
CATEGORIES:Classes & Extended Courses
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261025T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261025T160000
DTSTAMP:20260925T010106Z
CREATED:20260815T031353Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T010106Z
UID:10004186-1792938600-1792944000@www.sfzc.org
SUMMARY:Deep Rest: Learning to Let Go\, Online 10/4–10/25
DESCRIPTION:The Zoom link to participate in this event will be provided at least 24 hours before it begins. Please call 415-354-0360 if you have any questions. \n\nFour Sundays\, October 4–25\, 2:30–4:00 pm PT \nDeep Rest is a skill that we all need. With regular practice\, we can learn how to allow mind and body to easily transition from their usual activated (sympathetic) state to a relaxed  (parasympathetic) mode. This state is mentally and physically restorative\, bringing balance and ease. Deep Rest is repose—a profound stillness of bodymind that is sustained without strain\, that cultivates refreshment. It is the basis of meditative absorption. \nIn this 4-week class\, we will practice restorative yoga postures and awareness of breathing to bring us into this state of relaxed stillness. As we become familiar with the physical and mental changes that come with Deep Rest\, we can begin to see how we can apply this practice  to meditation. \nA follow-up class\, Deeper Rest: Exploring Relaxation in Daily Life\, will be offered on Sundays in November. Registration is separate; more information is available on the SFZC event page. \nPlease wear comfortable\, non-restrictive clothing and\, if possible\, have the following props available: \n\nYoga mat\nTwo blankets\nYoga strap\nBolster or firm cushion\nEye covering\nYour usual meditation support (cushion\, chair\, or bench)\n\nRecordings:All course sessions will be recorded\, and registered participants will receive temporary access to the recordings for later viewing.
URL:https://www.sfzc.org/event/deep-rest-learning-to-let-go-online-10-4-10-25/2026-10-25/
CATEGORIES:Classes & Extended Courses
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261026T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261026T210000
DTSTAMP:20260925T010104Z
CREATED:20260729T024509Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T010104Z
UID:10004189-1793043000-1793048400@www.sfzc.org
SUMMARY:Heart Practices of a Bodhisattva: The Six Paramitas\, CC/Online 10/5–11/23
DESCRIPTION:Use this page to register for the class only. \nIf you would like to register for the full Fall Practice Period\, there is a Residential option or an Online/Commuter option. \nEight Mondays\, October 5–November 23 | 7:30–9:00 pm \nThe Six Paramitas or ‘perfections’ are foundational Buddhist practices that guide individuals on the path to awakening. When practiced deeply\, each of these paramitas\, or far-reaching attitudes\, helps one transcend personal suffering and support others on their journey toward wisdom and peace. According to Mahayana Buddhism\, a bodhisattva (“Buddha-to-be”) naturally follows and embodies these six transcendental virtues: Generosity (Dana)\, Ethical Conduct (Sila)\, Patience/Forbearance (Kshanti)\, Diligence/Heroic Effort (Virya)\, Concentration/Meditation (Dhyana)\, and Wisdom (Prajna). Indeed\, these virtues are considered the heart practices of a Bodhisattva. \nIn this eight-week class led by Abbot Tenzen David Zimmerman\, we’ll explore (through lectures\, readings\, group discussions\, and weekly reflections) each of the six paramitas and ways to cultivate and manifest them in our lives to effect transformation at the personal\, interpersonal\, and societal levels. We will also study examples of the perfections from Shakyamuni Buddha’s own previous lives\, drawn from the Jataka tales. \nYou can attend class in-person at City Center or online via Zoom.  \nNote: The October 12 class will be online for everyone due to a temple-observed holiday. \nRecordings:All course sessions will be recorded\, and registered participants will receive temporary access to the recordings for later viewing.
URL:https://www.sfzc.org/event/heart-practices-of-a-bodhisattva-the-six-paramitas-cc-online-10-5-11-23/2026-10-26/
CATEGORIES:Classes & Extended Courses
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261028T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261028T193000
DTSTAMP:20260925T010105Z
CREATED:20260729T024522Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T010105Z
UID:10003565-1793210400-1793215800@www.sfzc.org
SUMMARY:Meditation Training 1.5: Working with the Five Hindrances\, Online 10/28-11/18
DESCRIPTION:The Zoom link to participate in this event will be provided at least 24 hours before it begins. Please call 415-354-0360 if you have any questions. \n\nFour Wednesdays\, 6:00–7:30 pm PT \n\n“For Zen students\, a weed is a treasure.”—Shunryu Suzuki Roshi \n\nAre you having difficulty in meditation or concentrating in daily life? Do you find yourself obsessing over love or hate? Falling asleep\, feeling anxious\, restless\, or agitated more often than calm while meditating? Doubting yourself or your practice? \nThe Five Hindrances are common mind-heart states that can impede the development of concentration and mindfulness. In this class\, we will explore classic and contemporary teachings on how to become aware of and work with these states\, as well as how to cultivate their antidotes. \nAs this is a study and practice class\, specific texts\, meditation instructions\, and off-the-cushion practices will be shared and can be used to work with the Hindrances between classes. \nHaving the skills to be at ease in the midst of the Hindrances can enrich your meditation\, making it easier to bring the fruits of your practice into everyday life. \nNo prerequisite is required. If you do not currently have an established practice\, we strongly encourage first taking Meditation Training: Establishing a Meditation Practice in Four Short Weeks\, offered September 30–October 18. \nRecommended ReadingUnhindered by Gil Fronsdal (not required) \nRecordings:All course sessions will be recorded\, and registered participants will receive temporary access to the recordings for later viewing.
URL:https://www.sfzc.org/event/meditation-training-1-5-working-with-the-five-hindrances-online-10-28-11-18/2026-10-28/
CATEGORIES:Classes & Extended Courses
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261029T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261029T200000
DTSTAMP:20260828T215747Z
CREATED:20260815T031359Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260828T215747Z
UID:10004056-1793296800-1793304000@www.sfzc.org
SUMMARY:Sandokai's Teaching of Wholeness\, Online 10/29–11/19
DESCRIPTION:The Zoom link to participate in this event will be provided at least 24 hours before it begins. Please call 415-354-0360 if you have any questions. \n\nFour Thursdays\, October 29–November 19\, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm PT \nHow can an 8th-century Zen poem illuminate some of the deepest challenges of the 21st century? The Sandokai (“Harmony of Difference and Equality”) takes up one of humanity’s oldest and most enduring questions: How can reality be both one and many—unified yet diverse\, ordered yet ever-changing?  \nThe Sandokai invites us beyond the habitual oppositional thinking that shapes and limits our lives: self and other\, unity and diversity\, inclusion and exclusion\, certainty and uncertainty\, harmony and conflict. For more than twelve centuries\, it has expressed the heart of the Soto Zen understanding and practice of total dynamic inclusion\, wholeness and fundamental equality within difference. \nIn this four-session online class\, we will explore the origins and enduring significance of the Sandokai\, its influence on the teachings of Eihei Dogen\, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and the practices of the Soto Zen school\, and its continuous relevance in a world marked by conflict\, uncertainty\, fragmentation\, and suffering.  \nThrough careful reading\, discussion\, and application to contemporary life circumstances\, we will explore how this remarkable poem offers “hidden” practical guidance for living and practicing with wisdom and compassion\, in ways that can heal both fracture and erasure. \nAlong the way\, we will occasionally draw upon the Western alchemical understanding of the coniunctio—the transformative union of apparent opposites and opening into a fuller and more vital expression of wholeness—as a complimentary way of appreciating the processes of integration\, maturation\, and awakening that a sustained Zen practice can foster.  \nRather than interpreting the Sandokai through another tradition\, reflections upon the coniunctio will simply offer additional language and perspective for recognizing a transformative movement that practitioners in both the East and West have experienced and described in their own distinct ways over the centuries. \nRecordings:All course sessions will be recorded\, and registered participants will receive temporary access to the recordings for later viewing.
URL:https://www.sfzc.org/event/sandokais-teaching-of-wholeness-online-10-29-11-19/2026-10-29/
CATEGORIES:Classes & Extended Courses
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261031T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261031T103000
DTSTAMP:20260828T215521Z
CREATED:20260729T024525Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260828T215521Z
UID:10004196-1793437200-1793442600@www.sfzc.org
SUMMARY:The Inner Prison\, Koans and Freedom\, Online 10/10–10/31
DESCRIPTION:The Zoom link to participate in this event will be provided at least 24 hours before it begins. Please call 415-354-0360 if you have any questions. \n\nSaturdays\, October 10–31\, 20269:00–10:30 am PT \nMore than fifteen years ago\, Dario Doshin Girolami first entered Rebibbia Prison with an unusual proposal: to teach meditation behind bars. As abbot of L’Arco Zen Center–Zenmon Ji in Rome\, Doshin brought Zen practice into a labyrinth of bars and concrete\, where daily exposure to suffering led him to question the meaning of freedom. \nThe teachings he offers emerge from this encounter between lived experience and millennia-old Zen wisdom. Through koans and parables\, Doshin weaves together the stories of inmates with the wisdom of Buddhist masters such as Dōgen and Suzuki Roshi. \nTogether\, these stories and teachings open a journey beyond fixed ideas of good and evil\, beyond the visible walls of prison\, and toward the recognition that the most confining prisons are often those built by our own minds. As the Buddha teaches\, we are all imprisoned by greed\, hate\, and delusion. \nRecommended Reading/Viewing: \n\nMeet Dario Girolami\, A Zen Teacher Engaged in Interfaith Work\nLa Via Interiore: Meditazione a Rebibbia (The Inner Way: Meditation in Rebibbia)\, Documentary Film In Italian with English Subtitles\nL’Arco Zen Center (Zenmon Ji) in Rome\, Italy\n\nRecordings:All course sessions will be recorded\, and registered participants will receive temporary access to the recordings for later viewing.
URL:https://www.sfzc.org/event/the-inner-prison-koans-and-freedom-online-10-10-10-31/2026-10-31/
CATEGORIES:Classes & Extended Courses
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