Sfzc Online Zendo

As a way to practice together during the COVID-19 crisis, we are offering live zazen meetings and chant services via Zoom. Our Sunday morning book discussion group also meets via Zoom.

See the full Zoom meeting schedule below. Learn about our outdoor zazen meeting here >>
All are welcome to attend, and, of course, you may leave at any time. If you haven’t used Zoom, I recommend you check it out and download the app (mobile device or computer) ahead of time. Also below, see our Zen Zoom etiquette guidelines to assure everyone has a smooth and settled experience.

Online Zendo Forms and Etiquette (via San Francisco Zen Center) Please join meetings a few minutes before the scheduled start time, so as to be seated and settled in place before the period of zazen begins. The Doan will ring three bells to begin the first period zazen.

Sunday mornings
9 am zazen begins
9:30 walking meditation
9:40 zazen
10:10 chant service (find a pdf of our chant book here>>)

10:45 – 11:45 Sunday morning book discussion group>>

Wednesday evenings
7 pm zazen begins
7:30 walking meditation
7:40 zazen
8:10 chant service (find a pdf of our chant book here>>)

Tuesday and Friday mornings
6:30 am zazen begins
7:10 chant service
(find a pdf of our chant book here>> , and short verses here>>)

Join Zazen Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/831187609
Meeting ID: 831 187 609

Please join meetings a few minutes before the scheduled start time, so as to be seated and settled in place before the period of zazen begins.

For decades, the San Francisco Zen Center has performed a weekly Well-Being Ceremony, chanting for the health and safety of loved ones suffering from physical and psychological distress. This past Saturday, the ceremony moved online to Zoom and included a prayer for the well-being of those affected by the current pandemic.
Branching Streams is a network of affiliate Dharma centers and Sanghas in the Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Learn about the latest news from affiliate sanghas with Tova’s newsettes and other timely articles. San Francisco Zen Center 300 Page Street San Francisco, California 94102.

The Doan will ring three bells to begin the first period zazen.

The Doan will ring two bells to signal the end of first period of zazen .

The Doan will sound the small bell once to signal the end of kinhin/mindful movement.

The Doan will ring three bells to begin the second period of zazen.

The Doan will ring one bell to signal the end of morning zazen.

Transition from zazen to brief service:

Guidelines and Online Zendo Forms

Traditionally, to help facilitate a calm and settled space so that practitioners can attend to the moment-to-moment unfolding of experience in meditation, there are Zendo practices, or forms, agreed upon and practiced with harmony in mind:

Minimize visual distractions

If using a desktop computer, shift the space from a workstation to a practice space by clearing or covering work papers. Please be sure to not have pictures with text or light sources directly in front of the camera.

One recommended way to sit is in profile, facing away from the computer screen. This allows participants not to be distracted by the movement of other sangha members, mirroring our formal practice of facing the wall during zazen. Some choose to sit off-camera; that’s also fine.

Minimize visual distractions for others:

Please face the camera away from any direct light sources, including candles. Many members position the camera to face an altar or incense.

Minimize audible distractions for yourself and others:

To cultivate the harmony of practicing together, please join on time.

Care well for silence in the online zendo until the closing recitation.

Mute your microphone upon entering the online zendo (if it is not already muted).

Before zazen let the body and mind know:

Bow in by bowing towards and away from cushion/chair. This is traditionally done with palms together.

Bow out, while seated, at the end of the closing recitation. Upon standing, fluff the meditation cushion, or otherwise care for the seat of practice.

Tips for using Zoom

The online zendo often opens a few minutes before zazen is scheduled to begin. New attendees, please take 10 – 15 minutes before the first sitting to become familiar with a few of the common functions. Practitioners tend to settle into the online zendo more easily after having oriented themselves.

Here are step-by-step instructions for exploring a few common functions in Zoom, the home of the online zendo.

Mute Your Audio:

Please mute your microphone during zazen if it is not already muted (to limit the background sounds that are heard by others). To do this, click on the microphone icon (conveniently labelled Mute/Unmute) found in the lower left corner of the Zoom screen. The image of a microphone with a slash indicates mute.

Adjust Your Video:

The two most commonly used controls to adjust video in the online zendo are Start/Stop Video (bottom left) and Enter Full Screen Click (top right).

Other common controls:

Chat: connects listeners with the moderator, and shows the closing recitation. Click the “Chat” button on your control bar at the bottom of your zoom window to launch the Chat box

Participants: allows attendees to see who else is in the online zendo. Click the “Participants” button on your control bar at the bottom of your zoom window to open the Participants box.