Plans for the 2025 Branching Streams Gathering are moving forward. The theme is Bridging and Belonging: Living a Zen Life in the Midst of Conflict. Please save the dates, September 15 to 18. This Gathering is co-hosted by Ancient Dragon Zen Center in Chicago and Milwaukee Zen Center and will be held at Loyola University’s Recreation and Ecology Center in Illinois. The registration form will be available in early May.
If your Zen Center or Sangha has not yet made an annual contribution to Branching Streams for 2025, you can do so on the Branching Streams website or by sending a check to San Francisco Zen Center with your sangha’s name on the memo line. Checks can be mailed to 300 Page Street, San Francisco CA 94102, attention Branching Streams.
Although I have moved to Enso Village I continue to work for SF Zen Center as the Branching Stream Director. I visit City Center often and will be there later this week to be one of three preceptors at a Jukai Ceremony. I have spent the last few days refreshing my calligraphy skills, discerning dharma names, and creating Serene Name cards and kechimyaku envelopes – a joyful practice once I get past my anxiety about all of it.
You may be interested in an essay and two new books by Branching Streams writers.
Ryan Wong, the Director of Brooklyn Zen Center, in his essay “On Rebuilding” reflects on a recent trip to South Korea and his thoughts on returning to the U. S. in this blog.
Shinshu Roberts, co-guiding teacher of Ocean Gate Zen Center in Santa Cruz, wrote a commentary on the Genjo Koan, Meeting the Myriad Things, which will be published by Shambhala in August and can be pre-ordered.
Pamela Reitman, a student at Everyday Zen in the San Francisco Bay Area and a resident of Enso Village, wrote Charlotte Soloman Paints her Life, a novel published this month by Sybilline Press.
Positions open:
Stone Creek Zen Center (SCZC) is seeking a Head Priest, a Soto Zen priest-teacher who is well-trained in Dharma and formal practice ”to lead a thriving non-residential sangha of more than ninety members. Stone Creek is a well-established sangha based in a newly renovated zendo in a small town in beautiful Sonoma County, California, an area with a vibrant cultural life.” Full job description and contact information here.
Enso Village in Healdsburg CA is looking for a Spiritual Life Director This is from the job description: “As the Spiritual Life Director at Enso Village, you will cultivate a spiritually rich environment for our residents and team members. Your leadership will foster a culture of mindfulness, kindness, and care by weaving Buddhist principles with inclusive, interfaith wisdom. You’ll guide the creation of meaningful practices, rituals, and programs that support contemplative aging, mindful living, and end-of-life transitions.” Please share the link to the job description if you know someone who you think would be a good candidate.
May you be nourished by the colors of spring, the birdsong, and whatever else brings you joy.