Zen Center Bookstore

This is for those who might rate this low, felt neglected or not warmly received being there, and its other two centers. I had a post on here that explained things and checked tonight and it seems to have vanished…
The practice is introspective a good amount and it’s a quiet container by nature and design and for the reflection work to work, quiet and reserved is important. People are extremely friendly and caring and supportive, but they want to give you space to do your work in the practice and thus wont run up and over engage you in smiles and hugs. But if you engage them on those grounds they will respond in kind with smiles and so on…
It has an old style Japanese look and forms to keep quiet and order and its ok if you mess up, just keep watching others, follow along and you’ll see the benefit in it, I assure you. So come by and engage people in warmth, ask questions mess up a form, and engage and they (priests and staff and even regulars) will meet you right in that same spirit. I assure you! I wouldn’t bother to say it if it were not so.

I did a mini at-​home retreat this week and that involved meditating. I made an altar this past weekend and it’s a perfect for meditation. However, my legs kept falling asleep because sitting on a blanket and 2 pillows ain’t cutting it and it’s cutting off circulation.
I guess I gotta get a meditation pillow and be proper.
So I cruised down up and down the Haight in search of a meditation pillow. One place I went into, the guy was so locked into his iphone and had his earphones in that I wasn’t going to ask him for help. I’m like yeah, I’m not spending money here.
So I left without a pillow for my butt.
I did a search then when I got home and lo and behold, I see that the Zen Center has a bookstore! How did I not know this? And they have zafus too! They’re pillow/​cushions to me, but it’s all the same in my world.
I stopped in this afternoon because I need instant gratification. Amazon wasn’t going to cut it, this lady wanted something proper to sit on TODAY! I popped in and a woman, I think it started with an S, she helped me find a zafu to sit on. She explained the different types, different ways to sit, asked how long I was sitting, suggestions on how long to sit, tips and tricks, etc. She was really, really helpful and was attentive even when customers were coming in ask questions and purchasing items.
I went home with a zafu and a supportive pillow and now my bum feels A LOT better and more stable. It feels way more comfortable than my makeshift pile that I was sitting on.
Next time I head to meditation on Saturdays, I’ll pop into the bookstore and explore more, there were lots of books to check out and in such a small space.
Thanks for upping my meditation practice and helping me feel more «serious» and «legit» about connecting with my inner guide from a comfortable seat
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I love this place. entering SF Zen center makes me feel welcome and instantly peaceful. I can leave behind the chatter of a very busy life!
Eat there! The food is amazing!

Rules for being Zen:
1. Shave your head.
2. Wear black.
3. Act like you’re on Adderall or Ritalin. If you don’t know how to do this, just talk in a monotone voice.
4. When upset, explain to visitors passively that they did something wrong without saying so.
Example: When someone takes someone else’s cut bananas that they left behind in a kitchen, tell them in a monotone voice that they took Suzanne’s cut bananas and mention her name, to shame them.
5. Be over 40, otherwise people will seriously doubt your commitment.
~*~*~
My friend who is over 40 and has existential issues had paid a couple of hundred dollars for us stay at the Zen Center for two nights for a film he was doing. This is the second time I’ve been here, first time I have actually ever stayed here. I tried meditating here the first time I visited and thought nothing of it. Actually staying here was the most pretentiously unpretentious load of crap I have ever done.
The best way to describe staying at this place is in sadomasochistic terms: self-​flagellation. If the idea of sitting by yourself in a dim room for hours and having a circle jerk with god is not enlightening enough, you are living as if you were in the 1910s. The only electricity that is used here is for lights. It even looks like the 1910s; the antique showers look like they haven’t been cleaned since King George V reigned England.
If you are a layperson who is not 40+ and who does not seek atonement and who finds himself or herself in the conundrum of staying here, recognize that you will be staying in a convent. No shoes are allowed in most of the rooms; the hallways smell like the sweaty shoes that are left in front of the doors. No talking. No alcohol. No caffeine. No meat. Walk slowly. No entering rooms without permission. Mind your manners. RESPECT. RESPECT. RESPECT. RESPECT. RESPECT. RESPECT. Respect the walls. Respect the floor. Respect the doors. Respect the ceiling. Respect the grime on the showers.
I am vegan, self-​aware and live quite an ascetic lifestyle without the convent. The rules imposed on me in this place make me want to rebel and become a meat-​eating barfly who yells at sports games on television. Staying at this place was anything but calming for me. I felt like I was making the most out of being in cultural rehab. It felt like the people staying here are/​were almost exclusively white upper middle class people with catholic or jewish guilt and who wanted to institutionalize themselves in order to make atonement for once being assholes. The vegan food they make is probably the best part of the stay but you have to sit in a communal gathering, look at the table and not talk. Very spiritual stuff. Rule #742: you cannot talk during breakfast or dinner time except if re-​reminding someone that they took Suzanne’s cut bananas.
Mostly it felt phony. I understand the non-​consumerist principles of Zen but find the entirety of this building to carry the pretensions of a hardcore foosball training center with mats instead of tables. If foosball were a sacred and lifelong pursuit, and the little wooden players were the deities, then you have Zen Buddhism. I suppose San Francisco would be such a city to have a place of willing deprivation one could work at, but the experience here is like living in a more posh equivalent of rural Tibet with the cultural milieu of San Francisco. The last night I sat at the table with the higher and older nobles who were in different colored, more ornate robes than everyone else to see if they would scoff or say something regarding someone of a lower spiritual order sitting at their table. Of course they did not but the silence was deafening and it made for a hilariously awkward end to my stay.

I have this problem where I cling to all these things and ideas. Like, as a younger man, I believed that a relationship would help center my life and grant me peace and satisfaction. But all these damned people had ideas of their own and moved on or left or were generally imperfect.
So next, I focused on my career, and damned again if all these jobs kept shifting and changing moving me around, and although I kept making more money, I could never seem to buy everything I wanted or live in a nice enough apartment, or take long enough vacations.
Well, that didn’t work either.
In the end, I ended up finding SFZC online and after several years of being a member and listening to their podcasts, I can say with some certainty that I cling 100% to false things and my mind is a yammering, uncontented chimpanzee of a mind.
That said, sometimes, I’ll be on a crowded MUNI and dripping sweat and completely aware of the crowd around me and my own thoughts about what’s for dinner and how am I going to pay this bill or that one and maybe I’ll remember this one good time from years ago or this bad time and the incessant whirling narrative in my head will start yammering– and I’ll remember to breathe.
In and out. It’s just that simple. And maybe for a second I will be 5% more peaceful, and 6% more attuned to the suffering of those around me, and for that, I am entirely thankful to SFZC.

The SF Zen Center is a lovely place to be. During the weekdays at 5:30pm they have free 45– to 50 minute group meditation followed by a service. The service lasts about 10 minutes and consists of a short ritual, chanting, bowing, then a closing ritual. Fortunately, they pass out pages with the chants written out so you can join in at will.
Saturday mornings are more crowded in the meditation center, but still a worthwhile addition to your practice, and the discussions afterwards yield their own insightful rewards.
Be advised that this is not a chatty place, come to be quiet and to re-​center yourself. For the curious or studious, SF Zen Center offers a variety of classes and discussion opportunities to suit novice or more sophisticated levels of study.
No matter what your interest (practice, group meditation, study, or events) SF Zen Center is a great place to become acquainted with Buddha-​dharma.

this is a wonderful place, i come here for the Free meditation on Monday nights is also has a Na meeting at the same time.

I go there for the Dharma talks on Saturday and I feel so different and great after going out from there. We are so lucky to have this in SF!

«Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Forget this and attaining Enlightenment will be the least of your problems.» (quote from the hilarious book «Zen Judaism» that I bought at the Zen center bookstore)
I’m not a morning person and people who know me well try not to talk to me in the morning or make any eye contact unless they really have to. Every Saturday morning that I spend at the Zen center changes a grumpy person into a relaxed person. Their lectures make me laugh. If laugher is good for us (
…), it follows that the Zen center is good for us too. Afternoon meditation is a great place to take your boss or coworkers to-I’ve done this in the past and they have thanked me for a long time (and joined me for Saturday lectures).
If this is not hard core enough for you, visit Tassajara for a Zen retreat (natural hot springs included):
Enjoy cooking? Zen center occasionally offers (vegeterian) cooking classes with Edward Espe Brown. His attitude towards cooking and zen are refreshing (trust me). When these guys say we should eat healthy, they mean it-​they manage their own organic farms and gardens at Green Gulch farm:

In the fall of 2010 I found myself in the midst of a spiritual crisis. I started researching places I could go and people I could talk to. I have known about the San Francisco Zen Center since I moved here in 1994, but I never realized you could just go. You can just go! So I did. I’ve been sitting ever since. And just last Friday I was speaking with a new friend I made through SFZC and I realized that SFZC is my social life. A calm and compassionate social life? Sign me up.
It was very easy for me to start coming to the Zen Center and make it a part of my schedule. Each time I called the office, the person I talked to was very informative, kind, and patient. Although many of the rituals appear very formal, and yes they are formal, there is no expectation of strict adherence. In other words, I’ve never felt like I’ve made a big mistake if I miss following a form. And although the service leaders and dharma teachers appear solemn as they practice the forms, they have all reached out to me personally and have kindly made me feel welcomed.
Today I am involved volunteering my time whenever I can. The San Francisco Zen Center relies completely on the support of the community, and because I am getting a lot from having a place to sit silently with others, I want to give back what I can. The smallest membership request is very low at $ 10/​month. There is a donation box for you to give what you can, whether that’s a $ 1 or $ 100 bill. The meals, like if you stay for lunch on Saturday, are well below $ 10. Workshops and programs have various pricing depending on your situation and need. Everything is suggested donation. The San Francisco Zen Center only wants to stay open in order to provide us with a place to practice.
I can’t say exactly what I get from sitting at the San Francisco Zen Center, but I’m liking how I feel. If you’re curious, check it out.

Diana, the store’s manager, is wonderful and very helpful. I really appreciate that they carry Buddhist books in Spanish. I got the cutest statue of a turtle sitting in meditation what sits on my dresser. If you go on Saturday consider staying for lunch after the talk. They service healthy vegetarian food.

Now, don’t think that I am clueless when it comes to meditation and Buddhism, but the zen meditation was the only part that I enjoyed; probably because it is my favorite form of meditation. No offense to anyone, but I did not have a good feeling when I was there. The feeling I am talking about is intuition, I suppose. The tour was «somewhat» informative and I felt as though the place was unoriginal and quite honestly, «fake.»
To each his/​her own, I guess. Sorry, just not my cup of zen, pun intended. ;-)

I visited a lot of churches and meditation centers looking for a a place to explore and deepen my spirituality. Once I really made the commitment to show up and have a spiritual practice, I was able to find a real community of support at Zen Center. The people I’ve met have been kind, patient, and not too serious about themselves.
Every Saturday morning at 8:30am they offer free meditation instruction. Each week a different teacher leads the group and each time its different so you can go back more than once and get a different perspective. You can stay for the dharma talk which is followed by tea, visit the bookstore or check out some of the art. The building was designed by Julie Morgan (who also designed Hearst Castle) and has a small courtyard with a fountain and garden.
In my experience, Zen practice at San Francisco Zen Center requires a degree of patience and perseverance. People don’t rush up smiling and urging you to get more involved. They are more likely to meet you where your at, respond generously to a request, and quietly support your zazen (meditation) practice. For me the benefits didn’t happen overnight but required sustained and regular effort. Over time I learned to value stillness and silence — too qualities I never really understood before coming to Zen Center.
They have a library and great little bookstore where the staff are really knowledgable about Buddhism, Zen and the books they have for sale.

Founded by Suzuki Roshi in the early sixties, (and greatly expanded by Richard Baker, the 2^nd abbot), Zen Center is the first zen practice center for westerners in the US. The center on Page St. is one of three centers they own. Green Gulch, out by the beach in Mill Valley might be a better place for begginers to experience Soto Zen meditation for the first time. It is a more peaceful enviornment, without the noise and vibe of the City. Then there is their more serious retreat center at Tassajara in Big Sur, devoted to lenthy practice periods.
Some complain that it is too much in the Japaneese tradition and others that it has strayed too far, but all in all, it is a wonderful place to learn about Buddhism and the practice of zen meditation.

I wanted to visit a couple of times before I actually reviewed this place because I really like the idea of it and I wanted it to be wonderful. Unfortunately, I must have missed something. The Saturday morning introduction was fine, but we didn’t get to join the meditation session (which was the whole reason I was there). The two Saturdays I attended were quite busy. The lectures were fine, nothing too profound.
I was determined to attend meditation at least once, so I managed to get in on a Monday evening. I didn’t get much out of walking meditation — I was too concerned with my own pace. Seated meditation was fine, but the windows were open and every now and then, a really loud motorcycle or car would rev past. That sucked.
Then there was the chanting… after lectures and after meditation. The bowing to everyone and everything is still something I need to get use to, but chanting is something I don’t think will ever come naturally to me.
It’s a nice place and the intention is good. I just don’t think it’s a place where I can find serenity. To each his own.

3 stars for the effort and out of respect to the Soto shu. 2 star less for the absolute lack of authenticity of Japanese Buddhism.
This was a big disappointment. I was really excited to start my Saturday morning with quiet meditation in a zendou in front of a Buddha statue. That’s not what they have here. The zendou they claim to have has no serene energy you feel right when you enter the place i.e. churches, temples, shrine, etc…
No disrespect but I had to leave in the middle of the tour of the place before the meditation session even started. What I found was an institution that claimed to have Japanese Buddhism, but had a Western version of interpretation of it that missed the core essence of Japanese Buddhism that’s in our everyday culture.
If people go there and get happy that’s great. I simply can’t relate to the place as a Japanese Buddhist. I just didn’t feel right being there. If anybody’s ever been to a temple in Japan, like the ones in Kyoto, they would understand what I’m talking about. I guess that explains why I saw no Japanese person practicing there. That’s all good though.
You won’t find me here again.

I must go back soon. And whatever you may think about a Zen center or if you are not open to Buddhism because you are of another religion — might I just say, give this a try.
There is no other place to be with your self and your mind alone in peace and feel the warmth in the room and actually just «BE». There are classes for all levels.

If everyone went to the SF Zen Center on a regular basis, I can say with conviction that the world would be a better place.
At one point in my life I considered becoming an apprentice Buddhist nun and frequented temples, monasteries, and meditation centers often… Since then I’ve reconsidered my life path quite a bit, but my practice still remains. The SF Zen Center is the perfect place to practice zazen (seated zen meditation). Come to the zendo on Saturday mornings for a beginner’s sitting. You’ll get a tour of the center, meditation instruction, lunch and afternoon discussion if you decide to stay. For experienced meditators, there are daily sittings, as well as amazing workshops from time to time.
Wherever you are in your practice, or even if you are just beginning, there is a place here for you. See you in full-​lotus before the hozensho bell rings ;)

Completely wonderful. Learn to meditate at 8:30am on Saturday. totally worth it. Experience bliss and happiness as you have never known before. Contentment can be yours by sitting still and letting go of your monkey mind.
SFZen Center has beginners (4 hour) retreats, I have been on many b/​c I am a slow learner. All are welcome.
The building used to be a home for pregnant Jewish teenagers up until 1960ish. There is the Star of David symbol on the iron work on the building. The inside courtyard is peaceful and lovely. I like to sit in the courtyard and think about the pregnant girls that lived there. Did they grow up and to college? Are they professional women now? Or did they take a wrong turn and end up bank robbers?
The Zen Center also has delicious vegetarian lunch and dinner by donation.

I’m so grateful to find the Zen Center today from one of the meetup group for yoga class.
As I enter the building, it feel like home.
I was born and raised as a Buddhism, I love the peace, tranquility, sacredness of the Zen Center.
I love the Buddha statue in the center of the room, radiates an amazing energy, and I was able to connect with. And after 5 minutes standing in front of the Buddha, I feel like I just wake up from a very good rest, my voice become very deep. I would love to come back another day to be able to meditate longer next time.
There is a cute little garden surrounded the building, it’s so peaceful.
If you are looking for spiritual nurturing, Zen Center is a place to come to.