Hartford Street Zen Center

Founded by Rev. Issan Dorsey and the Gay Buddhist Club in a Victorian house in the Castro district, Hartford Street Zen Center is the organization responsible for Issan-ji (One Mountain Temple), a neighborhood temple and residential practice center in the Soto Zen tradition of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. The center was also the site of the Maitri AIDS Hospice in the 1990′s, which now manages its own facilities.

Currently, the center can accommodate five residents; we also are home to a cat. We host morning and evening zazen (meditation) sessions as well as Saturday speakers, monthly one-day sittings, and a variety of community events. HSZC houses an open and supportive community for LGBTQQI people and allies to practice together and deepen our understanding of the Dharma.