Huston Smith and Angeles Arrien to receive Awards at
San Francisco Zen Center’s Annual Benefit Event
Sunday, April 19, Greens Restaurant
(www.sfzc.org)
9 March 2009 – San Francisco, CA: For the last five decades, the teachers and practitioners at the San Francisco Zen Center have been wrestling with a single profound question posed by the Center’s founder, Soto Zen master Shunryu Suzuki Roshi: “What is the most important thing?” The answer, that all living beings are both interconnected with and interdependent on each other, could not possibly have more relevance to the current economic and political realities that people of every background and nationality are facing. At this year’s 6th Annual Benefit Event, the San Francisco Zen Center will present the “Most Important Thing Award” to two very distinguished scholars and educators, Huston Smith and Angeles Arrien, who have dedicated their lives to illuminating the values and beliefs that bond together people of vastly diverse cultural experiences. The Benefit will take place at Greens Restaurant at Fort Mason on Sunday, April 19, from 5:30 – 9pm.
“In a world where economic, political, and religious crises cause so much confusion and create so much anxiety for people of all walks of life, the San Francisco Zen Center continues to act as a spiritual oasis where individuals can find quiet, peace, and deep connections as a part of a larger community,” said Susan O’Connell of the San Francisco Zen Center. “We are so privileged this year at our Annual Benefit Event to honor Huston Smith and Angeles Arrien, whose life mission has been to explore and lift up what is truly the most important thing for all us — that we are brought together by the same struggles, fears and hopes, which form the basis for all of us to support and care for one another.”
Huston Smith is among the preeminent religious studies scholars in the United States. His work, The Religions of Man (later revised and retitled The World's Religions), is a classic in the field, having sold over two-and-a-half million copies and remains a common introductory text to comparative religion in universities and seminaries around the world. In 1996, Bill Moyers devoted a five-part PBS special to Smith's life and work, “The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith.” Smith has produced three series for public television: “The Religions of Man,” “The Search for America,” and (with Arthur Compton) “Science and Human Responsibility.” His films on Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Sufism have all won awards at international film festivals.
Angeles Arrien is a cultural anthropologist, award-winning author, educator, and consultant to many organizations and businesses. She lectures and conducts workshops worldwide, bridging cultural anthropology, psychology, and comparative religions. Her work is currently used in medical, academic, and corporate environments. Angeles is the President of the Foundation for Cross-Cultural Education and Research. Her books have been translated into nine languages and she has received three honorary doctoral degrees in recognition of her work.
About San Francisco Zen Center:
San Francisco Zen Center was established in 1962 by the Soto Zen master Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (1904-1971), author of the modern spiritual classic Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. The purpose of Zen Center is to make accessible and embody the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha for all people — visitors, householders, families, students in residence and priests — guided by rigorously trained teachers who follow in Suzuki Roshi’s “beginner’s mind” way.
San Francisco Zen Center has three extraordinary practice centers—Tassajara Zen Mountain Center located in the Ventana Wilderness, City Center located in the vibrant heart of San Francisco, and Green Gulch Farm Zen Center located in Muir Beach. Each center offers daily meditation, retreats, classes, lectures, and workshops.
Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, opened in 1966, was the first Soto Zen monastery established outside of Asia. With its natural hot springs and remote location in the Ventana Wilderness inland from Big Sur, Tassajara has always been a place of renewal and healing. During the summer, when the monastery opens its doors to welcome guests, offerings include a schedule of Zen-inspired workshops, retreats and relaxation. The guest program is also well-known for its gourmet vegetarian food, a tradition begun by cook and Zen teacher Edward Espe Brown.
City Center, located in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley and also known as Beginner’s Mind Temple, was established in 1969 by Suzuki Roshi as a training center to meet the needs of those living and working in the world. Offerings include daily meditation, talks twice a week, classes, workshops, retreats, and residential training programs. City Center also provides a number of community outreach programs that bring Zen practice to prisoners, the homeless, and those in recovery.
Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, also known as Green Dragon Temple, was founded in 1972. Surrounded by Golden Gate National Recreational Area lands, Green Gulch is an active partner in the conservancy and sustainability of some of the most pristine land in Marin County. Green Gulch is also a residential community and thriving organic farm. It provides wholesome produce for the renowned Greens Restaurant, the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market, and the Zen Center kitchens. For over a decade, Green Gulch has offered an apprenticeship program in organic gardening and farming that emphasizes instruction and work experience in organic methods together with meditation practice and study of Buddhist teachings. Each year school children participate in Green Gulch’s Environmental Education Program to learn about sustainable food systems through hands-on activities.
-- For more information, visit www.sfzc.org. --
Calendar listing
WHAT:
San Francisco Zen Center Annual Benefit Event Featuring award presentations to Huston B. Smith and Angeles Arrien
WHEN:
Sunday, April 19, 5pm
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm: Sunday Supper with Houston Smith and Angeles Arrien
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Reception & Auction
WHERE:
Greens Restaurant, Building A, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
WEB:
www.sfzc.org
TICKETS:
Reception: $200
Reception and Sunday Supper: $350
(415) 354-0445
