Building a personal spiritual practice with Michael McCord (SF Zen Center) – Part III

​​​This event is open to the public with a suggested donation of $10-15.

​In the first two parts of this series we explored what a spiritual practice is, why it's useful to have one, how to choose from the many options, and how to get started with first steps.

​In part three, we will recap what has been explored thus far and then unpack ways to strengthen, mature, and build on what we have begun.

​Previous attendance in the first two parts of the series is not required; this class will help all participants to synthesize what they have gathered on their own in order to build scaffolding that supports growth.

​This talk includes many practical exercises to help participants go deeper in their personal grounding, and address their daily anxieties, conflicts, and aspirations by providing a framework to slowly collect and build healthy ways of navigating life.

​Agenda

• ​​6-6:15pm: arrive & check in

• ​​6:15pm: talk begin

• ​​7PM: Q&A

​About Michael

​​Sozan Michael McCord has been a resident practitioner at San Francisco Zen Center since 2009, and served as Ino (Head of Meditation Hall) and Tenzo (Head Cook) at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He was ordained as a Zen priest by Ryushin Paul Haller in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki in 2014.

​​Michael holds a BA in Theology from Ambassador University and worked as a volunteer for their non-profit Ambassador Foundation in Amman, Jordan, doing vocational training for mentally challenged individuals. He had careers in the technology and financial sectors before coming to Zen practice. He was the Director of City Center/Beginner's Mind Temple from 2019 – 2021 and the CFO of San Francisco Zen Center until 2024. He currently serves as the President of SFZC.

​​The Commons

​​We'll meet in 550 Laguna (the corner of Hayes & Laguna). ​​Once you arrive, go down the stairs to the basement level to enter space, check in, and please take your shoes off at the door.