Calendar

LightHouse will be closed from Thursday, December 21, 2023 through Tuesday, January 2, 2024 for the Winter Holiday break.

Events in December 2023

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Nov 26
Nov 27
Nov 28
Nov 29(1 event)

6:30 pm: Goalball with BORP (in-person)


Nov 29

Bay Are Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP) Goalball Practice is a fun way to get exercise and meet new people. The practice is designed for beginners and experienced players. If you do not have your own equipment, we can provide you with both elbow and knee pads and eyeshades.

When: Wednesdays, from 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Where: The gym is located at 2100 Browning St. Berkeley

For more details, please contact Brandon Young brandon@borp.org

Please note - Proof of full vaccination is required and will be checked for new participants.

Nov 30
Dec 1
Dec 2
Dec 3
Dec 4
Dec 5
Dec 6(1 event)

6:30 pm: Goalball with BORP (in-person)


Dec 6

Bay Are Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP) Goalball Practice is a fun way to get exercise and meet new people. The practice is designed for beginners and experienced players. If you do not have your own equipment, we can provide you with both elbow and knee pads and eyeshades.

When: Wednesdays, from 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Where: The gym is located at 2100 Browning St. Berkeley

For more details, please contact Brandon Young brandon@borp.org

Please note - Proof of full vaccination is required and will be checked for new participants.

Dec 7
Dec 8
Dec 9(2 events)

10:30 am: The Art of Zen Meditation, Lecture & Tea: Session 1 (in-person)


Dec 9

Life in a Zen Temple: Lecture, Zazen, and Tea with Abbot Kobori Geppo

This program takes place at the Asian Art Museum at 200 Larkin St. in San Francisco.

Experience a moment of inner peace through zazen meditation, savor a bowl of tea, and enjoy a rare glimpse inside the world of a Zen temple with Abbot Kobori Geppo, head of Daitokuji Ryokoin temple in Kyoto, home to the storied paintings featured in The Heart of Zen. This intimate program is your chance to hear directly from Abbot Kobori about the routines and teachings of Zen temple life; to participate as he leads a short session of zazen; and to discover the role of chanoyu (‘the way of tea’) in Zen practice with tea provided by local members of the Urasenke Foundation.

Dec. 9, Session 1: 10:30 am to 1:00 pm
10:30 am to 11:00 am: Lecture
11:00 am to 11:30 am: Meditation
11:30 am to 1:00 pm: Tea served in 3 groups (approx. 30 min. per seating)

RSVP online for Life in a Zen Temple Session 1.

2:00 pm: The Art of Zen Meditation, Lecture & Tea: Session 2 (in-person)


Dec 9

Life in a Zen Temple: Lecture, Zazen, and Tea with Abbot Kobori Geppo

This program takes place at the Asian Art Museum at 200 Larkin St. in San Francisco.

Experience a moment of inner peace through zazen meditation, savor a bowl of tea, and enjoy a rare glimpse inside the world of a Zen temple with Abbot Kobori Geppo, head of Daitokuji Ryokoin temple in Kyoto, home to the storied paintings featured in The Heart of Zen. This intimate program is your chance to hear directly from Abbot Kobori about the routines and teachings of Zen temple life; to participate as he leads a short session of zazen; and to discover the role of chanoyu (‘the way of tea’) in Zen practice with tea provided by local members of the Urasenke Foundation.

Dec. 9, Session 2: 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm
2:00 pm to 2:30 pm: Lecture
2:30 pm to 3:00 pm: Meditation
3:00 pm to 430 pm: Tea served in 3 groups (approx. 30 min. per seating)

RSVP online for Life in a Zen Temple Session 2.

Dec 10(2 events)

11:00 am: The Art of Zen Lecture and Meditation: Session 1 (in-person)


Dec 10

This program takes place at the Asian Art Museum at 200 Larkin St. in San Francisco.

Zazen and Lecture on Life in a Zen Temple with Abbot Kobori Geppo
Experience a moment of inner peace through zazen meditation and enjoy a rare glimpse inside the world of a Zen temple with Abbot Kobori Geppo, head of Daitokuji Ryokoin temple in Kyoto, home to the storied paintings featured in The Heart of Zen. This intimate program is your chance to hear directly from Abbot Kobori about the routines and teachings of Zen temple life and to participate as he leads a short session of zazen in Samsung Hall.

RSVP online for The Art of Zen Session 1.

About the Speaker:

Kobori Geppo is the current abbot (head monk) of Daitokuji Ryokoin temple in Kyoto. When the abbot visited the Asian Art Museum in 2017, he was impressed by the museum collection and the warm welcome he received; he also experienced a deep sense of compassion for the people he encountered in the surrounding neighborhood. Abbot Kobori decided to foster peace and harmony by sharing two treasured artworks attributed to the 13th-century Chinese painter Muqi — Persimmons and Chestnuts — with the city of San Francisco. Thanks to the abbot’s generosity, the Asian Art Museum was able to partner with Daitokuji Ryokoin and the Kyoto National Museum to present The Heart of Zen, offering audiences outside of Japan a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience these venerated paintings in person.

2:00 pm: The Art of Zen Lecture and Meditation: Session 2 (in-person)


Dec 10

This program takes place at the Asian Art Museum at 200 Larkin St. in San Francisco.

Zazen and Lecture on Life in a Zen Temple with Abbot Kobori Geppo
Experience a moment of inner peace through zazen meditation and enjoy a rare glimpse inside the world of a Zen temple with Abbot Kobori Geppo, head of Daitokuji Ryokoin temple in Kyoto, home to the storied paintings featured in The Heart of Zen. This intimate program is your chance to hear directly from Abbot Kobori about the routines and teachings of Zen temple life and to participate as he leads a short session of zazen in Samsung Hall.

RSVP online for The Art of Zen Session 2.

About the Speaker:

Kobori Geppo is the current abbot (head monk) of Daitokuji Ryokoin temple in Kyoto. When the abbot visited the Asian Art Museum in 2017, he was impressed by the museum collection and the warm welcome he received; he also experienced a deep sense of compassion for the people he encountered in the surrounding neighborhood. Abbot Kobori decided to foster peace and harmony by sharing two treasured artworks attributed to the 13th-century Chinese painter Muqi — Persimmons and Chestnuts — with the city of San Francisco. Thanks to the abbot’s generosity, the Asian Art Museum was able to partner with Daitokuji Ryokoin and the Kyoto National Museum to present The Heart of Zen, offering audiences outside of Japan a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience these venerated paintings in person.

Dec 11
Dec 12(1 event)

6:00 pm: National Federation of the Blind: San Francisco Chapter Meeting (online)


Dec 12

The National Federation of the Blind is a nationwide community of members that believe blind people can live the lives they want. We meet online via Zoom with the following schedule:

6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – Virtual Happy (Half) Hour
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – Chapter Meeting

To RSVP, contact President Bobbi Pompey at bobbipompey@gmail.com or 336-988-6375.

*Please note, this group is not afflicted with LightHouse.

Dec 13
Dec 14
Dec 15
Dec 16
Dec 17
Dec 18
Dec 19
Dec 20(1 event)

12:45 pm: Smuin Ballet’s “The Christmas Ballet” with Audio Description and Haptic Tour


Dec 20

Where: Blue Shield of CA Theater at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts at  700 Howard St. near 3rd St. in San Francisco.

Smuin’s annual holiday extravaganza is back! Celebrate the festive season with a show that’s a little ballet, a little Broadway, and a whole lot of Smuin.

Act 1, “The Classical Christmas,” features a series of short dances to traditional holiday music that show off the classical ballet technique and pointe work of the dancers.

Act 2, “The Cool Christmas,” follows a similar format of short vignettes and is full of campy moments, fun music, and light-hearted pieces.

To purchase tickets, visit: Smuin | Ticket Seating Selection (smuinballet.org)

For more information, to book a spot in a haptic cccess tour, or to reserve a headset please call: 415-912-1899

Dec 21
Dec 22
Dec 23
Dec 24
Dec 25
Dec 26
Dec 27
Dec 28
Dec 29
Dec 30
Dec 31(1 event)

10:00 am: Japanese New Year Temple Bell Ringing Ceremony (in-person)


Dec 31

This program takes place at the Asian Art Museum at 200 Larkin St. in San Francisco.

On Dec 31, we invite members of Lighthouse for the Blind for a  haptic experience by emailing: communityengagement@asianart.org. Details follow.

Cultural Celebration

38th Annual Japanese New Year Bell-Ringing Ceremony

Come celebrate with your museum community for an experience the San Francisco Chronicle calls “a great way to end a year and start a new year.”

Ring in the New Year by taking a swing at a 2,100-pound, 16th-century Japanese temple bell. Led by Reverend Gengo Akiba, this inspiring ceremony will include a purification ritual and chanting of the Buddhist Heart Sutra. Visitors will have an opportunity to ring the bell to leave behind any unfortunate experiences, regrettable deeds, or ill luck from the year. The bell will be struck 108 times to usher in the New Year and curb the 108 mortal desires (bonno) that, according to Buddhist belief, torment humankind.

Schedule

10:00 am: Doors open
10:30 am to 12:00 pm: Members-only Bell-Ringing
12:00 pm: Haptic Tour for Blind and Visually Impaired Community (preregistration required)
12:30 pm to 2:00 pm: Public Bell-Ringing

Lighthouse community members get into the Asian Art Museum free of charge.  But make sure you register early to ensure your place at the event.

Museum Members can attend an earlier Bell-Ringing Ceremony at 10:30 AM before the public ceremony begins. Learn more about member benefits.

Accessibility

The Asian Art Museum is committed to making its events accessible to all. This program is wheelchair accessible and assistive listening devices (ALDs) will be provided. ASL interpretation is available upon request; please email communityengagement@asianart.org two weeks prior to the event to request an ASL interpreter.

We invite our blind and visually impaired community to engage in a tactile experience as part of this annual celebration. Join us for a touch tour of the temple bell and receive priority seating for the ceremony. Space is limited and preregistration is required. Email communityengagement@asianart.org to register.

Jan 1
Jan 2
Jan 3
Jan 4
Jan 5
Jan 6

The events for the upcoming week are read aloud on our event hotline every Friday, which can be accessed by calling 415-694-7325. For more information about visiting the Adaptations Store, head to our shop page.

The LightHouse is scent-free. Please abstain from wearing colognes, perfumes, or other scented products. Additionally, coffee must be securely lidded at all times and citrus should not be peeled on the premises. Thanks for supporting our efforts to respect chemical sensitivities!

SDS safety dataClick here for our cleaning product safety data sheets (SDS) and ingredient information.

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