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April 1st, 2024 – Dharma Talk by Rev. Mary Mocine

Dharma Talk given on Monday, April 1st, 2024 –  Rev. Mary Mocine (15.9 MB, 1 hr 8 min).

Rev. Zenki Mary Mocine

Rev. Zenki Mary Mocine

Visiting Teacher

Reverend Mary Mocine is abbess of Clear Water Zendo in Vallejo. She was trained at San Francisco and Berkeley Zen Centers, and Tassajara Zen Monastery. She was ordained in 1994 by Sojun Mel Weitsman, former Abbot of San Francisco Zen Center and continuing Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. Reverend Mocine has also trained with Abbess Zenkei Blanche Hartman and former Abbots Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Tenshin Reb Anderson of the San Francisco Zen Center. She received dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in May 2005.
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March 18, 2024 – Talk on “Climate change and the Dharma” by Oscar Balaguer and Diana Cassady

Practice Talk given by Oscar Balaguer and Diana Cassady on March 18th, 2024 – (Audio Version: 13.3MB, 58 min).

Oscar Balaguer

Oscar Balaguer

Senior Student

A longtime Zen practitioner and member of Valley Streams, Oscar was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson.

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March 11th, 2024 – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, March 11th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (12.7 MB, 53 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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March 4th, 2024 – Dharma Talk by Myo Lahey

Dharma Talk given on Monday, March 04th, 2024 –  Myo Lahey (10.8 MB, 44 min).

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Teachers

Rev. Myō Lahey is the guiding teacher for our sangha.  Rev. Myō became interested in Zen as a teenager and started full-time residential practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982. He received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999 and served as head of practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery from 2000 – 2002. He is now Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. (http://www.hszc.org)

[easy_media_download url=”https://valleystreamszen.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-03-04MyoLahey.mp3

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February 26th, 2023 – Dharma Talk by Shōku Kathy Early

Dharma Talk given on Monday, February 26th, 2023 –  Rev. Shōku Kathy Early (11.3 MB, 49 min).

Shōku Kathy Early

Shōku Kathy Early

Visiting Teacher

Shōku Kathy Early came to zen practice in 1994 through classes with Tenshin Reb Anderson at the Yoga Room in Berkeley while working as a semiconductor engineer in Silicon Valley. She then practiced for several years with Keido Les Kaye at Kannon Do Zen Center in Mountain View, after which she trained at San Francisco Zen Center for 16 years. She was priest ordained by Tenshin Anderson in 2005. Shōku also spent a year and a half in residence at Toshoji International Training Monastery, in Okayama, Japan, including four angos (90 day training periods).
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February 19th, 2024 – Dharma Talk by Gambō Berry Crawford

Dharma Talk given on February 19th, 2023 –  Gambō Berry Crawford (17.12 MB, 1hr 12min).

Gambō Berry Crawford

Gambō Berry Crawford

Other Sangha Leaders

Berry Crawford first started practicing Zen meditation in 1992. He lived at the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center and practiced as a resident in the mid 1990s. There he completed the initiation ordeal known as tangaryo and completed traditional Soto Zen Practice Periods. Berry next practiced with Diane "Eshin" Rizzetto in the Ordinary Mind Zen School started by Joko Beck. Later, Berry became a student of John “Shoji” Sorenson and in 2022 was authorized to independently teach Zen. He currently engages in traditional White Plum koan study with his koan teacher Russell “Kyofu Seikyo” Mitchell and was authorized as an Assistant Koan Teacher by him in 2023. Berry is a member of the “Doan-ryo” at the Valley Streams Zen Sangha and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Sacramento Dharma Center.  He is the host of the Simplicity Zen Podcast  (https://simplicityzen.com/) and maintains the Science of Zen website (https://scienceofzen.org/).

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February 5th, 2024 – Dharma Talk by Rev. Taiga Ito

Dharma Talk given on Monday, February 5th, 2024 –  Rev. Taiga Ito (14.1 MB, 1 hr 1 min).

Rev. Taiga Ito

Rev. Taiga Ito

Visiting Teacher

Rev. Taiga Ito, trained at Daihonzan Sojiji, one of the head monasteries of Soto Shu (Soto Zen in Japan). In 2016, Taiga Ito became Kokusaifukyoshi (international teacher of Soto Shu). He served as secretary of the Soto Zen Buddhism International Center between 2016 and 2018, and has served as its Assistant Director since 2019.
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January 29th, 2024 – Dharma Talk by Myo Lahey

Dharma Talk given on Monday, January 29th, 2024 –  Myo Lahey (14.1 MB, 1 hr 1 min).

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Teachers

Rev. Myō Lahey is the guiding teacher for our sangha.  Rev. Myō became interested in Zen as a teenager and started full-time residential practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982. He received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999 and served as head of practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery from 2000 – 2002. He is now Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. (http://www.hszc.org)
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January 15th, 2024 – Dharma Talk by Rev. Liên Shutt

Dharma Talk given on Monday, January 15th, 2024 (14.9 MB, 1 hr 2 min).

Keiryu Liên Shutt

Keiryu Liên Shutt

Visiting Teacher

Rev. Liên Shutt is a lineage holder in the Shunryu Suzuki tradition. Born to a Buddhist family in Vietnam, she received her meditation training in the Insight and Zen traditions in the U.S., Thailand, Japan, and Vietnam. She was a founding member of the Buddhists of Color in 1998 and currently is the guiding teacher of Access to Zen, an anti-racist, inclusive sangha and non-profit in the San Francisco Bay Area. Please visit AccessToZen.org for ways to connect with her offerings. Liên's Home Is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path is available through the Online Store.  
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November 20th, 2023 – Dharma Talk by Susan Moon

Dharma Talk given on Monday, November 20th, 2023 –  Susan Moon (13.1 MB, 55 min).

Susan Moon

Susan Moon

Visiting Teacher

Susan Moon is a writer, editor, and lay teacher in the Soto Zen tradition. She is the author of a number of books about Buddhism, including the humor book The Life and Letters of Tofu Roshi and This Is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity. For many years she was the editor of Turning Wheel, the journal of socially engaged Buddhism. Her short stories and essays have been published widely. Sue has been a Zen student since 1976, practicing in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi at Berkeley Zen Center, Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery, Green Gulch Farm, and now with Zoketsu Norman Fischer’s Everyday Zen sangha. She received “entrustment” as a lay teacher in 2005.
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November 11th, 2023 – “The Golem” – Dharma Talk by Myo Lahey

Dharma Talk given on Monday, November 11th, 2023 –  Myo Lahey (15.1 MB, 1 hr 1 min).

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Teachers

Rev. Myō Lahey is the guiding teacher for our sangha.  Rev. Myō became interested in Zen as a teenager and started full-time residential practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982. He received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999 and served as head of practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery from 2000 – 2002. He is now Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. (http://www.hszc.org)
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November 6th, 2023 – “One Bright Pearl” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, November 6th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (13 MB, 56 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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November 4th, 2023 – “The Mysterious Unfolding of Our Undivided Reality” – Dharma Talk by Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler

Dharma Talk given on Saturday, Novemeber 4th, 2023 by Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (9.12 MB, 35 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
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October 23th, 2023 – “Roam and Play in Samadhi” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, October 23rd, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (11.1 MB, 47 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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October 16th, 2023 – Civil Rights Pilgrimage with Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah and Malia McCarthy (Part 2)

Dharma Talk given on Monday, October 2nd, 2023 by Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah and Malia McCarthy (7.6 MB, 33 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
Malia McCarthy

Malia McCarthy

Board of Directors

Malia is a member of the Valley Streams Board of Directors and serves as secretary.  She recently retired from the practice of child and adolescent psychiatry.  She has two daughters in college and lives in Davis with her husband.  She feels very fortunate to have been able to practice with Valley Streams since 2019
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October 9th, 2023 – “Guided Medicine Buddha Meditation” – by Susan Farrar

Talk given on Saturday, October 9th, 2023 –  Susan Farrar (11.6 MB, 50 min).

Susan Farrar

Susan Farrar

Board of Directors

Susan Farrar practices in two traditions---in the Tibetan tradition with Lion’s Roar Dharma Center since 2008, and more recently, with Valley Streams Zen Sangha.  She completed the 2-year Foundation of Buddhist Thought training in 2014 and  the Chaplaincy Program from the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies in 2019. She volunteers as a chaplain at U.C. Davis Medical Center and has volunteered as a hospice worker also through U.C Davis. She is also active in various activities surrounding food insecurity in the Sacramento community. Prior to her retirement in 2004, Susan worked as a law office manager and as a research manager specializing in data and demographic research. She has a BA from the University of Colorado and post-graduate work at UCLA.
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October 7th, 2023 – “Sitting in the Light of Wisdom” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Saturday, October 7th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (10.9 MB, 41 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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October 2nd, 2023 – Civil Rights Pilgrimage with Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah and Malia McCarthy

Dharma Talk given on Monday, October 2nd, 2023 by Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah and Malia McCarthy (16.4 MB, 1 hr 7 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
Malia McCarthy

Malia McCarthy

Board of Directors

Malia is a member of the Valley Streams Board of Directors and serves as secretary.  She recently retired from the practice of child and adolescent psychiatry.  She has two daughters in college and lives in Davis with her husband.  She feels very fortunate to have been able to practice with Valley Streams since 2019
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September 25th, 2023 – “Run Silent, Run Deep” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, September 25th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (15.3 MB, 1 hr 3 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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September 11th, 2023 – “Buddha’s Insight” – Dharma Talk by Myo Lahey

Dharma Talk given on Monday, September 11th, 2023 –  Myo Lahey (12.8 MB, 54 min).

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Teachers

Rev. Myō Lahey is the guiding teacher for our sangha.  Rev. Myō became interested in Zen as a teenager and started full-time residential practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982. He received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999 and served as head of practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery from 2000 – 2002. He is now Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. (http://www.hszc.org)
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August 28th, 2023 – “Remembering Myogen Steve Stucky” Dharma Talk by Rev. Renshin Bunce

Dharma Talk given by Rev. Renshin Bunce on Monday, August 28th, 2023 – (13.2 MB, 56 min).

Rev. Renshin Bunce

Rev. Renshin Bunce

Visiting Teacher

Rev. Renshin Bunce is a California native, born in Marin County and raised in Southern California. In midlife, yearning for a peaceful mind, she began meditating, and met her teacher Myogen Steve Stücky in January of 1994. She made jukai (took her lay vows) with Myogen at Dharma Eye Zen Center in 1996, was priest ordained by Zenkei Blanche Hartman at San Francisco Zen Center in 2003, served as Shuso (head student) with Myogen at Tassajara in 2008, and received dharma transmission from him at Tassajara in April of 2013. Renshin lived at Zen Center for seven years, and then began training as a chaplain. She moved out of Zen Center in 2008 and worked as a hospice chaplain from 2010 until retiring in 2022. She has written two books, Entering the Monastery, a record of her time at Zen Center, which was published in 2008; and Love and Fear, reflections on chaplaincy, which was published in 2020.
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August 7th, 2023 – Dharma Talk by Rev. Mary Mocine

Dharma Talk given on Saturday, August 7th, 2023 –  Rev. Mary Mocine (9.8 MB, 42 min).

Rev. Zenki Mary Mocine

Rev. Zenki Mary Mocine

Visiting Teacher

Reverend Mary Mocine is abbess of Clear Water Zendo in Vallejo. She was trained at San Francisco and Berkeley Zen Centers, and Tassajara Zen Monastery. She was ordained in 1994 by Sojun Mel Weitsman, former Abbot of San Francisco Zen Center and continuing Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. Reverend Mocine has also trained with Abbess Zenkei Blanche Hartman and former Abbots Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Tenshin Reb Anderson of the San Francisco Zen Center. She received dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in May 2005.
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August 5th, 2023 – “Entering the Door of Liberation” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Saturday, August 5th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (12.9 MB, 49 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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July 31st, 2023 – Dharma Talk by Robert Rosenbaum

Dharma Talk given on Monday, July 31st, 2023 –  Robert Rosenbaum (13.9 MB, 59 min).

Meikyo Robert Rosenbaum, PhD

Meikyo Robert Rosenbaum, PhD

Visiting Teacher

Meikyo Robert Rosenbaum, PhD, received lay entrustment in Soto Zen from Sojun Mel Weitsman.  He is also authorized as a senior teacher of the Taoist practice of Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigong in the lineage of Yang Meijun by Master Hui Liu.  In addition, he has received denkai  in Ordinary Mind Zen from Karen Terzano. Bob teaches Zen and Qigong at the Meadowmind Center in Sacramento. Bob is the author of several books including Zen and the Heart of Psychotherapy, Walking the Way : 81 Zen Encounters with Tao Te Ching and most recently, That is not your Mind! Zen Reflections on the Sarangama Sutra.
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July 24th, 2023 – “Right Speech” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, July24th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (12.5 MB, 54 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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July 10th, 2023 – Dharma Talk by Myo Lahey

Dharma Talk given on Monday, July 10th, 2023 –  Myo Lahey (11.4 MB, 48 min).

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Teachers

Rev. Myō Lahey is the guiding teacher for our sangha.  Rev. Myō became interested in Zen as a teenager and started full-time residential practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982. He received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999 and served as head of practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery from 2000 – 2002. He is now Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. (http://www.hszc.org)
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July 1st, 2023 – “Cultivating Intimacy” – Dharma Talk by Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler

Dharma Talk given on Monday, April 24th, 2023 by Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (9.11 MB, 37 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
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June 26th, 2023 – “Enjoying Tranquility” – Dharma Talk by Shōku Kathy Early

Dharma Talk given on Monday, June 26th, 2023 –  Rev. Shōku Kathy Early (11.3 MB, 49 min).

Shōku Kathy Early

Shōku Kathy Early

Visiting Teacher

Shōku Kathy Early came to zen practice in 1994 through classes with Tenshin Reb Anderson at the Yoga Room in Berkeley while working as a semiconductor engineer in Silicon Valley. She then practiced for several years with Keido Les Kaye at Kannon Do Zen Center in Mountain View, after which she trained at San Francisco Zen Center for 16 years. She was priest ordained by Tenshin Anderson in 2005. Shōku also spent a year and a half in residence at Toshoji International Training Monastery, in Okayama, Japan, including four angos (90 day training periods).
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June 19th, 2023 – “Way Seeking Mind Talk” – by Malia McCarthy

Way Seeking Mind talk given on Monday, June 19th, 2023 by Malia McCarthy (14.4 MB, 1 hr 1 min).

Malia McCarthy

Malia McCarthy

Board of Directors

Malia is a member of the Valley Streams Board of Directors and serves as secretary.  She recently retired from the practice of child and adolescent psychiatry.  She has two daughters in college and lives in Davis with her husband.  She feels very fortunate to have been able to practice with Valley Streams since 2019

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June 12th, 2023 – “All Cognition is Recognition” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, June 12th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (13.5 MB, 59 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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June 5th, 2023 – A Dramatic Reading of the Holy Teaching of Vimalakīrti

This performance was organized/directed by sangha member Sarah OGara.

This beloved text, unique among Buddhist Scriptures, contains the quintessence of Mahayana doctrines, taught with vivid imagery, dramatic encounters and sly humor. Members of the Thursday morning study group recently completed a study of this text and, together other cast members, presented a dramatic reading of excepts from the Vimalakīrti Sutra, slightly adapted.


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May 22, 2023 – “The Light” – A Practice Talk by Oscar Balaguer

Practice Talk given by Oscar Balaguer on Monday, May 22th, 2023 – (Audio Version: 13.3MB, 58 min).

Oscar Balaguer

Oscar Balaguer

Senior Student

A longtime Zen practitioner and member of Valley Streams, Oscar was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson.

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May 8th, 2023 – “Awakening and Delusion Rise Up Together” – Dharma Talk by Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler

Dharma Talk given on Monday, April 24th, 2023 by Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (9.14 MB, 39 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
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May 6th, 2023 – “Happy Birthday!” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, May 6th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (8.7 MB, 32 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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May 1st, 2023 – “Not Like a Hermit Crab” – Dharma Talk by Myo Lahey

Dharma Talk given on Monday, May 1st, 2023 –  Myo Lahey (12.9 MB, 54 min).

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Teachers

Rev. Myō Lahey is the guiding teacher for our sangha.  Rev. Myō became interested in Zen as a teenager and started full-time residential practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982. He received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999 and served as head of practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery from 2000 – 2002. He is now Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. (http://www.hszc.org)
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April 24th, 2023 – “Grief and the Jizo Ceremony” – Dharma Talk by Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler

Dharma Talk given on Monday, April 24th, 2023 by Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (3.4 MB, 15 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
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April 17th, 2023 – “The Whole Works of Practice” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, April 17th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (12.5 MB, 54 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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April 10th, 2023 – “The Science of Zen” – Dharma Talk by Gambō Berry Crawford

Dharma Talk given on Saturday, April 10th, 2023 –  Gambō Berry Crawford (14.6 MB, 1hr).

Gambō Berry Crawford

Gambō Berry Crawford

Other Sangha Leaders

Berry Crawford first started practicing Zen meditation in 1992. He lived at the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center and practiced as a resident in the mid 1990s. There he completed the initiation ordeal known as tangaryo and completed traditional Soto Zen Practice Periods. Berry next practiced with Diane "Eshin" Rizzetto in the Ordinary Mind Zen School started by Joko Beck. Later, Berry became a student of John “Shoji” Sorenson and in 2022 was authorized to independently teach Zen. He currently engages in traditional White Plum koan study with his koan teacher Russell “Kyofu Seikyo” Mitchell and was authorized as an Assistant Koan Teacher by him in 2023. Berry is a member of the “Doan-ryo” at the Valley Streams Zen Sangha and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Sacramento Dharma Center.  He is the host of the Simplicity Zen Podcast  (https://simplicityzen.com/) and maintains the Science of Zen website (https://scienceofzen.org/).

Talk Notes:

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April 1st, 2023 – “Riding in the Same Boat with All Beings” – Dharma Talks by Kokyo Henkel

Dharma Talks given on 4/1/2023 by Kokyo Henkel

Rev. Kokyo Henkel

Rev. Kokyo Henkel

Visiting Teacher

Kokyo Henkel has been practicing Zen since 1990, in residence at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, most recently as Tanto (Head of Practice), Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, No Abode Hermitage in Mill Valley, Bukkokuji Monastery in Japan, and Santa Cruz Zen Center. He was ordained as a Zen priest in 1994 by Tenshin Anderson Roshi and received Dharma Transmission from him in 2010. Kokyo is interested in exploring how the original teachings of Buddhadharma from ancient India, China, and Japan are still very much alive and useful in present-day America to bring peace and harmony to this troubled world.

Part 1:

Part 2:

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March 27th, 2023 – Dharma Talk by Rev. Mary Mocine

Dharma Talk given on Saturday, March 27th, 2023 –  Rev. Mary Mocine (12.2 MB, 48 min).

Rev. Zenki Mary Mocine

Rev. Zenki Mary Mocine

Visiting Teacher

Reverend Mary Mocine is abbess of Clear Water Zendo in Vallejo. She was trained at San Francisco and Berkeley Zen Centers, and Tassajara Zen Monastery. She was ordained in 1994 by Sojun Mel Weitsman, former Abbot of San Francisco Zen Center and continuing Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. Reverend Mocine has also trained with Abbess Zenkei Blanche Hartman and former Abbots Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Tenshin Reb Anderson of the San Francisco Zen Center. She received dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in May 2005.
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March 20th, 2023 – “Giving it Away” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Saturday, March 20th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (10.0 MB, 43 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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March 13th, 2023 – “Way Seeking Mind Talk” – by Jody Ansell

Way Seeking Mind talk given on Monday, March 13th, 2023 –  Jody Ansell (7.5 MB, 32 min).

Jody Ansell

Jody Ansell

Board of Directors

Jody Ansell started meditating in 2008 with One Drop Rinzai Zen’s Water Moon Sangha. She has been sitting with Valley Streams since 2014. She is retired, a hiking and biking enthusiast and a poet.

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March 6th, 2023 – “We Die and We Do Not Die” – Dharma Talk by Myo Lahey

Dharma Talk given on Monday, March 6th, 2023 –  Myo Lahey (10.3 MB, 44 min).

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Teachers

Rev. Myō Lahey is the guiding teacher for our sangha.  Rev. Myō became interested in Zen as a teenager and started full-time residential practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982. He received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999 and served as head of practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery from 2000 – 2002. He is now Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. (http://www.hszc.org)
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March 4th, 2023 – “Communing with the Source” – Dharma Talk by Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Dharma Talk given on Saturday, March 4th, 2023 by Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (6.3 MB, 26 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
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February 27th, 2023 – “Mahāpajāpatī” – Dharma Talk by Hoka Chris Fortin

Dharma Talk given on Monday, February 27th, 2023 –  Hoka Chris Fortin (10.2 MB, 43 min).

Hoka Soko Chris Fortin

Hoka Soko Chris Fortin

Visiting Teacher

Chris began her practice in 1976 at the San Francisco Zen Center, and received Dharma Transmission from Zoketsu Norman Fischer. She is founding and guiding teacher of the Dharma Heart Zen sanghas in Sonoma County, an Everyday Zen senior priest and teacher, and guiding teacher for Sky Island Zen in Tucson, AZ. She offers retreats and practice groups through SF Zen Center that include Jizo Bodhisattva Journeys through grief and change, Jizo Ceremonies, Wildland Firefights Retreats. She co-founded Veterans Path for current era veterans and co-facilitates (with Valley Streams Ino Doralee Grindler Katonah) an ongoing Racial and Social Justice as Dharma Practice group.
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February 20th, 2023 – “No Cold or Heat” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Saturday, Feburary 20th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (11.7 MB, 50 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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February 13th, 2023 – “Where My Practice Is” – Dharma Talk by Shōku Kathy Early

Dharma Talk given on Monday, February 13th, 2023 –  Rev. Shōku Kathy Early (15.6 MB, 57 min).

Shōku Kathy Early

Shōku Kathy Early

Visiting Teacher

Shōku Kathy Early came to zen practice in 1994 through classes with Tenshin Reb Anderson at the Yoga Room in Berkeley while working as a semiconductor engineer in Silicon Valley. She then practiced for several years with Keido Les Kaye at Kannon Do Zen Center in Mountain View, after which she trained at San Francisco Zen Center for 16 years. She was priest ordained by Tenshin Anderson in 2005. Shōku also spent a year and a half in residence at Toshoji International Training Monastery, in Okayama, Japan, including four angos (90 day training periods).
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February 4th, 2023 – “Hidden in the Moonlight” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, February 4th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (12.5 MB, 48 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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January 30th, 2023 – “Keizan Zenji” – Dharma Talk by Rev. Taiga Ito

Dharma Talk given on Monday, January 30th, 2023 –  Rev. Taiga Ito (8.66 MB, 37 min).

Rev. Taiga Ito

Rev. Taiga Ito

Visiting Teacher

Rev. Taiga Ito, trained at Daihonzan Sojiji, one of the head monasteries of Soto Shu (Soto Zen in Japan). In 2016, Taiga Ito became Kokusaifukyoshi (international teacher of Soto Shu). He served as secretary of the Soto Zen Buddhism International Center between 2016 and 2018, and has served as its Assistant Director since 2019.
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January 23nd, 2023 – “A Zen Approach to Mindfulness”- Practice Talk by Shuji Cody Miller

Dharma Talk given on Monday, January 2nd, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (12.8 MB, 55 min).

Shuji Cody Miller

Shuji Cody Miller

Senior Student

Shuji Cody Miller began practice in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki at the San Francisco Zen Center in 2015. He was lay ordained in 2016 through Anshin Rosalie Curtis and began practicing with the Valley Streams Zen Sangha in 2020. When not working at the clinic as a Doctor of Chiropractic, he loves spending time hiking in nature with his wife and son.
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January 16th, 2023 – Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, led by Sarah O’Gara

Talk given on Monday, January 16th, 2023 by Sarah O’Gara (13.6 MB, t8 min).

Sarah O’Gara

Sarah O'Gara

Board of Directors, Other Sangha Leaders, Practice Committee

Sarah has practiced in several different Buddhist traditions including Nichiren Shoshu’s Soka Gakkai, the Chan lineage of Master Sheng Yen and, since 2007, in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.  She shares her avocation for botany and the natural world leading hikes for the Sacramento Valley Conservancy and volunteering at the Cosumnes River Preserve.   She is a retired IT professional and former camp cook for Forest Service backcountry work crews.  In addition to serving on our Board of Directors and Practice Committee, Sarah edits our events calendar and creates Eventbrite invitations.
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January 7th, 2023 – There is no “you” to say “I” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Saturdat, January 7th, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (12.9 MB, 48 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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January 2nd, 2023 – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, January 2nd, 2023 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (8.9 MB, 38 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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December 12th, 2022 – “Time” – Dharma Talk by Susan Moon

Dharma Talk given on Monday, December 12th, 2022 –  Susan Moon (14.1 MB, 1 hr 1min).

Susan Moon

Susan Moon

Visiting Teacher

Susan Moon is a writer, editor, and lay teacher in the Soto Zen tradition. She is the author of a number of books about Buddhism, including the humor book The Life and Letters of Tofu Roshi and This Is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity. For many years she was the editor of Turning Wheel, the journal of socially engaged Buddhism. Her short stories and essays have been published widely. Sue has been a Zen student since 1976, practicing in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi at Berkeley Zen Center, Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery, Green Gulch Farm, and now with Zoketsu Norman Fischer’s Everyday Zen sangha. She received “entrustment” as a lay teacher in 2005.
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December 4th, 2022 – Rohatsu Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Sunday, December 4th, 2022 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (9.3 MB, 36 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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November 28th, 2022 – Rohatsu Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, November 28th, 2022 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (11.1 MB, 48 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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November 21st, 2022 – Way Seeking Mind Talk by Brendan O’Brian

Way Seeking Mind Talk given on Monday, November 21st, 2022 –  Brendan O’Brian (12.3 MB, 53 min).

Brendan O’Brian

Brendan O’Brian

Senior Student

Shi Shin Brendan O’Brien has been a member of the Valley Streams community for the past three years. He is also a member of the Hartford Street Zen Sangha in San Francisco. Recently, in October, he received the Bodhisattva precepts from Rev. Myō Lahey and Rev. So’On Jim Hare. Brendan is a student of history at Sacramento State University and works as a civil servant for the State of California.
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November 14th, 2022 – Dharma Talk by Myo Lahey

Dharma Talk given on Monday, November 14th, 2022 –  Myo Lahey (12.9 MB, 55 min).

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Teachers

Rev. Myō Lahey is the guiding teacher for our sangha.  Rev. Myō became interested in Zen as a teenager and started full-time residential practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982. He received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999 and served as head of practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery from 2000 – 2002. He is now Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. (http://www.hszc.org)
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November 7th, 2022 – Dharma Talk by Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Dharma Talk given on Monday, November 7th, 2022 –  Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (11.6 MB, 49 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
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October 24th, 2022 – Dharma Talk by Robert Rosenbaum

Dharma Talk given on Monday, October 24th, 2022 –  Robert Rosenbaum (13.3 MB, 57 min).

Meikyo Robert Rosenbaum, PhD

Meikyo Robert Rosenbaum, PhD

Visiting Teacher

Meikyo Robert Rosenbaum, PhD, received lay entrustment in Soto Zen from Sojun Mel Weitsman.  He is also authorized as a senior teacher of the Taoist practice of Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigong in the lineage of Yang Meijun by Master Hui Liu.  In addition, he has received denkai  in Ordinary Mind Zen from Karen Terzano. Bob teaches Zen and Qigong at the Meadowmind Center in Sacramento. Bob is the author of several books including Zen and the Heart of Psychotherapy, Walking the Way : 81 Zen Encounters with Tao Te Ching and most recently, That is not your Mind! Zen Reflections on the Sarangama Sutra.
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October 17th, 2022 – Way Seeking Mind Talk by Dave Jarrell

Talk given on Monday, October 17th, 2022 –  Dave Jarrell (11.2 MB, 48 min).

Ko Shin Dave Jarrell

Ko Shin Dave Jarrell

Board of Directors

Ko Shin Dave Jarrell was first attracted to Buddhism, and Zen in particular, through the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. He received the precepts from Rev. Myō Lahey and is a member of the Valley Streams Doan Ryo.

Dave works on the staff of Child Advocates of El Dorado County, and when not engaged with family, work, or sangha, he enjoys wandering through the Sierra Nevada.

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October 10th, 2022 – Way Seeking Mind Talk by Tony Wallin-Sato

A Talk given on October 10th, 2022 by Tony Wallin-Sato (16.9 MB, 1 hr 12 min).

Tony Wallin-Sato

Tony Wallin-Sato

Tony Wallin-Sato is a Japanese American who works with formerly/currently incarcerated individuals in higher education and is a long time Zen practitioner.  He received the Jukai precepts in October 2022.  He is on the board of directors of the Boundless Freedom Project.
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October 3rd, 2022 – Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given on Monday, October 3rd, 2022 –  Rev. So’on Jim Hare (12.2 MB, 52 min).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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September 26, 2022 – Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey

Dharma Talk given on Monday, July 11, 2022 –  Rev. Myo Lahey (13.2 MB, 56 min).

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Teachers

Rev. Myō Lahey is the guiding teacher for our sangha.  Rev. Myō became interested in Zen as a teenager and started full-time residential practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982. He received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999 and served as head of practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery from 2000 – 2002. He is now Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. (http://www.hszc.org)
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September 12th, 2022 – “Reflections on Engaged Mindfulness” – A Talk by Rhonda V. Magee

Practice Talk given by Rhonda V. Magee on Monday, September 12th, 2022 – (Audio Version: 17.9MB, 1 hr 13 min 10 sec).

Rhonda Magee, MA, JD

Rhonda Magee, MA, JD

Visiting Teacher

Rhonda Magee, MA, JD is an internationally recognized educator, author, and practice leader, focused on integrating mindfulness into social change.  She draws from Buddhist teachings, law and legal history, weaving together storytelling, poetry, analysis and practices.  A trained mindfulness teacher, Rhonda Magee demonstrates the merit of embodied meditation. Professor Magee has dedicated her life to healing and teaching that inspire personal, interpersonal and collective transformation.  Professor of Law at University of San Francisco since 2004, her teachings support compassionate conflict engagement and management, holistic problem-solving to alleviate suffering, presence-based leadership and humanizing approaches to education.
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September 5th, 2022 – “Social Identities as a Cause of Suffering” – by Paravrtti Doralee Grindler-Katonah and Sarah O’Gara

A program presented by Paravrtti Doralee Grindler-Katonah and Sarah O’Gara in preparation for the September 12th program with Rhonda V. Magee, MA, JD. Recorded on Monday, September 5th, 2022 – (Audio Version: 16.0 MB, 1 hr 6 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
Sarah O’Gara

Sarah O'Gara

Board of Directors, Other Sangha Leaders, Practice Committee

Sarah has practiced in several different Buddhist traditions including Nichiren Shoshu’s Soka Gakkai, the Chan lineage of Master Sheng Yen and, since 2007, in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.  She shares her avocation for botany and the natural world leading hikes for the Sacramento Valley Conservancy and volunteering at the Cosumnes River Preserve.   She is a retired IT professional and former camp cook for Forest Service backcountry work crews.  In addition to serving on our Board of Directors and Practice Committee, Sarah edits our events calendar and creates Eventbrite invitations.
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August 29, 2022 – A Practice Talk by Oscar Balaguer

Practice Talk given by Oscar Balaguer on Monday, August 29th, 2022 – (Audio Version: 11.4MB, 56 min 10 sec).

Oscar Balaguer

Oscar Balaguer

Senior Student

A longtime Zen practitioner and member of Valley Streams, Oscar was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson.

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August 22, 2022 – “A Fish Swims Like a Fish” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So On Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given by Rev. So On Jim Hare on Monday, July 18th, 2022 – (11.4MB, 47 min 3 sec).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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August 8, 2022 – Dharma Talk by Rev. Renshin Bunce

Dharma Talk given by Rev. Renshin Bunce on Monday, August 8th, 2022 – (13.7MB, 56 min 13 sec).

Rev. Renshin Bunce

Rev. Renshin Bunce

Visiting Teacher

Rev. Renshin Bunce is a California native, born in Marin County and raised in Southern California. In midlife, yearning for a peaceful mind, she began meditating, and met her teacher Myogen Steve Stücky in January of 1994. She made jukai (took her lay vows) with Myogen at Dharma Eye Zen Center in 1996, was priest ordained by Zenkei Blanche Hartman at San Francisco Zen Center in 2003, served as Shuso (head student) with Myogen at Tassajara in 2008, and received dharma transmission from him at Tassajara in April of 2013. Renshin lived at Zen Center for seven years, and then began training as a chaplain. She moved out of Zen Center in 2008 and worked as a hospice chaplain from 2010 until retiring in 2022. She has written two books, Entering the Monastery, a record of her time at Zen Center, which was published in 2008; and Love and Fear, reflections on chaplaincy, which was published in 2020.
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July 18, 2022 – “Commentary on Being-time” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So On Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given by Rev. So On Jim Hare on Monday, July 18th, 2022 – (13.5MB, 59 min 10 sec).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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July 11, 2022 – Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey

Dharma Talk given on Monday, July 11, 2022 –  Rev. Myo Lahey (12.7 MB, 54 min).

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Teachers

Rev. Myō Lahey is the guiding teacher for our sangha.  Rev. Myō became interested in Zen as a teenager and started full-time residential practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982. He received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999 and served as head of practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery from 2000 – 2002. He is now Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. (http://www.hszc.org)
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June 27, 2022 – “Letting life unfold in unpredictable ways from the mystery” – Dharma Talk by Rev. Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Dharma Talk given by Rev. Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah on Monday, June 27th, 2022 – (12.4 MB, 44 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
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June 13, 2022 – Dharma Talk by Rev. Eijun Linda Cutts

Dharma Talk given by ev. Eijun Linda Cutts on Monday, June 13, 2022 – (13.6 MB, 37 min 50sec).

Eijun Linda Cutts

Eijun Linda Cutts

Visiting Teacher

Eijun Linda Cutts came to San Francisco Zen Center in 1971 and was ordained as a priest in 1975. She has lived at Tassajara and SFZC’s City Center, and has resided at Green Gulch Farm since 1993. In 1996 Linda received Dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson. After having served as Abbess of SF Zen Center from 2000 to 2007, she was appointed Abiding Abbess of Green Gulch Farm Zen Center in 2010, and Central Abbess of SF Zen Center in 2014. As Senior Dharma Teacher, she continues to teach and lead practice periods and retreats at Tassajara, Green Gulch, and elsewhere, and has been leading Yoga-Zen retreats and workshops for many years.
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June 6, 2022 – Dharma Talk by Rev. Zenki Mary Mocine

Dharma Talk given by Rev. Zenki Mary Mocine on Monday, June 6, 2022 – (12.5MB, 37 min 50sec).

Rev. Zenki Mary Mocine

Rev. Zenki Mary Mocine

Visiting Teacher

Reverend Mary Mocine is abbess of Clear Water Zendo in Vallejo. She was trained at San Francisco and Berkeley Zen Centers, and Tassajara Zen Monastery. She was ordained in 1994 by Sojun Mel Weitsman, former Abbot of San Francisco Zen Center and continuing Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. Reverend Mocine has also trained with Abbess Zenkei Blanche Hartman and former Abbots Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Tenshin Reb Anderson of the San Francisco Zen Center. She received dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in May 2005.
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May 23, 2022 – Dharma Talk by Rev. So On Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given by Rev. So On Jim Hare on Monday, May23, 2022 – (13.5MB, 37 min 50sec).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.
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May 17, 2022 – “Reflections on Being Shuso” – Dharma Talk by Rev. Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Dharma Talk given by Rev. Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah on Monday, May 17th, 2022 – (10.6MB, 44 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
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May 9, 2022 – Dharma Talk by Danan John Wark

Dharma Talk given on Monday, May 9, 2022 –  Danan John Wark (11.6MB, 50 min).

Danan John Wark

Danan John Wark

Visiting Teacher

Danan John Wark, abbot of Cloud Zendo in Pilot Hill, practices koan introspection and has received inka from Zen Master BoMun (George Bowman) in the Single Flower Sangha tradition. Master BoMun is associated with the Kwan Um School of Zen and also with Boundless Way Zen. John has also studied koans with Tenshin Reb Anderson at No Abode Hermitage. Cloud Zendo offers sutra service and zazen every Saturday morning at 8:30 in Auburn at Sierra Foothills Unitarian Universalist Church, 190 Finley St., Auburn, CA 95603.
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May 3, 2022 – “Faith Commitment” – Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey

Dharma Talk given on Monday, May 3, 2022 –  Rev. Myo Lahey (13.4MB, 54 min).

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Rev. Myō Denis Lahey

Teachers

Rev. Myō Lahey is the guiding teacher for our sangha.  Rev. Myō became interested in Zen as a teenager and started full-time residential practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982. He received dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999 and served as head of practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery from 2000 – 2002. He is now Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. (http://www.hszc.org)
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April 25, 2022 – A Dharma Talk by Diane Wilde

Dharma Talk given by Diane Wilde on Monday, April 25th, 2022 – (15.5MB, 1 hr. 4 min).

Diane Wilde

Diane Wilde

Diane Wilde has studied meditation in various traditions since 1990. In 2001 she was a founding member of Sacramento Insight Meditation. She founded Buddhist Pathways Prison Project (aka Boundless Freedom Project) in 2010 and has been a prison chaplain for 18 years. She is a graduate of Sati Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy program and graduated from Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Community Dharma Leadership Training Program. She is a board member of Sati Center for Buddhist Studies at the Sacramento Dharma Center. In 2015 she was lay-ordained as a Buddhist minister by Gil Fronsdal.
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April 11, 2022 – “Dogen’s Eihei Koso Hotsuganmon” – A Dharma Talk by Hoka Chris Fortin

Dharma Talk given by Rev. Hoka Chris Fortin on Monday, April 11th, 2022 – (12.8MB, 49 min).

Hoka Soko Chris Fortin

Hoka Soko Chris Fortin

Visiting Teacher

Chris began her practice in 1976 at the San Francisco Zen Center, and received Dharma Transmission from Zoketsu Norman Fischer. She is founding and guiding teacher of the Dharma Heart Zen sanghas in Sonoma County, an Everyday Zen senior priest and teacher, and guiding teacher for Sky Island Zen in Tucson, AZ. She offers retreats and practice groups through SF Zen Center that include Jizo Bodhisattva Journeys through grief and change, Jizo Ceremonies, Wildland Firefights Retreats. She co-founded Veterans Path for current era veterans and co-facilitates (with Valley Streams Ino Doralee Grindler Katonah) an ongoing Racial and Social Justice as Dharma Practice group.
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April 4, 2022 – “The Precious Jewel of Sangha Life” – Dharma Talk by Rev. Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Dharma Talk given by Rev. Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah on Monday, April 4, 2022 – (4.7MB, 19 min).

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah

Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Ino,  or head of the meditation hall. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha this May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
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April 2, 2022 – “Self-Fulfilling Samadhi” – Dharma Talk by Rev. So On Jim Hare

Dharma Talk given by Rev. So On Jim Hare on Monday, April 2, 2022 – (9.5MB, 37 min 50sec).

Rev. So’on Jim Hare

Rev. So'on Jim Hare

Board of Directors, Practice Committee, Teachers

Serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985, and priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period.