"Letting Go of Self-Concern" - Half-day Sitting led by Rev. So’on Jim Hare (In Person Only)
2025-06-07 08:30 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Join us for a half-day of sitting and walking meditation with a Dharma talk focusing on the practice that releases us from self-obsession.

There is a movie playing in the untrained consciousness. This movie stars me, is produced and directed by me. The plot of the movie features my interests, my problems, and my desires. Other people are the supporting cast.
The direction of Zen practice is toward a more inclusive, less self-centered awareness. How do we make that movie? Arousing the spirit of awakening is to imagine and realize a more panoramic vision of the self.
This half-day retreat will feature periods of sitting and walking meditation and a Dharma talk by So’on Jim Hare. A social lunch will follow the retreat; please bring your own. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. For more information, please email us at info@valleystreamszen.org.

Please register here.

Freedom and Independence: Half-day Sitting led by Rev. So’on Jim Hare (In Person Only)
2025-07-05 09:00 - 12:30
For this retreat we’re keeping it simple with no Eventbrite registration, no Dharma talk and no service. We will chant the refuges at the end. We’ll start at 9 and end at 12:30, followed by a social lunch for those who want to stay. Just show up enough before 9 a.m. so we can start on time. Please bring a bag lunch.
If this will be your first retreat day with us or you have questions, please email: info@valleystreamszen.org

"Realizing Non-Duality" - Half-day Sitting led by Rev. So’on Jim Hare (In Person Only)
2025-10-04 08:30 - 12:30
“The Way is not difficult, just avoid picking and choosing.” So said one of our ancient Chinese Zen teachers. The irony of this statement has not been lost over the centuries: as human beings we seem to be built for picking and choosing. Does that mean we will always be remote from the Buddha Way? That can’t be so! But how do we leap beyond our preferences, the strong habit falling into one side or the other? This question will be the theme of our retreat.
This half-day retreat will feature periods of sitting and walking meditation and a Dharma talk by So’on Jim Hare. A social lunch will follow the retreat; please bring your own. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. If this will be your first extended sitting with us, please send us a note at info@valleystreamszen.org to introduce yourself.
Please register here.

Rohatsu Sesshin Half-Day Sitting and Buddha’s Enlightenment Ceremony (In Person Only)
2025-12-07 08:30 - 12:00
Half-day Sitting – In Person – 8:30 am – 12 noon.
Today concludes the seven days of intensive practice with a half-day sitting and the Buddha’s Enlightenment Ceremony.
We will gather after the ceremony to share a buffet lunch.
Register for week-long program on Eventbrite
This traditional week of intensified practice celebrates the enlightenment of our original teacher in India, Shakyamuni Buddha. Rohatsu sesshin is a time for bringing light into the dark time of the year and for celebrating Buddha’s awakening, which is our awakening too.

"When arrow points meet head-on" - Half-day Sitting led by Rev. So’on Jim Hare (In Person Only)
2026-01-03 08:30 - 12:30
Our January half-day retreat will include zazen, walking meditation (kinhin), a Dharma talk by So’on Jim Hare, and a social lunch to follow.

In his Dharma talk, Rev. So’on will discuss the ancient Chinese story referenced in the line, “When arrow points meet head-on, what has this to do with the power of skill” (from Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi) and its meaning for our practice. At the conclusion, we will enjoy our bag lunches and conversation.
Attendance is available on a sliding scale from $10 to $50. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Please bring a bag lunch if you intend to stay for lunch.
If this will be your first extended sitting with us, please send us a note at info@valleystreamszen.org to introduce yourself.

Please register here.

"Zen Freedom, Zen Enjoyment" - Half-day Sitting led by Nyokai Kristin Diggs (In Person Only)
2026-03-07 08:30 - 12:30
This half-day retreat will include zazen, walking meditation (kinhin), a Dharma talk by Nyokai Kristin Diggs, and a social lunch to follow.
Nyokai Kristin Diggs joined our sangha as Teacher in 2026. Prior to moving to Sacramento, she trained residentially at all three San Francisco Zen Center temples (2014-2025), holding a number of senior positions, including Ino, Tenzo, and Work Leader. Lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson and priest ordained by Eijun Linda Cutts, she served as Shuso during the winter 2025 practice period at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, led by Eijun Linda Cutts.
In her Dharma talk, Nyokai Kristin Diggs will discuss “Not ignoring causation and not falling under its yoke.” Suzuki Roshi said, “Real freedom is to not feel limited when wearing this Zen robe, this troublesome formal robe. Similarly in our busy life we should wear this civilization…without ignoring it, without being caught by it. Without going anywhere, without escaping it, we can find composure in this busy life.”
A social lunch – bring your own – will follow the sitting.
Attendance is available on a sliding scale from $10 to $50. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
If this will be your first extended sitting with us, please send us a note at info@valleystreamszen.org to introduce yourself.
Please register here.

"Cultivating the Mind of Equality" - Half-day Sitting led by So’on Jim Hare (In Person Only)
2026-05-02 08:30 - 12:30
Our practice of observing thoughts and feelings without getting involved in them cultivates the mind of equality.
As we go through life, we learn that it is not possible to control circumstances so that everything always goes smoothly; not possible to make it so that there are never any deviations from our plans, our hopes, and our desires. Zen practice is teaches us how to meet pleasant and unpleasant circumstances with the mind of equaity.
“There is a power which you cannot grasp with your rational mind. It operates freely, according to the situation, in a more natural way. At the same time, this power functions in our lives to clarify and settle activities and is beneficial to all living beings.” Dogen
If this will be your first extended sitting with us, please send us a note at info@valleystreamszen.org to introduce yourself.
A social lunch – bring your own – will follow the sitting.
Attendance is available on a sliding scale from $10 to $50. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Please register here.
