Following up on January's half-day, we'll explore the next lines in the Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi and their guidance for our practice. This retreat day will be led by So'on Jim Hare. The day will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, morning Dharma talk and afternoon Q&A/discusson. Jim will be available for […]
On the second Monday of each month, we offer a 40-minute introduction to Zen practice. We focus on the art of sitting meditation, with emphasis on posture, breath and mental focus. This is for new meditators and those wishing to refresh their practice of meditative immersion. Following the instruction the Valley Streams Zen Sangha meets […]
The SDC Library Committee is excited to announce that we are throwing a debut party to celebrate over two years of volunteer work. Our library of more than 1,600 Buddhist related titles has been reorganized and catalogued online. **Please join us as we mark this accomplishment and share SDC’s resource! Highlights include: Introduction to the […]
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, […]
On the second Monday of each month, we offer a 40-minute introduction to Zen practice. We focus on the art of sitting meditation, with emphasis on posture, breath and mental focus. This is for new meditators and those wishing to refresh their practice of meditative immersion. Following the instruction the Valley Streams Zen Sangha meets […]
In this Dharma poem we hear how to build a thatched hut and to practice zazen by turning the light around. Our daylong retreat will focus on the classic Zen poem, Song Of The Thatched Hermitage by our lineage ancestor Shitou, who also wrote the Sandokai or the Harmony of Difference and Equality. There will […]
On the second Monday of each month, we offer a 40-minute introduction to Zen practice. We focus on the art of sitting meditation, with emphasis on posture, breath and mental focus. This is for new meditators and those wishing to refresh their practice of meditative immersion. Following the instruction the Valley Streams Zen Sangha meets […]
Be part of our Sangha of Embodied Women Co-creating Our Future. Our weekend together at Green Gulch Farm will include dharma teachings, meditation, mindfulness practice, yoga, conversation and sharing, communal living and eating. There will be generous free time for walking in nature or whatever your heart desires. Plus, the merriment of art making and […]
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, […]
On the second Monday of each month, we offer a 40-minute introduction to Zen practice. We focus on the art of sitting meditation, with emphasis on posture, breath and mental focus. This is for new meditators and those wishing to refresh their practice of meditative immersion. Following the instruction the Valley Streams Zen Sangha meets […]
We create nests of being that call for release for our true nature to freely engage our everyday lives. Come practice together. The theme of this one-day retreat will be a discussion of the koan, “If you don’t swing the sword, the fisherperson stays in the nest.” (68 Jiashan “Swinging the Sword”, Book of Serenity.) […]
On the second Monday of each month, we offer a 40-minute introduction to Zen practice. We focus on the art of sitting meditation, with emphasis on posture, breath and mental focus. This is for new meditators and those wishing to refresh their practice of meditative immersion. Following the instruction the Valley Streams Zen Sangha meets […]