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 […]
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 zazen, we rest awake in the boundless silence and stillness that invisibly nourishes and sustains our everyday, active lives. The mind holds the body, and the body holds the mind, in deeply habitual ways. In zazen (just sitting with nothing to get ahold of and nothing to get away from – in complete acceptance), […]
After 2 opening periods of zazen, followed by morning service, we will offer Doan training for anyone who would like to strike the bells (the doan), play the wooden fish or mokugyo (the fukudo), or intone the sutra title and dedication (eko) of the service (the kokyo). Participants don’t have to commit to future service […]
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 […]
On August 15, the Sacramento Dharma Center is marking 10 years of providing a home for Buddha’s wisdom and compassion in our community. To celebrate this milestone, we invite you to join us for an ice cream social and birthday party at the Dharma Center from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. We will also be […]
Jizo is the beloved Great Bodhisattva found within many Buddhist traditions, who carries us across the threshold of death and loss and safely accompanies us through the ‘hell zones’ of deep suffering. Especially honored in Japan, Jizo (also known as ‘Earth Store’ or ‘Earth Womb’) brings to us the qualities of courage, fearlessness, and tenderness needed […]
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 […]
This retreat will be dedicated to cultivating equanimity, defined within the early Buddhist teaching of The Four Brahmaviharas. Equanimity, one of the four divine and immeasurable attitudes, is not a superficial attitude. It’s not a mask that one wears on top of tension or grievances, and it's not like floating among the clouds far above […]
Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah serves as Ino, or head of the meditation hall. She studied 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 Center in Sunnyvale, California. She was lay ordained in […]
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 […]