Join Valley Streams Sangha Board of Directors for a Sunday potluck brunch to celebrate Valley Streams' 20th Anniversary. Spouses, partners, friends and family---are all invited. Gather at 10 am to […]
Full-Day Sitting - in person - 8:30 am - 8:45 pm This sitting will be in person at the Dharma Center and will not be offered on Zoom. Traditional oryoki […]
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 […]
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 […]
"What we call 'I' is just a swing door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves; that is all. When your mind is pure and […]
"Hiding a heron in the moonlight" is a line from the Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, a Zen poem written in 9th century China. The phrase (and the whole […]
"Communing with the Source, travel the pathways, embrace the territory, and treasure the road.” Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi Whether sitting, walk, sitting, standing, or lying down we open […]
The theme of this sitting is the essay Zenki (the Whole Works), Zen master Dogen's vision of realization manifested in both life and death Guest teacher Kokyo Henkel will lead […]
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 […]
A monk asked Dongshan: What is Buddha? Donshan replied, 'Three pounds of flax.' Whether sitting, walk, sitting, standing, or lying down we open wholeheartedly to the Way and Buddha activity […]
Sitting in stillness and silence is an excellent method for entering the door of liberation; this door is open to everyone. The first chapter of the Flower Garland Sutra recounts […]
Reverend Mary Mocine is Abbess of Clear Water Zendo. She trained at San Francisco and Berkeley Zen Centers, and at Tassajara Zen Monastery. She was priest ordained by Sojun Mel […]