Valley Streams Zen Sangha

Introduction to Zen Meditation (In Person Only)
2024-07-08 18:00 - 18:40, 2024-08-12 18:00 - 18:40, 2024-09-09 18:00 - 18:40, 2024-10-14 18:00 - 18:40, 2024-11-11 18:00 - 18:40, 2024-12-09 18:00 - 18:40, 2025-01-13 18:00 - 18:40, 2025-02-10 18:00 - 18:40 (America/Los_Angeles) and 2 more dates | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 for a 30-minute meditation in the Dharma Hall followed by a 10-minute service and Dharma talk. You are invited to stay for these events after the instruction.
* Meets in the Library at Sacramento Dharma Center.
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BIPOC Sangha Movie Night Fundraiser (In Person)
2024-07-19 18:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Join SBMG’s BIPOC Sangha for an inspiring movie night as we screen the powerful 2008 film “The Dhamma Brothers.” This event is a special fundraiser hosted by The Sacramento Buddhist Group to support our BIPOC Sangha (Meditation) group. Your generous contributions will help provide class and retreat scholarships for BIPOC practitioners, support visiting BIPOC teachers through dana (donations), and cover general costs incurred by the sangha.
Date & Time: July 19th, 2024 | Doors open 6pm, Screening begins 6:30pm
Location: Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Dr, Sacramento, CA 95826
Suggested Donation: $10-$15 (However no one will be turned away for lack of funds)
About the Film: “The Dhamma Brothers” tells the remarkable story of a group of inmates at a maximum-security prison in Alabama who undergo a transformative journey through the practice of Vipassana meditation. The film offers a profound look at the power of meditation and its ability to bring change in the most unexpected places.
Event Highlights:

Inclusive Community Event: Welcoming BIPOC and allied practitioners to explore diverse perspectives within the dharma.
Refreshments: Enjoy a selection of snacks and drinks.
Support Local Businesses: Take the opportunity to support a few small, local BIPOC businesses that will be present at the event.

This movie night is more than just a film screening; it’s a chance to come together as a community, learn, and support a meaningful cause. Whether you’re a long-time practitioner or new to meditation, this event is open to all. We look forward to seeing you there!
To RSVP, click here.
All funds raised will directly benefit the BIPOC Sangha, helping to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all practitioners. Thank you for your support!

Family Sangha Field Trip (In Person)
2024-07-27 10:00 - 12:00 | Soil Born Farms, 2140 Chase Dr, Rancho Cordova, 95670, United States
Welcome to Family Sangha, sponsored by Sacramento Dharma Center with the support of Sacramento Buddhist Meditation Group, Valley Streams Zen Sangha, and Sacramento Insight Meditation.
On SATURDAY July 27, Family Sangha will meet at the playground of Soil Born Farms. 2140 Chase Dr, Rancho Cordova, CA. The playground is just past the Farm Stand and Kids’ Garden. Look for the event host, Ian, who will be wearing a shirt with mango prints on it for easy identification! We will explore how farm plants and animals grow, change, and nourish us, and become aware, close up, of our interdependence with the natural world.
Time: Saturday (not Sunday!), July 27. 10 AM–12 PM. Please arrive 15–20 minutes early to allow time for parking and walking to the playground.
Soil Born Farms, a nonprofit urban agriculture and education project, is open to the public on Saturdays from 8am-3pm. Following the Family Sangha event, you and your family may linger, wander around, buy food at the café, and buy produce at the farm stand. Please contact Ian MacLeod at ian.r.macleod@gmail.com with questions.
If you have any questions, or wish to help in any way, please contact Ajit and Helen at familydharma@sbmg.org. We are actively seeking childcare helpers and a mindfulness facilitator. Stipends are available. Please let us know if you have recommendations.

Half-day Sitting (In Person)
2024-08-03 09:00 - 12:00 | Valley Streams Zen Sangha, Sacramento Dharma Center 3111 Wisseman Dr., Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Join the sangha for a half-day of shikantaza or just sitting with alternating periods of zazen (sitting meditation) and kinhin (walking meditation), In the “grass-roof hermitage we “just sit” followed by a social lunch at noon (please bring a bag lunch).
Registration is requested, but not required. Dana is appreciated. Donation can be made below. No one will be excluded for lack of funds. If this will be your first retreat day with us or you have questions, please email: info@valleystreamszen.org

Song of the Grass-Roof Hermitage
Shih-t’ou (700-790)
I’ve built a grass hut where there’s nothing of value.
After eating, I relax and enjoy a nap.
When it was completed, fresh weeds appeared.
Now it’s been lived in – covered by weeds…
Just sitting with head covered, all things are at rest.
Thus, this mountain monk doesn’t understand at all.
Living here they no longer work to get free.
Who would proudly arrange seats, trying to entice guests?
Shitou Xiqian was an early Chinese Zen master. He was called one of Zen’s two ‘great jewels’ For some years, he meditated continually in a hut built on a rock at Nan Monastery, and was thus called Shitou (“Priest Rock Head”)

The path of Zen: Half-day Sitting led by So’on Jim Hare (In Person)
2024-09-07 08:30 - 12:30 | Valley Streams Zen Sangha, Sacramento Dharma Center 3111 Wisseman Dr., Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
The path of Zen: Can you get there from here?
In many Zen texts and teachings, the path of Zen is described as what not to do, such as “don’t take the mind road” or “cease all the movement of the conscious mind.” What is the reason for this? How does it help us in our practice? We will consider these questions through sitting zazen and hearing a Dharma talk at our half-day sitting on Saturday, September 7th, 8:30 -12:30.
Led by So’on Jim Hare. A social lunch will follow this sitting – please bring your own.
Tickets can be purchased below with suggested donation $10 -$30. No one will be excluded for lack of funds. If this will be your first retreat day with us or you have questions, please email: info@valleystreamszen.org

Valley Streams Zen Sangha Annual Meeting (In-person)
2024-10-19 10:00 - 13:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
You are invited to Valley Streams’ Annual Meeting and potluck brunch. Spouses, partners, friends, and family—all are welcome. Gather at 10 a.m. to share a meal and each other’s company. After the brunch, the 2024-2025 Board and officers will be introduced and give a report on the state of the sangha. You will get an update on the Sangha’s financial health, including the Maitreya Fund that was established last year to provide a resource for future Sangha leadership. We look forward to enjoyable conversations and hearing your thoughts about ongoing Sangha activities.

Knowing who you are: One-day Retreat Led by Rev. So'on Jim Hare (In Person)
2024-11-02 08:30 - 16:30 | Valley Streams Zen Sangha, Sacramento Dharma Center 3111 Wisseman Dr., Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
“Practicing zazen is a way of knowing beyond perceptions of a self, a soul, a living being or a person” – a Zen reading of the Diamond Sutra.
One-day retreat (8:30 am – 4:30 pm) which includes sitting and walking meditation, a Dharma talk and discussion period. Outside the meditation hall we will maintain noble silence. Please bring a bag lunch.
Suggested donation is $10 – $80. No one will be excluded for lack of funds. Please write to info@valleystreamszen.org to request a scholarship or if this will be your first extended sitting with us. You are welcome!
Please register here.

Community Potluck for all 3 Sanghas (In Person)
2024-11-03 12:00 - 14:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Please join us for the community potluck. All are welcome!
RSVP here and sign up to bring a dish to share.

Women's Group Retreat (In person)
2024-11-23 13:00 - 16:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
This group is CLOSED AT THIS TIME.
For more information please contact Doralee Grindler Katonah at grindkaton@icloud.com

Gratitude Dinner for the Sangha (In Person)
2024-11-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
As an expression of our deeply felt gratitude for the Sangha and the myriad ways its members support us and each other, the Valley Streams Board will offer dinner to all those who can join us on Monday, November 25.
Dinner will be provided by the board. What better way to start Thanksgiving week than with one less meal to prepare? We’ll begin at 6:00 p.m. with a short sit and chant/dedication. Dinner in the break room will follow.
Please RSVP here by Friday, November 22th. Please note the start time is at 6:00 p.m.

Rohatsu Sesshin Full Day Sitting (In Person)
2024-12-06 08:30 - 20:45, 2024-12-07 08:30 - 20:45 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 meals will be served at noon and for the “medicine meal” in the evening.
Register for week-long program on Eventbrite
Full 7-Day Rohatsu Schedule
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.

Rohatsu Sesshin Half-Day Sitting and Buddha’s Enlightenment Ceremony (In Person)
2024-12-08 08:30 - 12:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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
Full 7-Day Rohatsu Schedule
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.

Half-day Retreat with Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (In Person Only)
2025-01-04 08:30 - 12:30 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Entering the seasons/the movement from day to night/the swirling of earth around the sun/the faces of the moon/the new year’s dawn.
Come practice together at the dawn of the New Year, sensing freshly the interconnectednes of all of life and our unique places in the universe. Periods of zazen, and kinhin, a Dharma talk, and service. This half-day retreat will be led by Paravritti Doralee Grindler Katonah, Valley Streams Zen Sangha’s leader of the meditation hall. At the conclusion, we will enjoy our bag lunches and sharing gentle conversation.
This retreat is offered by donation. Please consider a donation between $20 – $40. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Please contact Ino@valleystreamszen.org if this will be your first retreat day with Valley Streams Zen or if you would like a scholarship.

Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah 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 2022 practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha. She offers practice interviews upon request.

Please register here.

Taking Refuge in the Body: One-day Retreat Led by Rev. So'on Jim Hare (In Person Only)
2025-02-01 08:30 - 16:30 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
In sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talk and discussion we will consider “one essence in three bodies,” aka the triple body of Buddha.

The Platform Sutra says: “One’s skin and flesh is the physical body… but you can’t take refuge in it. Just be enlightened to the three bodies of the self-nature, and this will be to recognize the Buddha of the self-nature.” How do we recognize and enjoy the Buddha body within our ourselves and others? This inquiry will be the subject of our retreat, which will consist of sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talk and discussion.
Please bring a bag lunch. A donation of $20-$80 is requested. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. If this will be your first one-day sitting, please contact us before registering at info@valleystreamszen.org
Please register here.

Once in a Blue Moon - Half-day Sitting and Sponsored Lunch. Led by Rev. Myō Lahey (Hybrid, Speaker in Person)
2025-03-01 08:30 - 14:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Rev. Myō‘s second Dharma name is Seigetsu or blue moon, pointing to his unique expression of Buddha nature. Since the pandemic, Myō has made few personal appearances in Sacramento, so we are happy to offer this opportunity to practice with him and hear his Dharma talk. The morning will include an Eye-Opening Ceremony for the garden Jizo statue. Valley Streams Board members and volunteers will offer lunch. Please honor the teacher with a gift of Dana at the retreat.
If you want to attend the sitting, but not the lunch, please send a message to info@valleystreamszen.org. Everyone is welcome!
Tickets can be purchased below with suggested donation $20 -$40. No one will be excluded for lack of funds. If this will be your first retreat day with us or you have questions, please email: info@valleystreamszen.org
Please register here.
*Zoom Link to program

Practicing With The Precepts: A Study Group Series (In Person Only)
2025-03-04 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-03-18 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-04-01 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-04-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
PRACTICING WITH THE PRECEPTS
– A Study Group Series –
Teacher: Rev. Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah
Tuesday evenings, 6 – 7:30 pm
(March 4, 18; April 1 ,15, 29; May 13, 2025)
Register at Ino@valleystreamszen.org
• A commitment to attend each session is expected.
• Recommended dana: $50
The Precepts, offered by the Buddha, are descriptions of enlightened, wholehearted living, naturally expressing compassionate and wise action, and open presence – a way of life dedicated to relieving suffering and realizing the truth of the interconnectedness of all living beings.
The Precepts reveal infinite possibilities of living an awakened reality. Through learning to interact with the Precepts, we set in motion a process of character development that will transform our lives. Through engagement and inquiry, we open a process of spiritual growth. We are given mirrors of the many ways we restrict our lives and turn away from letting go of self.
During our time together we will invite the precepts into our meditation practice, witness how they interact and transform our everyday experiences, and develop our capacity to receive guidance and insight from within. Together we will explore the multilayered meanings of each precept in an open and safe environment. This group is open to all who want to devote time and practice to this study together.
We will meet biweekly for 6 sessions. Our primary text will be Opening to Oneness – A Practical Guide to the Zen Precepts, by Nancy Mujo Baker (2023). Additional commentaries will be offered.
Rev. Doralee Grindler Katonah, Psy.D., M.Div. has been a student of ethics, both through her work as a clinical psychologist, her study of philosophy in undergraduate university, as a graduate student in the history of religions, and her 40-year study of Buddhism. She serves as Ino or head of the meditation hall for Valley Streams Zen Sangha. She studies in the Soto Zen Lineage of Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbarra Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, founder and 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 May 2022.
*Three Pure Precepts
I vow to refrain from all evil.
I vow to make every effort to live in enlightenment.
I vow to live and be lived for the benefit of all beings.
*Ten Essential Precepts
I vow not to kill; rather cultivate and encourage life.
I vow not to take what is not given; rather cultivate generosity.
I vow not to misuse sexuality, rather cultivate and encourage honest and caring relationships.
I vow to refrain from false speech; rather cultivate and encourage truthful communication.
I vow to refrain from intoxicants; rather cultivate and encourage clarity.
I vow not to slander; rather cultivate and encourage respectful speech.
I vow not to praise self at the expense of others; rather cultivate and encourage self and others to abide in their awakened nature.
I vow not to be avaricious; rather cultivate and encourage mutual support.
I vow not to harbor ill will; rather cultivate and encourage lovingkindness and understanding.
I vow not to disparage the Three Treasures; rather cultivate and encourage awakening, the path and teaching of awakening and the community that takes refuge in awakening.
*excerpted from online document at San Francisco Zen Center.

Spring Sangha Hike and Picnic
2025-04-19 10:00 - 13:00 | Effie Year Nature Center, 2850 San Lorenzo Way, Carmichael, 95608, 95608, United States
Let’s enjoy a leisurely nature walk starting at the Effie Year Nature Center followed by a cozy picnic with friends and family at this Spring Sangha event. Meet at the Dharma Center at 9:30 a.m. to carpool or meet everyone there at 10. Bring walking shoes, sunscreen, and a sun hat. Trails are wheel chair compatible and there is no elevation change. Bring a lunch, and a blanket to sit on. To let us know your coming to this free event, click on the Eventbrite signup link below.
Questions?: Contact Andria Amaya at liftmeup333@yahoo.com or 916-284-9867.
Signup on eventbrite.
