Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey
2018-08-20 19:00 - 21:00, 2018-09-17 19:00 - 21:00, 2018-10-22 19:00 - 21:00, 2018-11-26 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Rev. Myo Lahey is Abbot at Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco and our guiding teacher. He has previously served as Practice Leader at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He is a Dharma heir of Tenshin Reb Anderson.
Rev. Myo is available for individual practice discussion by appointment prior to our Monday evening program. Please email info@valleystreamszen.org

Retreat Night
2018-08-27 19:00
On Retreat Night we enjoy our traditional retreat night; a chance to settle into our meditation practice with three 25-minute periods of zazen, interspersed with walking meditation (kinhin). Turning the light inward we explore the causes of suffering and what ends it. This invitation is extended to everyone.

Shamata/Vipassana Teachings - So On Jim Hare
2018-09-10 19:00 - 21:00

Fall Study Period Begins
2018-10-01 19:00 - 21:00
Our fall study period echoes the centuries-old tradition of Buddhist communities gathering for “winter rains” retreats. This is a time for deepening one’s study of the Buddha Way.
In a traditional Zen practice period you are in residence. Your days are regulated by a schedule of zazen, service, formal oryoki meals, and work around the temple grounds and kitchen. Simply following the schedule, you find yourself carried along in the stream of practice. You sit zazen, hear and study teachings, and meet with a teacher for dokusan or practice discussion. Your individual effort is reinforced by the collective effort of the sangha. The Valley Streams study period replicates some aspects of a traditional practice period, but relies more on your individual motivation and effort. It requires faith and confidence to remember you are joining other Sangha members when you sit, study, and work. More information here.
The study period will be led by So On Jim Hare. Our focus will be on Yogacara, an influential school of Buddhist philosophy that explains how our human experience is constructed by the mind. “All experience is preceded by mind, led by mind, made by mind”: this opening line of the Dhammapada could be called the root position of Yogacara thought. It captures the “radical” idea that nothing appears except what is previously conceived in human thought and perception. The Yogacara (yoga practice) school arose in 5th century India and was influential at the same time that the Zen school was developing in China. We will explore the central ideas of Yogacara thought, as succinctly conveyed through the text known as Vasubandhu’s Thirty Verses. Ben Connelly’s book Inside Vasubandhu’s Yogacara: a Practitioner’s Guide (Wisdom Publications, 2016) will be our guide.

Dharma Talk by So On Jim Hare
2018-10-01 19:00 - 21:00
Who was Vasubandhu?

Vasubandhu's 30 Verses, by So On Jim Hare
2018-10-08 19:00 - 21:00, 2018-10-15 19:00 - 21:00
In fourth-century India one of the great geniuses of Buddhism, Vasubandhu, sought to reconcile the diverse ideas and forms of Buddhism practiced at the time and demonstrate how they could be effectively integrated into a single system. This was the Yogacara movement, and it continues to have great influence in modern Tibetan and Zen Buddhism. Vasubandhu’s “Thirty Verses” lay out a path of practice that integrates the most powerful of Buddhism’s psychological and mystical possibilities: Early Buddhism’s practices for shedding afflictive emotional habits and the Mahayana emphasis on shedding divisive concepts, the path of individual liberation and the path of freeing all beings, the path to nirvana and the path of enlightenment as the very ground of being right now.
This is a continuation of our Fall Practice Period theme on Yogacara, using Ben Connelly’s book, Inside Vasubandhu’s Yogacara: A Practitioner’s Guide for reference.

Sejiki Ceremony
2018-10-29 19:00 - 21:00
Our Sejiki or food-offering, ceremony is an opportunity to call forth the spirits of those who have passed this way before, offering them solace and acknowledging our ongoing connection to them. Treats, tea and conversation after the ceremony. Please bring noise makers and a treat to share.
If you would like the name of a loved one who has died during the past year, recited in the ceremony, please send the full name of that person (and pronunciation) to info@valleystreamszen.org.

Koan Study, led by Doralee Grindler Katonah
2018-11-05 19:00 - 21:00
Doralee will lead us in an experiential process of working with the different characters in a koan as parts of ourselves. Through sharing these experiences we may become open to something fresh arising. The koan we will work with is “Senjo and Her Soul are Separated“, p. 157 in The Hidden Lamp – Stories from Twenty-five Centuries of Awakened Women. Florence Caplow and Susan Moon, eds. (Wisdom Publications, 2013).
Copies of the koan will be provided.
The transmission of the dharma happens through intimate encounters, between seekers on the path and between students and teachers, to awaken us to our true selves and to relieve our suffering. Koans are stories of such encounters that at first appear opaque or like conundrums that don’t make sense. Koans are meant to come alive to us and meet us exactly where we are blind to our awakening, yet the keys to unlocking the awakening process offered in koans calls upon us to engage these stories beyond our usual ways of thinking.

Vasubandhu's Thirty Verses by So On Jim Hare
2018-11-12 19:00 - 21:00

Dharma Talk by Lama Yeshe Jinpa
2018-11-19 19:00 - 21:00
Lama Yeshe Jinpa is the spiritual director and resident teacher of Lion’s Roar Dharma Center in Sacramento. In 1995, Lama Jinpa received direct heart/mind transmission from Geshe Gyatso, after 25 years of Dharma practice and study. He is one of the few western lamas recognized within the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan or Vajrayana Buddhism, the lineage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Impressions from Sesshin - Panel Presentation
2018-12-03 19:00 - 21:00

Retreat Night
2018-12-10 19:00 - 21:00
Retreat Night offers an opportunity to settle into your meditation practice with three 25-minute periods of zazen, interspersed with walking meditation (kinhin). Turning the light inward, we explore the causes of suffering and what ends it. This invitation is extended to everyone.

Potluck Supper with Susan Moon
2018-12-17 17:30 - 18:30
You are invited to share a meal with the sangha prior to our evening sit and Dharma talk.

Dharma Talk by Susan Moon
2018-12-17 19:00 - 21:00
Susan Moon is a writer, editor, and lay teacher in the Soto Zen tradition. She is the author of a number of books about Buddhism, including the humor book The Life and Letters of Tofu Roshi and This Is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity. For many years she was the editor of Turning Wheel, the journal of socially engaged Buddhism. Her short stories and essays have been published widely. Her most recent book is The Hidden Lamp: Stories from 25 Centuries of Awakened Women.
Sue has been a Zen student since 1976, practicing in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi at Berkeley Zen Center, Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery, Green Gulch Farm, and now with Zoketsu Norman Fischer’s Everyday Zen sangha. She received “entrustment” as a lay teacher in 2005.

CLOSED - Christmas Holiday
2018-12-24 19:00 - 21:00

Winter Celebration & Refreshments
2018-12-31 19:00 - 21:00
Welcome the new year by celebrating the treasure of sangha with your sangha!
Please bring a finger food offering, and poetry, story, or music to share (if you wish).

Practice Circle on "Resolution and Vow"
2019-01-07 19:00 - 21:00
led by So On Jim Hare

Dharma Talk by Rev. Mary Mocine (by recording)
2019-01-14 19:00 - 21:00
Due to family illness, Rev. Mary Mocine will not be able to attend as planned. However, we will be able to hear her teaching on Death and Dying by listening to a recording made on January 13th at SBMG. She recommends reading this article in advance of listening to her talk.
Reverend Mary Mocine, is abbess of Clear Water Zendo in Vallejo. She was trained at San Francisco and Berkeley Zen Centers, and Tassajara Zen Monastery. She was ordained in 1994 by Sojun Mel Weitsman, former Abbot of San Francisco Zen Center and continuing Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. Reverend Mocine has also trained with Abbess Zenkei Blanche Hartman and former Abbots Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Tenshin Reb Anderson of the San Francisco Zen Center. She received dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in May 2005.

Program Inspired by Martin Luther King
2019-01-21 19:00 - 21:00
led by Doralee Grindler Katonah.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey
2019-01-28 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-02-25 19:00 - 21:00
Rev. Myo Lahey is Abbot at Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco and our guiding teacher. He has previously served as Practice Leader at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He is a Dharma heir of Tenshin Reb Anderson. Rev. Myo is available for individual practice discussion by appointment prior to our evening program.

Inquiry into the Nature of Socially Engaged Buddhism
2019-02-04 19:00 - 21:00
Two Evenings of Inquiry into the Nature of Socially Engaged Buddhism
February 4th and 11th
Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.
Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.
-The Talmud
On this first evening, three Sangha members will offer brief accounts of the ways they are working locally to influence social and political choices. Our assumption is that many sangha members are doing this, whether through voting, volunteer activities, or personal consumption choices. We will follow with a discussion centered around these three questions:
1. Do you ever suffer – physically, psychologically, emotionally, or spiritually – from political, social, economic, or environmental conditions affecting you and others? If so, what do you do about it?
2. Do the terms “engaged Buddhism” and “activism” evoke positive, negative, or neutral sensations/ feeling tones for you?
3. Is engaged Buddhism part of your practice? If so, does it include activism?
We encourage you to prepare a list of the ‘socially conscious’ activities that engage you. Even if you do not consider these activities to be engaged Buddhism we invite everyone to individually and anonymously provide a written list at the first meeting on February 4. The lists will be compiled and presented by on February 11.

What goes on the list? Everything. You might wish to note that you have used your own cup and lid when buying tea at Starbucks for the past five years, and since you buy five cups a week, that means you have eliminated 1,300 plastic cup lids from entering the environment. Or perhaps you always carry a reusable water bottle now, or your own reusable straw. Or you have been driving a hybrid or an electric car for the past year. Or maybe you are working with a group on prison and criminal justice reforms. Or you are involved in lobbying for better health care. Or you do pro bono legal work for immigrant families. Or you invest in funds that put money only into companies that are aligned with social justice and environmental principles. Or you marched on MLK day, or in solidarity with women’s rights, LGBT rights, or with Black Lives Matter. Or … you get the idea. List it all. Because there is probably a lot there.

The February 4 session will include two brief presentations by Oscar Balaguer and Rollin Ives. In preparation, Oscar and Rollin invite you to read this article, “Stand Against Suffering, A Call to Action by Buddhist Teachers.” The article, signed by more than 140 Buddhist leaders, was published in Lion’s Roar on August 21, 2017.
Additional reading: “What’s Buddhist about Socially Engaged Buddhism?” by David Loy.

Both sessions will be facilitated by So On Jim Hare.

Inquiry into the Nature of Socially Engaged Buddhism
2019-02-11 19:00 - 21:00
Two Evenings of Inquiry into the Nature of Socially Engaged Buddhism
February 4th and 11th
Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.
Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.
-The Talmud

The February 11 session is envisioned as a deeper dive into a sort of data-driven snapshot of the depth and breadth of the VSZS community’s already on-going socially engaged Buddhist practices. Even if you do not consider these activities to be engaged Buddhism we invite everyone to individually and anonymously provide a written list at the first meeting on February 4. The lists will be compiled and presented by on February 11.

Your written lists are responses to these three questions:
1. Do you ever suffer – physically, psychologically, emotionally, or spiritually – from political, social, economic, or environmental conditions affecting you and others? If so, what do you do about it?
2. Do the terms “engaged Buddhism” and “activism” evoke positive, negative, or neutral sensations/feeling tones for you?
3. Is engaged Buddhism part of your practice? If so, does it include activism?

What goes on the list? Everything. You might wish to note that you have used your own cup and lid when buying tea at Starbucks for the past five years, and since you buy five cups a week, that means you have eliminated 1,300 plastic cup lids from entering the environment. Or, perhaps you always carry a reusable water bottle now, or your own reusable straw. Or, you have been driving a hybrid or an electric car for the past year. Or, maybe you are working with a group on prison and criminal justice reforms. Or, you are involved in lobbying for better health care. Or, you do pro bono legal work for immigrant families. Or, you invest in funds that put money only into companies that are aligned with social justice and environmental principles. Or, you marched on MLK day, or in solidarity with women’s rights, LGBT rights, or with Black Lives Matter. Or … you get the idea. List it all. Because there is probably a lot there.

Suggested reading:

“Stand Against Suffering, A Call to Action by Buddhist Teachers.”, signed by more than 140 Buddhist leaders; published in Lion’s Roar on August 21, 2017.
“What’s Buddhist about Socially Engaged Buddhism?” by David Loy.

“There is no magic formula to be involved. The solutions are not to be found, they are to be worked out together.” – David Loy

Full Moon Ceremony
2019-02-18 19:00 - 21:00
This ceremony reminds us that enlightenment is enacted with Bodhisattva precepts, which are recited in a call and response format during the ceremony. We enter the ceremony following two periods of zazen interspersed with walking meditation. Whole-heartedly we celebrate the whole moon. Everyone is invited to participate.

Practice Talk by John Wark
2019-03-04 19:00 - 21:00

Dharma Talk by Rev. Mary Mocine
2019-03-11 19:00 - 21:00
Reverend Mary Mocine, is abbess of Clear Water Zendo in Vallejo. She was trained at San Francisco and Berkeley Zen Centers, and Tassajara Zen Monastery. She was ordained in 1994 by Sojun Mel Weitsman, former Abbot of San Francisco Zen Center and continuing Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. Reverend Mocine has also trained with Abbess Zenkei Blanche Hartman and former Abbots Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Tenshin Reb Anderson of the San Francisco Zen Center. She received dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in May 2005.
