Practice Talk by Bruce and Barbara Baccei
2019-07-29 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. There are no membership requirements to participate. We invite donations to support the room rental, visits by teachers, and other sangha activities. Valley Streams Zen Sangha is dedicated to the study of Buddha’s teaching and the practice of meditation. We invite newcomers and experienced Zen students to join us.

Practice Talk by Doralee Grindler Katonah
2019-08-05 19:00 - 21:00

Sewing Buddha's Robe, with Doralee Grindler Katonah
2019-08-12 19:00 - 21:00
After zazen & a short service, we will have an opportunity to add some stitches to Doralee’s bowing cloth, which she has been sewing as part of her preparation for taking priest ordination vows. All are welcome to learn about this process and help support Doralee along her path.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey
2019-08-19 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.

Dharma Talk by Rev. So'on Jim Hare
2019-08-26 19:00 - 21:00
So’on Jim Hare serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, and was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period. He was priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. There are no membership requirements to participate. We invite donations to support the room rental, visits by teachers, and other sangha activities. Valley Streams Zen Sangha is dedicated to the study of Buddha’s teaching and the practice of meditation. We invite newcomers and experienced Zen students to join us.

CLOSED for Labor Day Holiday
2019-09-02 19:00 - 21:00

Dharma Talk by Rev. Amie Diller
2019-09-09 19:00 - 21:00
Sensei Chiko Amie Diller practiced at San Francisco Zen Center before being priest ordained by Maurine Stuart, Roshi. In 2019 she received dharma transmission from Sokaku Kathie Fischer. Her Buddhist training has also included study and teaching in the Tibetan Gelupa tradition. She is a certified nurse-midwife, mother, and teacher of ‘Cultivating Emotional Balance’.

Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. There are no membership requirements to participate. We invite donations to support the room rental, visits by teachers, and other sangha activities. Valley Streams Zen Sangha is dedicated to the study of Buddha’s teaching and the practice of meditation. We invite newcomers and experienced Zen students to join us.

Full Moon Ceremony
2019-09-16 19:00 - 21:00
This ceremony is an affirmation of the vow to live for the benefit of all beings. In the Zen tradition we associate the full moon with the ideal of awakening. All are welcome.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey
2019-09-23 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 at the Dharma Center.

Practice Circle - Topic TBA
2019-09-30 19:00 - 21:00
The Three Treasures are the foundation of the Practice Circle: (1) the Oneness of Buddha, (2) the Diversity of Dharma, (3) the Harmony of Sangha. The circle itself is a container for being in the present, manifesting just as we are in the truth of the moment.
Our Practice Circle Guidelines: (adapted from the Zen Center of Los Angeles)
When speaking, we practice speaking from integrity and speak the truth as we know it. We stay focused on our own experience as opposed to taking about others or talking abstractly.
In listening, we try not to interrupt, even with our thoughts. We practice receiving whatever is being offered by another without attachments or judgements.
In silence, we allow all things to arise and pass away, accepting and honoring different expressions and perspectives. We sit with our discomfort.

Practice Circle - Fall Study Period begins
2019-10-07 19:00 - 21:00
Study period reading is The Record of Transmitting the Light: Zen Master Keizan’s Denkoroku, translated by Francis D. Cook, Wisdom Publications, 1996.
Online at SOTOZEN-NET. (different translation)

Dharma Talk by Rev. So-On Jim Hare
2019-10-14 19:00 - 21:00
So-On Jim Hare serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, and was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period. He was priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation), followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. There are no membership requirements to participate. We invite donations to support the room rental, visits by teachers, and other sangha activities. Valley Streams Zen Sangha is dedicated to the study of Buddha’s teaching and the practice of meditation. We invite newcomers and experienced Zen students to join us.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey
2019-10-21 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-12-16 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 at the Dharma Center.

Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. There are no membership requirements to participate. We invite donations to support the room rental, visits by teachers, and other sangha activities. Valley Streams Zen Sangha is dedicated to the study of Buddha’s teaching and the practice of meditation. We invite newcomers and experienced Zen students to join us.

Sejiki Ceremony
2019-10-28 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.
All are welcome.

Celebration of Doralee Grindler Katonah's Priest Ordination
2019-11-04 19:00 - 21:00
After zazen, we will celebrate Doralee Grindler Katonah’s recent priest ordination with her root teacher, Sojun Diane Martin, with whom she has studied for the past 18 years. Doralee’s ordination into the Soto Zen lineages of Shunryu Suzuki and Dainin Katagiri, took place on October 19th at Indian Creek Zen Farm near Ottawa, Illinois.
During her time of priest training Rev. Val Szymanski, Guiding Teacher at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in Sunnyvale, CA. has been her second teacher, here in California. Rev. Val received transmission from Roshi Diane Martin in 2010. In addition, Cornelia Junfu Shonkwiler, Head Teacher at Middle Way Zen in San Jose, Ca., was Doralee’s sewing teacher.
Rev. Val with the assistance of Practice Leader Jim Hare will conduct this welcoming of priesthood ceremony at the Sacramento Dharma Center.
All are invited to share in this auspicious event and enjoy tea and treats after the ceremony.

Dharma Talk by Rev. So-On Jim Hare (Fall Study Period ends)
2019-11-11 19:00 - 21:00
So-On Jim Hare serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, and was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period. He was priest ordained by Myo Lahey in 2016.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. There are no membership requirements to participate. We invite donations to support the room rental, visits by teachers, and other sangha activities. Valley Streams Zen Sangha is dedicated to the study of Buddha’s teaching and the practice of meditation. We invite newcomers and experienced Zen students to join us.

Dharma Talk by Alan Block
2019-11-18 19:00 - 21:00
Alan Block, Onzan Shinsho, is entrusted as a teacher of Zen Buddhism by Zoketsu Norman Fischer in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki of the San Francisco Zen Center. He worked in construction for 30 years and previously taught college level history. He leads an Everyday Zen Oakland sitting group called “meditation and a buddhist approach to life” on Tuesday evenings in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland.

Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. There are no membership requirements to participate. We invite donations to support the room rental, visits by teachers, and other sangha activities. Valley Streams Zen Sangha is dedicated to the study of Buddha’s teaching and the practice of meditation. We invite newcomers and experienced Zen students to join us.

Way-seeking Mind Talk by Susan Farrar
2019-11-25 19:00 - 21:00

Discussion of a koan, led by So-On Jim Hare
2019-12-02 19:00 - 21:00
Discussion of a case from the Denkoroku: Record of the Transmission of the Light, led by Rev. So-On Jim Hare.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. There are no membership requirements to participate. We invite donations to support the room rental, visits by teachers, and other sangha activities. Valley Streams Zen Sangha is dedicated to the study of Buddha’s teaching and the practice of meditation. We invite newcomers and experienced Zen students to join us.

Full Moon Ceremony
2019-12-09 19:00 - 21:00, 2020-01-13 19:00 - 21:00
This ceremony is an affirmation of the vow to live for the benefit of all beings. In the Zen tradition we associate the full moon with the ideal of awakening. All are welcome.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. There are no membership requirements to participate. We invite donations to support the room rental, visits by teachers, and other sangha activities. Valley Streams Zen Sangha is dedicated to the study of Buddha’s teaching and the practice of meditation. We invite newcomers and experienced Zen students to join us.

Retreat Night
2019-12-23 19:00 - 21:00
This short Retreat Night offers an opportunity to settle into your meditation practice with two 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.

Winter Celebration & Refreshments
2019-12-30 19:00 - 21:00
Welcome the new year by celebrating the treasure of sangha with your sangha friends!
After meditation & service, join us for tea and conversation. Taking care of the Sangha is a treasure to appreciate along with Buddha and Dharma. Please bring a finger food offering, and poetry, story, or music to share (if you wish).

Practice Talk by Doralee Grindler Katonah
2020-01-06 19:00 - 21:00
Topic to be announced.

Program Inspired by Martin Luther King
2020-01-20 19:00 - 21:00
Our discussion tonight will recognize and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Zen Studies Circle, led by So-On Jim Hare
2020-02-03 19:00 - 21:00

Buddhist Studies Circle, led by Tanto So-On Jim Hare
2020-02-24 19:00 - 21:00
The Wheel of Liberation, as taught in the Upanisa Sutra, describes the conditions that lead to the end of suffering. This wheel of “liberating” conditionality corresponds to the third and fourth noble truths, the truths that there is an end to suffering and that there is a path to the end of suffering.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. There are no membership requirements to participate. We invite donations to support the room rental, visits by teachers, and other sangha activities. Valley Streams Zen Sangha is dedicated to the study of Buddha’s teaching and the practice of meditation. We invite newcomers and experienced Zen students to join us.

CANCELED - Practice Circle: Ecodharma, Glimpses into David Loy’s Radical Vision for Buddhist Practice, led by Doralee Grindler Katonah
2020-03-16 19:00 - 21:00
Due to our concern for the well-being of Sangha members and the larger community, we have decided to cancel our Monday evening programs through the month of March. We will continue to monitor the health advisories and keep you posted about upcoming events scheduled in April. We of course hope to be able to resume our regular programs as soon as advisable. In the meantime you can listen to our archived Dharma Talks. You may also enjoy online programs offered by San Francisco Zen Center.
We hope to reschedule this event when health advisories allow it.

The topic of this Practice Circle is based on David Loy’s book, A New Buddhist Path: Enlightenment, Evolution, and Ethics in the Modern World. Ino, Doralee Grindler Katonah, will introduce the topic in anticipation of our upcoming retreat and public talks with David Loy: April 17, Public Talk; April 18-19, Retreat; and April 20, Dharma Talk.

ONLINE PROGRAM: Zazen, Service, Dharma Talk & Discussion
2020-03-23 19:00 - 20:00
This is our first online meeting using the Zoom video conferencing app. The meeting will be hosted by Doralee Grindler Katonah in her “Personal Meeting Room” using her Zoom account. The software for attendees is free. The entire program will be about 1 hour.
Our chant will be the Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra (PDF).
**To join the meeting by computer, you must install Zoom software:

Prior to the meeting, download the free Zoom Client for Meetings (13 MB) As you “Wait for the host to start the meeting” click the Test Computer Audio button to make sure you can hear and be heard by others.
Meeting ID# 8724696709
At 6:50 pm, join the meeting at: https://zoom.us/j/8724696709
If you cannot download or run the application, you can join from your browser. (We have not tried this option yet.)
We will start at 7pm with this schedule: 20 minute sitting; 5 minute chanting service; 10 minute Dharma talk by So-On Jim Hare; 25 minute Q&A/discussion/sharing – about 1 hour.

To join by telephone:

call +1 669 900 6833 (San Jose)
At the voice prompt, enter the Meeting ID: 8724696709

We will continue to monitor local health advisories regarding group meetings. We of course hope to be able to resume our in-person programs as soon as advisable.
You may also enjoy listening to our archived Dharma Talks, or online programs from Hartford Street Zen Center and San Francisco Zen Center
