Please join us online for a half-day "Zazenkai" retreat on Saturday, January 8th. This retreat will focus on the practice of just sitting (Shikantaza) and just walking (Kinhin), in silence and inner stillness. Zazenkai is a silent meditation retreat that doesn't feature a Dharma talk. It is simply to go deeply into the practice of […]
Settling the body-mind in stillness and ease, opening to the ineffable wisdom of Dharma, the deepest questions may arise. This online retreat will be led by Valley Streams practice leader So'on Jim Hare. The day will include a morning Dharma talk and afternoon discussion. NOTE: If this will be your first day-long sitting with Valley Streams Zen, […]
"It appears as if something comes from outside your mind, but actually it is only the waves of your mind" ~Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi This sitting will include a schedule of sitting and walking meditation and a short Dharma talk. Please be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend this sitting in person. We will have a social […]
Join with others in person for a day of sitting and walking meditation and Dharma talk, making the effort that refreshes both body and mind, becoming a shining golden buddha! The sitting will be led by So On Jim Hare. Please bring a lunch to support your efforts on the cushion, bench or chair. For […]
To practice secretly is to practice within; it is getting close to and friendly with everything we experience. In stillness and silence, we will spend the morning together, practicing zazen and walking meditation. This retreat is suitable for those with some familiarity with Zen practice and forms. Masking is optional, but everyone who attends must […]
Preparing a Sincere Offering to the Three Treasures: A Creative Exploration of Dogen's Instructions for the Cook Please join us for a day of mindful practice to explore Dogen’s teachings for cooking your life in a creative and experiential way. It is said that “bodhicitta is born of the smallest offering made with sincerity.” In […]
Sitting with no agenda; putting nothing before the mind - this is the art of zazen. This practice is appropriate for people seeking relief from the vicissitudes of feelings and discriminating consciousness, and it is good for people seeking simply to sit in true reality. This retreat will include periods of sitting and walking meditation and […]
When sitting zazen we sit in the wellspring of life. Come practice together to further awaken our abilities to listen to the activity of wisdom that emerges from living intimately in stillness and receiving what comes. This retreat, originally scheduled to be led by Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah, will include periods of sitting and walking […]
We will not be meeting for our usual sitting on the first Saturday of September. Our next Retreat will be on Saturday, October 1 at the Sacramento Dharma Center (In-person). Our one-day and half-day sittings are held on the first Saturday of every month at the Sacramento Dharma Center. They include sitting meditation, walking meditation, and usually […]
Everything is in Everything! There is "Not One Single Thing." (Shodo Harada) Come sit, walk together, deeply entering the silence as we realize our lives are not our own. Rev. Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah will lead a half-day retreat with sitting meditation (zazen), walking meditation (kinhin), and a dharma talk and […]
Sitting still in the company of others is the heart of Zen practice. Please join us for this day of inner work, being "just this person." Just before leaving a practice period, a student asked his teacher, "If, after many years, someone should ask me what you were like, how should I respond?" After remaining […]
"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 calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no 'I,' no world, no mind nor body: just a swing door." - Shunryu Suzuki roshi […]