Rediscover beginner's mind while creating a collage or assemblage out of bits and pieces; paint and glue. No art experience needed - in fact, the less you know, the better! Led by Barbara Baccei, Karen Hamilton and Doralee Grindler Katonah. Fee: $25 for materials (scholarships available) Register at Eventbrite.com or in person on a Monday night.
This time is set aside for all of us in the community to have the opportunity to discuss together how we want to use our new space – both inside and outside the building. We encourage as many Sustaining Sangha members as possible to come and share their ideas. Please come to one or both meetings, the envisioning process will build on […]
Join SDC for its Second Annual Interdependence Day party, Saturday, July 8, 2017, from 2 to 4 p.m. A celebration of our donors, volunteers, and the greater Sangha that makes our existence possible! Enjoy some ice cream and shaved ice, take part in our raffle, and listen to some far out music as we mark the 50th […]
In April 2017, Jim Hare traveled with a group of Western pilgrims to visit (and stay in) Buddhist monasteries in Zhejiang Province, south of Shanghai. Jim will present a thematic slide show and narrative, touching on devotional practices, the Bodhisattva Guanyin, T’ien T’ung Ssu (the monastery where Eihei Dogen met his teacher), and the T’ang […]
This is a once-a-year opportunity to meet your sangha friends, new board members and get the news about Valley Streams Zen Sangha. All members, along with their family & friends are warmly invited to attend. Please let us know by email or in person, what food offering, and how many people you will bring. Drinks and […]
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 […]
Please join us as we take a look back at how far we've come in our first year. We'll get an "Envisioning" update from Lynelle and Steve McNiel that will help us chart future uses of our building and grounds. Enjoy some treats, drinks, and socializing too. SDC President Susan Orr's words are as fitting […]
"...when we practice zazen, it is not that big mind is actually controlling small mind, but simply that when small mind becomes calm, big mind starts it true activity." ~Suzuki Roshi For the first time Valley Streams Zen is offering a multi-day, non-residential retreat. This is an opportunity to set aside the concerns of daily […]
After meditation & service, join us for tea and discussion. The evening will be devoted to responding to landscape plans envisioned for our home, the Sacramento Dharma Center. Lynelle McNeil, landscape architect, will be joining us. Study her design options from your own computer: SDC Concepts Slideshow (PDF)
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).
In drawing, we have an opportunity to set aside our egos while becoming one with the object. The investigation takes us into the essence of the object, seeing it as it truly is. This is not an art class per se, and no prior drawing experience is required. What is asked for is our willingness to […]
Misha Merrill is the primary teacher for Zen Heart Sangha in Menlo Park and Woodside, California and has been practicing Zen since 1984. She was ordained as a Zen priest in 1988 and received Dharma Transmission in 1998 from her teacher, Les Kaye Roshi, the abbot of Kannon Do Zen Center and dharma heir in […]