"...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 […]
This is a once-a-year opportunity to meet your sangha friends, new board members and get the latest news about Valley Streams Zen Sangha. All members, along with their family & friends are warmly invited to attend. Sign up at a regular meeting, or let us know by email, what food offering, and how many people you […]
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 […]
Stars at Dawn is a retelling of ancient legends of the women in Gautama Buddha’s intimate circle. Lesser-known stories from Sanskrit and Pali sources are for the first time woven into an illuminating, coherent narrative. Interspersed with original insights, fresh interpretations, and bold challenges to the status quo, these stories invite us to open our minds to […]
“…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 its true activity.” ~Suzuki Roshi This multi-day, non-residential retreat is an opportunity to set aside the concerns of daily life for two and a half days, giving all your […]
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).
Jizo is the beloved Great Bodhisattva found within many Buddhist traditions, who carries us across the threshold of death and loss and safely accompanies us through the ‘hell zones’ of deep suffering. Especially honored in Japan, Jizo (also known as ‘Earth Store’ or ‘Earth Womb’) brings to us the qualities of courage, fearlessness, and tenderness needed […]
Mary Reilly, long-time member and leader of SBMG and the Sacramento Dharma Center community, will be honored and remembered by her many friends and family. Mary taught meditation to children and teachers in public schools; she loved nature, especially the Sandhill Cranes; she was friendly and generous to all and a talented organizerl. Mary passed […]