Memorial Service for John Briggs
2016-12-04 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
To celebrate the life and practice of Kogan Fukuden – Ancient vow, Field of Blessing
May 20, 1940 – October 10, 2016

Winter Solstice Celebration
2016-12-26 19:00 - 20:45 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Come share music, poetry, stories and refreshments with the sangha.

March for the Dream in Sacramento
2017-01-16 08:45 - 14:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Walk with us!
Sacramento Dharma Center will walk as a group in the annual March for the Dream.
9a.m. – 9:30a.m. The march begins at Sacramento City College (3835 Freeport Blvd.)
11:15a.m. – 11:45a.m. The march arrives at Sacramento Convention Center (1400 J Street)
12:00 – 2p.m. The main stage program and opening ceremonies will start at noon.
Map of the route.

Inauguration Day Meditation and Prayer
2017-01-20 09:00 - 12:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
• Join us for a non-partisan, Buddhist-inspired meditation and prayer gathering to encourage wisdom, compassion, and loving kindness for ourselves, our neighbors, our government leaders and the world.
• During the inauguration we will sit to support community, to support those outside community, to be in touch with the here and now and to water the seeds of interconnection.
• Sit for a few minutes, an hour, or the entire time, but come be part of a collective effort for peace.
Flyer for printing.

Sacramento Dharma Center Grand Opening
2017-01-29 13:00 - 15:30 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
SDC’s community-wide Grand Opening – bring friends, bring family, bring neighbors!

PEOPLE'S CLIMATE MARCH SACRAMENTO
2017-04-29 10:30 - 14:00 | CA
On the 100th day of this administration, marches across the world will take place to send a unified and urgent message: Our communities demand responsible climate action for our families, our workers and our planet.
This interfaith march will surround the State Capitol Building. We’ll rally together as we learn about existing climate solutions and local actions that we can all do to stabilize climate change. There will be lively music, interactive workshops, inspiring speakers and more! Sacramento Dharma Center’s Climate Sangha will be meeting and marching together as a group.

Meet: West corner of Rose Garden in Capitol Park, near Vietnam War Memorial
Schedule: 10:30 Meet; sit together
11:00 Rally at East steps of the Capitol; speeches and music
1:30 March to circle the Capitol
2:00 Ending pledge; short closing sit for those who want.
Bathrooms: Inside the Capitol, and small building at 13th Street
Bring: (Suggested items): Water, snack, sun hat, a small ground cloth, something to sit on. Signs or other expressions are welcome; sign handles should technically not be longer than 18”
Sitting: Pre-rally sit, location TBD. The Aloka Vihara Nuns will meet with us; look for their red brown robes. During the rally, the nuns will support the assembly by sitting nearby in peaceful meditation. SDC members are invited to join them whenever, and for as long as, they like. There will also be a short post-March sit.
Contact: Oscar Balaguer oscarbal@hotmail.com

Dharma Art Day 2017
2017-05-06 09:00 - 16:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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.

Dharma Center Envisioning
2017-05-21 09:00 - 13:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 itself over the two days, but individual ideas and input will be welcome on both days.
Envisioning schedule:
Sunday, May 21 ~ 9 am – 1 pm
Sunday, June 18 ~ 9 am – 3 pm

SDC Interdependence Day Ice Cream Social
2017-07-08 14:00 - 16:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 anniversary of the Summer of Love!
Register

A Glimpse of Buddhism in China
2017-08-19 19:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 era poet Han Shan.

Sangha Annual Meeting & Potluck Brunch
2017-10-22 10:00 - 13:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 utensils will be provided.
Sunday, Oct. 22, 10 am – 1 pm at the Dharma Center

Sejiki Ceremony
2017-10-30 19:00 - 21:00, 2018-10-29 19:00 - 21:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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.

Sacramento Dharma Center's One-Year Anniversary Celebration
2017-11-05 13:30 - 16:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 now as they were a year ago:

“I am so moved by the way we have been co-creating this home for the Dharma. It feels to be a particularly auspicious moment – celebrating our harmonious intentions when our country is so fraught with conflict. May what we do truly benefit the end of suffering for all.”

3-day Rohatsu Sesshin
2017-12-01 09:00 - 2017-12-03 12:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
“…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 life for two and a half days, giving all our attention to our sitting practice and taking care of ourselves as we would take care of a guest. The schedule will include sitting and walking meditation, breaks and Dharma talks. Vegetarian meals will be served in a modified oryoki-style for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday. Oryoki is the traditional 3-bowl way of serving and eating meals together in silence.
Schedule: Friday & Saturday, 9 am – 9 pm.; Sunday, 9 am – noon.
Cost: $60 for full sesshin; $30 per full day; $15 per half day
Please sign up by November 21 by completing the form and returning it to Jim Hare.
Sesshin Signup Form (pdf)
Sign up at the zendo, by email info@valleystreamszen.org or by US mail to
VSZS, 3111 Wissemann Dr., Sacramento, CA 95826

Tea & Discussion of SDC Envisioning
2017-12-11 19:00 - 21:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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)

Winter Celebration & Refreshments
2018-01-01 19:00 - 21:00, 2018-12-31 19:00 - 21:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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).

Seeing / Drawing Meditation Retreat
2018-05-05 09:00 - 16:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 deeply observe, connect our eyes with our hearts and hands, and open to whatever may emerge. This mostly silent day will include periods of meditation and movement. Weather permitting, we will work outdoors.
Led by Karen Hamilton and Barb Baccei.
Please bring a bag lunch.
$20 plus $10 for materials. Scholarships are available.
Please contact info@valleystreamszen.org
REGISTER at eventbrite.com

Tea Ceremony with Misha Merrill
2018-06-17 11:00 - 12:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, the founder of San Francisco Zen Center.
Suggested donation: $20 – $30.
Register on Eventbrite

Sangha Annual Meeting & Potluck Brunch
2018-10-28 10:00 - 13:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 will bring. Drinks and utensils will be provided.
NEW DATE: Sunday, Oct. 28, 10 am – 1 pm

An evening with Wendy Garling: Stories of Women in the Buddha's Life
2018-11-07 19:00 - 21:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 a new understanding of women’s roles in the Buddha’s life and in early Buddhism. Books will be available for purchase after the lecture.

Wendy Garling has taught women’s spirituality, focusing on Buddhist traditions for more than 20 years. She is a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and authorized Dharma teacher.
ALSO:
Tea & Conversation with Wendy in the SDC LibraryThursday morning, November 8, 9:00-10:30 am
REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE.COM

3-Day Rohatsu Sesshin
2018-11-30 09:00 - 2018-12-02 12:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
“…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 attention to your sitting practice and taking care of yourself as you would take care of a guest. The schedule will include sitting and walking meditation, breaks and Dharma talks. Vegetarian meals will be served in a modified oryoki-style for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday. Oryoki is the traditional 3-bowl way of serving and eating meals together in silence.
Schedule: Friday & Saturday, 9 am – 9 pm.; Sunday, 9 am – noon.
Cost: $60 for full sesshin; $30 per full day; $15 per half day (scholarships available)
Register on a Monday night with So-On Jim Hare.

Jizo Ceremony - For Loved Ones Who Have Died and Other Losses
2019-02-02 13:00 - 16:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 to enter into our experiences of grief and loss and to open our hearts to the mystery of life and death.
This will be a sacred time for us to come together to acknowledge and remember the death of someone dear to us or another kind of significant loss, whether recent or from long ago. We will take refuge in the safe container of our shared presence with each other for the sake of our healing.
We will be introduced to this ceremony by our facilitators and then in silence we will create hand-made offerings for our loved ones. In a ceremony of remembrance we will honor their lives and our relationship with them. We will complete the ceremony with a processional into our garden to offer prayer flag messages for the dying and for ourselves as we continue to live our lives.
In this sacred space we will together turn towards the complexity of grief and discover the strength that arises when we embrace our interconnectedness with all beings.
Everyone is welcome and there is no fee. Donations offered will be given to the Susan Orr Memorial Garden.
Registration will be at Eventbrite.com
For further information contact: Doralee Grindler Katonah at grindkaton@icloud.com
This ceremony has been brought to us from Japan by Yvonne Rand and Jan Chosen-Bays and transmitted to Chris Forten and Sarah Emerson (all transmitted Zen Priests). Doralee Grindler Katonah will lead, assisted by So On Jim Hare. Doralee has received two years of training in preparation for guiding this ceremony.

Memorial Service to celebrate Mary Reilly
2019-03-09 11:00 - 15:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 away suddenly on February 27.

Dharma Calligraphy: Create Your Own Scroll, with Rev. Val Szymanski
2019-06-01 09:30 - 16:30 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Please join us for our 4th annual Dharma Art Day for an opportunity to create your own calligraphy scroll! The retreat will be led by Rev. Val Szymanski, founding teacher of Bamboo in the Wind Zen sangha, and esteemed calligrapher.
No previous experience is necessary, and all supplies will be provided. Class size is limited to 20.
Register at Eventbrite.com

Jukai Ceremony
2019-06-09 14:00 - 16:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States

SDC Yard Sale - Volunteers needed!
2019-06-15 09:00 - 14:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Clean out your closets and garage – then donate your lightly used items to the
Dharma Center Yard Sale.
Email Linda Dekker to volunteer and to arrange for dropping off donations at the Dharma Center. zendekker@gmail.com

Nature walk: Bats of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area
2019-09-19 17:15 - 20:30 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Join us at Yolo Basin Wildlife Headquarters for this special event of seeing and learning about the Mexican Free-tailed Bats. Following a 45-minute indoor presentation on bat natural history, the group will carpool to the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area to watch one of the largest colonies of bats in California as it emerges in large ribbons to hunt insects at sunset. To get to the bat viewing site, we will travel through leased rice farming fields to an area not open to the public. The whole experience takes about three hours. This is a family friendly event with a small amount of walking.
Directions from Sacramento: From interstate 80 West take the Mace Boulevard Exit in Davis. Turn left at the off-ramp light. Turn left at the next light at the Mace Boulevard and Chiles Road intersection. Once on Chiles Road east of the Mace intersection, travel approximately 1.5 mileseast to the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area headquarters, 45211 County Road 32B (Chiles Road).
Want to Carpool? Meet at the Sacramento Dharma Center at 4:30 p.m. (3111 Wissemann Dr., Sacramento) Consider parking on the street as this is a SIM practice evening.
**Sign up at a sangha meeting or email info@valleystreamszen.org to let us know how many people you will bring.

Buddha Activity: a Two-day Teaching Retreat with Tenshin Reb Anderson
2019-10-05 09:00 - 17:00 | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Tenshin Reb Anderson will lead this 2-day retreat. His theme is: “An old time buddha said, ‘earth, grass, trees, all living beings are engaged in buddha activity.’ Buddha activity is the unceasing process of freeing all beings so they may live in peace and harmony. The buddha ancestors called this buddha activity zazen. In this retreat we will study, practice and realize this great activity.”
Reb Anderson was ordained as a priest in 1970 by Shunryu Suzuki roshi, who gave him the name Tenshin Zenki (“Naturally Real, The Whole Works”). He received dharma transmission in 1983 and served as abbot of San Francisco Zen Center from 1986 to 1995. Tenshin Roshi continues to teach at Zen Center and No Abode Hermitage, and leads retreats across the U.S. and in Europe.
Register on Eventbrite.com or at a sangha meeting.

A separate teaching donation will be requested at the retreat.
A vegan box lunch is available for people who register by September 30th. Please purchase the $12 meal ticket in addition to your registration or bring your own lunch.
If the registration cost is beyond your means, please email info@valleystreamszen.org to request a reduced rate or scholarship.
Saturday-only registration is available for those unable to attend the full retreat.
