Valley Streams Zen Sangha

Sangha Picnic and Hike (In Person)
2024-03-24 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Cache Creek Nature Preserve, County Road 20, Woodland, CA, 95695, United States
Join the sangha for a private guided tour and a picnic lunch at the Cache Creek Nature Preserve. Cache Creek Nature Preserve is a 130-acre complex of wetlands, oak woodlands, grasslands, and creekside lands located outside of Woodland. The site is home to two unique features: the Tending and Gathering Garden (TGG) and the Jan T. Lowrey Memorial Grove. The Nature Preserve has about 1.5 miles of trails through the grasslands, oak savanna, and by the wetlands. The riparian area bordering the Lower Cache Creek has been maintained in a natural state with willows and cottonwood trees shading the trail that winds along the southern edge of the Nature Preserve.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn about the Native American stewardship of this land and share time with each other in this special place.
To learn more and reserve you spot on the tour see Eventbrite.

Jukai Ceremony (In Person)
2024-04-20 14:00 - 16:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
The ceremony of Jukai consists in receiving the precepts of the Bodhisattva and, by doing so, takes refuge in the three treasures: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It is the ceremony for lay ordination.
Preceptor Rev. Myō Lahey, together with So’on Jim Hare, will convey the precepts to sangha members Dave Jarrell and Malia McCarthy. A reception will follow the ceremony.

Tassajara Sangha Week (In Person)
2024-05-24 - 2024-05-28 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States

SDC Intersangha Library Cataloguing Party (In Person)
2024-06-22 10:00 - 15:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
If you are a Dharma bibliophile (and even if you are not) join us to create an internet accessible catalogue of SDC’s Buddhist book collection. Bring your own computing device (laptop, mobile, pad).
Come for the morning (10:00-Noon) or afternoon sessions (1:00 – 3:30), or the whole day. Meditate with fellow SBMG, SIM and VSZS sangha members and share a potluck lunch.
R.S.V.P. to Jody Ansell at joaansell@gmail.com

BIPOC Sangha Movie Night Fundraiser (In Person)
2024-07-19 18:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Join SBMG’s BIPOC Sangha for an inspiring movie night as we screen the powerful 2008 film “The Dhamma Brothers.” This event is a special fundraiser hosted by The Sacramento Buddhist Group to support our BIPOC Sangha (Meditation) group. Your generous contributions will help provide class and retreat scholarships for BIPOC practitioners, support visiting BIPOC teachers through dana (donations), and cover general costs incurred by the sangha.
Date & Time: July 19th, 2024 | Doors open 6pm, Screening begins 6:30pm
Location: Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Dr, Sacramento, CA 95826
Suggested Donation: $10-$15 (However no one will be turned away for lack of funds)
About the Film: “The Dhamma Brothers” tells the remarkable story of a group of inmates at a maximum-security prison in Alabama who undergo a transformative journey through the practice of Vipassana meditation. The film offers a profound look at the power of meditation and its ability to bring change in the most unexpected places.
Event Highlights:

Inclusive Community Event: Welcoming BIPOC and allied practitioners to explore diverse perspectives within the dharma.
Refreshments: Enjoy a selection of snacks and drinks.
Support Local Businesses: Take the opportunity to support a few small, local BIPOC businesses that will be present at the event.

This movie night is more than just a film screening; it’s a chance to come together as a community, learn, and support a meaningful cause. Whether you’re a long-time practitioner or new to meditation, this event is open to all. We look forward to seeing you there!
To RSVP, click here.
All funds raised will directly benefit the BIPOC Sangha, helping to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all practitioners. Thank you for your support!

Valley Streams Zen Sangha Annual Meeting (In-person)
2024-10-19 10:00 - 13:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
You are invited to Valley Streams’ Annual Meeting and potluck brunch. Spouses, partners, friends, and family—all are welcome. Gather at 10 a.m. to share a meal and each other’s company. After the brunch, the 2024-2025 Board and officers will be introduced and give a report on the state of the sangha. You will get an update on the Sangha’s financial health, including the Maitreya Fund that was established last year to provide a resource for future Sangha leadership. We look forward to enjoyable conversations and hearing your thoughts about ongoing Sangha activities.

Sejiki Ceremony (Hybrid)
2024-10-28 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 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.
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.
Please bring bells, cymbals, drums, or other noisemakers with which to call the hungry ghosts into the Dharma Hall to eat our food offerings. Everyone is invited to stay for treats and conversation after the ceremony.
*Zoom link to program

Community Potluck for all 3 Sanghas (In Person)
2024-11-03 12:00 - 14:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Please join us for the community potluck. All are welcome!
RSVP here and sign up to bring a dish to share.

Women's Group Retreat (In person)
2024-11-23 13:00 - 16:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
This group is CLOSED AT THIS TIME.
For more information please contact Doralee Grindler Katonah at grindkaton@icloud.com

Gratitude Dinner for the Sangha (In Person)
2024-11-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
As an expression of our deeply felt gratitude for the Sangha and the myriad ways its members support us and each other, the Valley Streams Board will offer dinner to all those who can join us on Monday, November 25.
Dinner will be provided by the board. What better way to start Thanksgiving week than with one less meal to prepare? We’ll begin at 6:00 p.m. with a short sit and chant/dedication. Dinner in the break room will follow.
Please RSVP here by Friday, November 22th. Please note the start time is at 6:00 p.m.

Winter Solstice Celebration (Hybrid)
2024-12-23 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Celebrate the winter solstice with sangha friends.
After a 35-minute meditation and service, we will gather to entertain each other on this long winter night with instruments, song, favorite poetry new and old, stories and skits. Bring your creativity and share your hidden talents. Bring a treat to share after the entertainment.
Zoom link to program
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, or practice circle. 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. If this is your first visit please arrive at least 15 minutes early for a brief orientation.

End of Year Sitting (Hybrid)
2024-12-30 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
We will sit two zazen periods accompanied by the ringing of 108 bells. Each hit represents one of the delusions/desires that anchor our lives in the world of birth and death. This is a sobering practice that reminds us of the importance of practicing for the welfare of suffering beings. Sangha members will be invited to ring the final bells at the end of the sitting, with social time to follow.

Relinquishment Ceremony led by Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (Speaker in Person)
2025-01-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
We are entering a New Year – an auspicious time to ‘commune with the “source”‘ and deepen our Practice life. Our practice of relinquishment is our practice of liberation.
A RELINQUISHMENT CEREMONY invites us to receive a message from our Buddha Nature, after asking: ‘what life pattern or habit do I need to be released, something that I hold onto tightly, something no longer needed in my life, a need to detach from what constricts me, each for the sake of our enlightenment, for sustaining our growth as bodhisattvas‘.
This evening, after sitting together in silence, we will each consider this question and make a scroll that expresses our Relinquishment Vow. Paper, and drawing utensils will be provided. There will be time to share and reflect upon our drawings. You may take your scroll home for your altar or find a ritual time to burn your scroll, a symbol of letting go.
People coming on zoom will bring their own paper and drawing utensils. For questions contact: Ino@valleystreamszen.org
Rev. Parāvrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah serves as Ino, or head of the meditation hall. She studied in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski in California. She was priest ordained in 2019 by Sojun Diane Martin.
*Zoom link to program
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, or practice circle. 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. If this is your first visit please arrive at least 15 minutes early for a brief orientation.

Spring Sangha Hike and Picnic
2025-04-19 10:00 - 13:00 | Effie Year Nature Center, 2850 San Lorenzo Way, Carmichael, 95608, 95608, United States
Let’s enjoy a leisurely nature walk starting at the Effie Year Nature Center followed by a cozy picnic with friends and family at this Spring Sangha event. Meet at the Dharma Center at 9:30 a.m. to carpool or meet everyone there at 10. Bring walking shoes, sunscreen, and a sun hat. Trails are wheel chair compatible and there is no elevation change. Bring a lunch, and a blanket to sit on. To let us know your coming to this free event, click on the Eventbrite signup link below.
Questions?: Contact Andria Amaya at liftmeup333@yahoo.com or 916-284-9867.
Signup on eventbrite.

SDC Garden Party
2025-05-10 15:30 - 17:30 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
All three sanghas will come together to celebrate the latest landscape improvements at the Sacramento Dharma Center. David Hvidsten, of Mantis Gardens, will tell us about his environmentally conscious landscaping philosophy, and give us a tour of the fresh additions he and his crew have installed. Refreshments will be served.
•For more information contact Sarah O’Gara at info@3111sacdharma.org

Tassajara Sangha Week (In Person Only)
2025-05-13 - 2025-05-18 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States

Women’s Retreat – Green Gulch Farm (In Person Only)
2025-06-12 - 2025-06-15 | Green Gulch Farm, 1601 Shoreline Hwy, Muir Beach, CA, 94965, United States
For details please contact Doralee Grindler Katonah at ino@valleystreamszen.org

Sangha Annual Meeting & Potluck Brunch (In Person Only)
2025-10-18 10:00 - 13:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
You are invited to Valley Streams Zen Sangha’s Annual Meeting and potluck brunch. Spouses, partners, friends, and family—all are welcome. Gather in the West Lobby at 10 a.m. to share a meal and each other’s company. After the brunch, the 2025-2026 Board and officers will be introduced and give a report on the state of the sangha. You will get an update on the Sangha’s financial health, including the Maitreya Fund that was established last year to provide a resource for future Sangha leadership. We look forward to enjoyable conversations and hearing your thoughts about ongoing Sangha activities.
BONUS – A SILENT AUCTION of specialty items (at discount prices) will be offered in the Board Room!
Please RSVP here.

Sejiki Ceremony (Hybrid)
2025-10-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 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.
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.
We provide bells, cymbals, drums and other noisemakers which are used by the assembly to call the hungry ghosts into the Dharma Hall to eat our food offerings. Everyone is invited to stay for treats and conversation after the ceremony.
*Zoom link to program

Gratitude Dinner for the Sangha (In Person Only)
2025-11-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
As an expression of our deeply felt gratitude for the Sangha and the myriad ways its members support us and each other, the Valley Streams Board will offer dinner to all those who can join us on Monday, November 24.
Dinner will be provided by the board. What better way to enjoy Thanksgiving week than with one less meal to prepare? We’ll begin at 6:00 p.m. with a short sit and chant/dedication. Dinner in the break room will follow.

Relinquishment Ceremony led by Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (Hybrid, Speaker in Person)
2026-01-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Our practice of relinquishment is our practice of liberation. Our Way of liberation is to release all that is in the way of our full aliveness and our capacity to express the dharma in the situations that come to us.
This Monday evening, we will reflect on letting go of patterns and ‘habits of being’ that bring suffering to ourselves and others. We will renew our intention to let go of what constricts our full aliveness through making a scroll that expresses what we intend to relinquish during this next year.
Art materials will be provided. A time to share or remain in noble silence will follow the art project, ending in offering our scrolls to the Buddha. You will be invited to take your scroll home for your altar or to be burned as another expression of letting go.
People coming on zoom will bring their own paper and drawing utensils. For questions contact: Ino@valleystreamszen.org
Rev. Parāvrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah serves as Ino, or head of the meditation hall. She studied in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski in California. She was priest ordained in 2019 by Sojun Diane Martin.
*Zoom link to program
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, or practice circle. 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. If this is your first visit please arrive at least 15 minutes early for a brief orientation.

Library Debut Party (In Person Only)
2026-03-01 12:30 - 14:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
The SDC Library Committee is excited to announce that we are throwing a debut party to celebrate over two years of volunteer work. Our library of more than 1,600 Buddhist related titles has been reorganized and catalogued online.
**Please join us as we mark this accomplishment and share SDC’s resource!
Highlights include:

Introduction to the new electronic catalog which allows the collection to be searched from anywhere.
Display of unusual and amazing books in the inventory.
Refreshments!

Sharing inspiration: We encourage participants to bring a short (no more than one small paragraph) quote, adage or saying from a book/author that has inspired your practice to read at the gathering.
For more information, please contact Jody Ansell (Joaansell@gmail.com)

Doan Training For Everyone (In Person Only)
2026-08-01 08:30 - 12:30 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
After 2 opening periods of zazen, followed by morning service, we will offer Doan training for anyone who would like to strike the bells (the doan), play the wooden fish or mokugyo (the fukudo), or intone the sutra title and dedication (eko) of the service (the kokyo). Participants don’t have to commit to future service on the doan ryo (the doan team), but can express their interest if so moved. Our morning will end with a closing service and social lunch (please bring your own). This is a free event.
If this will be your first extended sitting with us, please send us a note at info@valleystreamszen.org to introduce yourself.

Tassajara Sangha Week – Led by So’on Jim Hare and Nyokai Kristin Diggs
2026-08-04 - 2026-08-09 | Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, 39171 Tassajara Road, Carmel Valley, CA, 93924, United States

SDC 10-Year Anniversary Celebration
2026-08-15 13:00 - 16:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
On August 15, the Sacramento Dharma Center is marking 10 years of providing a home for Buddha’s wisdom and compassion in our community.
To celebrate this milestone, we invite you to join us for an ice cream social and birthday party at the Dharma Center from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.
We will also be celebrating our founders and those whose involvement in the early years made our spiritual home what it is today.
Please come by for ice cream, cake, and live music. Visit with your friends and make new ones.
Please register here: SDC 10th Birthday Party
We hope you will join us.

Inter-Sangha Jizo Ceremony Led by Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (In Person Only)
2026-08-30 13:30 - 16:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 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 facilitator 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.
For further information contact: Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah at Ino@valleystreamszen.org.
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). Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah will lead this fourth inter-sangha event. She has had two years of training in preparation for guiding this ceremony.
Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah serves as Ino, or head of the meditation hall. She studied in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Center in Sunnyvale, California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.

Sangha Annual Meeting & Potluck Brunch (In Person Only)
2026-10-24 10:00 - 13:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
You are invited to Valley Streams Zen Sangha’s Annual Meeting and potluck brunch. Spouses, partners, friends, and family—all are welcome. Gather in the West Lobby at 10 a.m. to share a meal and each other’s company. After the brunch, the 2026-2027 Board and officers will be introduced and give a report on the state of the Sangha. You will get an update on the Sangha’s financial health, including the Maitreya Fund that was established last year to provide a resource for future Sangha leadership. We look forward to enjoyable conversations and hearing your thoughts about ongoing Sangha activities.
