Calendar
Allowing Emptiness to Fill the Page: a Sitting & Writing Retreat with Beth Jacobs (online)
This workshop will be dedicated to writing practices that honor the Buddhist path. We will practice techniques that illustrate the overlap between mindfulness training and expressive writing. Using material from the Abhidharma, Mahayana sutras and writings of Eihei Dogen, we will demonstrate how personal writing can enrich our study of the dharma and provide a […]
Dharma Talk by Rev. Korin Charlie Pokorny
Rev. Korin Pokorny began Sōtō Zen practice in 1991 at the San Francisco Zen Center and trained as a resident at Tassajara and Green Dragon Temple (Green Gulch Farm) from 1994 to 2006. He received a master’s degree in religious studies at Stanford University in 1994. He was ordained as a Sōtō Zen priest in […]
Study Group (online AND in-person)
The Zen Study Group is now meeting at the Dharma Center AND online. The study group is facilitated by Rev. So-On Jim Hare, with readings from ancient and contemporary Mahayana Buddhist & Soto Zen texts and commentaries. The group is currently reading The Evolution of the Precepts, by Konin Charlie Pokorny of Stone Creek Zen […]
Way-Seeking Mind Talk by Richard Hicks (ONLINE)
Each of us has come to Zen practice as a seeker, with a spirit of inquiry. We all arrive at Valley Streams Zen Sangha from diverse backgrounds. The idea of our way-seeking mind talks is for members to share how it is they came to practice. Each person tells his or her own story in […]
Dharma Talk by Rev. Zenju Earthlyn Manuel (online by video)
Rev. Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, of Still Breathing Zen Meditation Center in Oakland, will lead our meditation and offer the dharma talk. Rev. Zenju is a dharma heir of Buddha and the late Zenkei Blanche Hartman in the Shunryu Suzuki Roshi lineage through San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC). Her practice is influenced by Native American and African indigenous traditions. She is an […]
Study Group (in-person & online)
The Zen Study Group is now meeting at the Dharma Center AND online. The study group is facilitated by Rev. So-On Jim Hare, with readings from ancient and contemporary Mahayana Buddhist & Soto Zen texts and commentaries. The group is currently reading The Evolution of the Precepts, by Konin Charlie Pokorny of Stone Creek Zen […]
Dharma Talk by Rev. So On Jim Hare (ONLINE)
So-On Jim Hare serves as Tanto, or head of practice. He lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community from 1980 to 1984, and was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1985. He served as Head Student at Green Gulch Farm during the spring 2002 practice period. He was priest ordained by Myo Lahey […]
One-day Sitting: Benefitting All Beings (at the Dharma Center)
In Buddhism, the four unlimited mental attitudes are loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. These attiudes are unlimited because the benefits thay bring to self and other can't be quantified; they are immeasurable. In this day of in-person sitting meditation practice, we will focus on these four immeasurables that teach all sentient beings and […]
Welcome Back Practice Circle (in-person & online)
After zazen, we will hold a memorial service to remember all who have died or lost loved ones to the virus. For the practice circle, we explore the question "How has the pandemic affected your practice life?" This is our first IN-PERSON Monday night meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We invite you to join us in […]
Introduction to Zen Meditation (in-person at the Dharma Center)
On the second Monday of each month, we offer a 40-minute introduction to Zen practice. We focus on the art of sitting meditation, with emphasis on posture, breath and mental focus. This is for new meditators and those wishing to refresh their practice of meditative immersion. These classes are now being held at the Dharma […]
Dharma Talk by Anbo Stuart Kutchins (in-person AND online)
Anbo Stuart Kutchins has been practicing Zen since the early 1980’s. He shares the path of practice with his wife and fellow priest Ninen Carrie Kutchins. They ordained in 1994 with their principal teacher Tenshin Reb Anderson and lived in the San Francisco Zen Center community 1994 – 1999, at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center and […]