This is a day-long meditation retreat with a Dharma talk by practice leader Rev. So On Jim Hare. "Riding the ox" or "riding a donkey" are phrases used in Zen stories to describe our responsive encounter with mind-consciousness during sitting meditation practice and in our daily lives. We will look at a couple of these stories […]
Rev. Myo Lahey, Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco and our guiding teacher, will offer the Dharma talk this evening. Myo has previously served as head of practice (Tanto) at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He is a Dharma heir of Tenshin Reb Anderson. Raised in an observant Roman Catholic home, Myo […]
May We Gather: A National Buddhist Memorial Ceremony for Asian American Ancestors (livestreamed) This event is offered by Higashi Honganji Temple in Los Angeles to help us address anti-Asian American racism. Download the flyer.
Ryuko Laura Burges, a lay entrusted Buddhist teacher in the Soto Zen tradition, lectures and leads retreats at different practice centers in Northern California. A teacher of children for 30 years, she trains other teachers to bring mindfulness practice into the elementary classroom. Laura co-founded the Sangha in Recovery program at San Francisco Zen Center. […]
Shalamah has been practicing with Valley Streams since 2019. She received the Bodhisattva precepts June 19, 2019, from her teacher OSho Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, in a Jukai ceremony at the Berkeley Zen Center. Professionally, Shalamah is a licensed California chiropractor and massage provider. She has offered massage during summers at Tassajara, since 2015, while living […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]