On Sunday evening December 31st, we will welcome the New Year at the Dharma Center with a silent sitting, walking meditation, and the traditional ringing of 108 bells. We hope to debut a new Densho bell of unknown provenance, acquired from Japan. The sitting will be from 7 to 9 p.m., followed by a quiet […]
Hongzhi lived in 12th century China and is famous for his Zen poems, which are recorded the Book of Serenity and elsewhere. Eihei Dogen admired his poem called Zazenshin and commented on it in his own text of the same name. During this retreat we'll look at Hongzhi's Zazenshin, particularly the line, "Knowing without touching […]
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, […]
Rev. Liên Shutt (she/they) is the author of Home Is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path and a priest lineage holder in the Shunryu Suzuki tradition. Born to a Buddhist family in Vietnam, she received her meditation training in the Insight and Soto Zen traditions in the United States, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. […]
Join us for two periods of zazen (seated meditation) and kinhin (walking meditation), or just the first or second second meditation periods, as your schedule allows. 6:00 am – Zazen (sitting meditation) 6:30 am – Kinhin (walking meditation) 6:40 am – Zazen 7:10 am – Morning Service Please arrive a few minutes before the beginning […]
We will meet again next Thursday, January 25th. The Zen Study Group meets at the Sacramento Dharma Center and on Zoom. The study group is facilitated by Rev. So'on Jim Hare, with readings from ancient and contemporary Mahayana Buddhist & Soto Zen texts and commentaries. To join the Thursday morning study group, email the coordinator, Rollin […]
The Full Moon Ceremony acknowledges the karma created by our intentional actions, and reminds us to renew our commitment to the ethical conduct expressed as the 16 Bodhisattva Precepts. These are guiding principles for our daily conduct in the world. This ceremony is rooted in a ritual from pre-Buddhist India. To prepare for the ceremony […]
Rev. Myō Lahey is Abbot at Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco and Valley Streams' guiding teacher. He previously served as the monastic Prior (Tantō) at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Rev. Lahey is a Dharma heir of Tenshin Reb Anderson. Raised in an observant Roman Catholic home, Myō was drawn to religion and spirituality at […]
The stream of sorrow is cut through by patience: so teaches an ancient Buddhist text. Practicing patience with the many ideas and feelings that arise in our sitting meditation trains our body/mind to more wisely respond the many situations in life that don't align with our wishes or meet our expectations. Our retreat day will […]
Our guest, Rev. Taiga Ito, trained at Daihonzan Sojiji, one of the head monasteries of Soto Shu (Soto Zen in Japan). In 2016, Taiga Ito became Kokusaifukyoshi (international teacher of Soto Shu). He served as secretary of the Soto Zen Buddhism International Center between 2016 and 2018, and has served as its Assistant Director since 2019. *Zoom link […]
Since 2021, Valley Streams sangha member Berry Crawford has been recording interviews with Zen teachers and practitioners for his Simplicity Zen Podcast. This evening’s program will feature a recorded interview with Tim Burkett. Tim Burkett is Zen priest, Zen teacher and retired licensed Ph.D. psychologist. Tim was the Guiding Teacher of Minnesota Zen Meditation Center […]