The theme for our Fall Study Period is the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, or Prajñāpāramitā, mother of all Buddhas. Prajñāpāramitā refers to the perfected way of seeing the nature of reality, as well as to a particular body of sutras and to the personification of the concept in the Bodhisattva known as the "Great Mother". Doralee's Handouts: Suggestions for Practicing […]
In our Soto Zen-style one-day sittings we engage with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, and silent bag lunch (please bring your own). If this is your first one-day sitting, please speak with Practice Leader Jim Hare (916-456-7752) prior to signing up. Sitting all day brings forth the great mirror awareness in […]
Practice Circle on the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, or Prajñāpāramitā. Tonight we will discuss how we have practiced with Doralee's handouts during the past week. Doralee's Handouts: Suggestions for Practicing with the Prajnaparamita Sutra The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines & Its Verse Summary translated by Edward Conze (complete text)
On Maka Hanna Haramitsu, or The Perfection of Wisdom, the second book of the Shōbōgenzō by Eihei Dōgen.
You are invited to join a new study group that will meet on the third Thursday of every month from 9 am-10:30 am. The group is open to all sanghas and genders - to anyone who is interested in studying the Dharma through the lives and teachings of Buddhist women. Linda Dekker and Susan Farrar […]
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 […]
We welcome our guiding teacher from Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco.
Robert “Meikyo Onzen” Rosenbaum started Zen practice around 1971 with Joshu Sasaki Roshi, after which he studied with Omori Roshi in Japan. Around 1987 he began practice at Berkeley Zen Center with Sojun Mel Weitsman Around 2005, he was shuso at BZC Around 2009, he received formal lay entrustment to teach Soto Zen from Sojun […]
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 […]
Our November 4th half-day sitting will be followed by a modified Oryoki (3-bowl) lunch at noon. This will help orient us to the meal practice that we will use for our mini-Rohatsu sesshin that's coming up December 1-3. So, if you are planning to attend November 4th, you don't need to bring a lunch; it […]
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 […]
One Mind is an intimate portrait of life inside one of China's most respected & austere monastic communities. Eschewing talking-head interviews and the authority of a narrative voice, audiences can expect an immersion into the textures and sounds of life in a traditional Zen (Chan) monastic community in Southern China. (2016; Edward A. Burger; filmed in Jiangxi […]