Valley Streams Zen Sangha

One-day Sitting: Benefitting All Beings (at the Dharma Center)
2021-07-03 09:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 bring us contentment.
This retreat will be led by Valley Streams practice leader So On Jim Hare. The day will include a morning Dharma talk and afternoon discussion.
REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE.COM (NOTE: because this is an all-day event, we will not be offering it online.)

Welcome Back Practice Circle (in-person & online)
2021-07-05 19:00 - 20:30
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 whatever form gives you comfort and joy. We strongly encourage everyone to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Consistent with CDC guidance, we will not require masks for vaccinated people. However, we encourage mask-wearing by anyone who feels more comfortable doing so. Should any unvaccinated person choose to attend in person, we strongly encourage you to wear a mask for your own protection. We will continue to offer a Zoom or Livestream option for people who live far from the zendo or who choose not to attend in person for any reason. A system for broadcasting events from the Dharma Center has been assembled to facilitate this.

If you are joining us online:

Meeting ID for Monday Evenings: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977
Prior to the meeting, download the free Zoom Client for Meetings (13 MB) As you wait for the host to start the meeting, click the Test Computer Audio button to make sure you can hear and be heard by others.
Download the chants in PDF.
At 6:50 pm, join the meeting.
The program will begin at 7pm with this approximate schedule: 30 minute sitting; 5 minute chant; announcements; then a 30-40 minute Talk/Discussion.

*To join by telephone (audio only):

Dial 669 900 6833 (San Jose) and follow voice prompts for entering the Meeting ID and password.
Phone Controls: *9 = Raise hand; *6 = Mute/unmute

Introduction to Zen Meditation (in-person at the Dharma Center)
2021-07-12 18:00 - 18:40
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 Center only. Sign up for Weekly Emails to receive current program information.

Dharma Talk by Anbo Stuart Kutchins (in-person AND online)
2021-07-12 19:00 - 20:30
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 Green Gulch Farm. In 2009 Anbo returned to Tassajara for six months to serve as Tanto. Anbo is currently the guiding teacher for the Floating Island Zendo in Pt. Reyes and the Mountain Source Sangha in Bolinas. He will join us online from his home in Inverness.

Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.

Meeting ID for Monday Evenings: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977
Prior to the meeting, download the free Zoom Client for Meetings (13 MB) As you Wait for the host to start the meeting click the Test Computer Audio button to make sure you can hear and be heard by others.
Download the chants in PDF.
At 6:50 pm, join the meeting.
The program will begin at 7pm with this approximate schedule: 30 minute sitting; 5 minute chant; announcements; then a 30-40 minute Talk/Discussion.

*To join by telephone (audio only):

Dial 669 900 6833 (San Jose) and follow voice prompts for entering the Meeting ID and password.
Phone Controls: *9 = Raise hand; *6 = Mute/unmute

Morning Zazen & Service (in-person and online)
2021-07-15 06:00 - 07:30, 2021-07-29 06:00 - 07:30
Please join us for early morning silent meditation each Thursday before Study Group meeting. Contact Rollin Ives at twl4148@gmail.com for Zoom login and program information.
Schedule:
5:45-Zoom room opens,
6:00-Zazen,
6:30-Walking Meditation,
6:40-Zazen,
7:10-Service
•Download SFZC Chants in PDF.

Dharma Talk by So-On Jim Hare (in-person & online)
2021-07-19 19:00 - 20:30
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 in 2016.

As of July 1, we invite everyone to return to in-person attendance. We strongly encourage everyone to be vaccinated for Covid-19. Consistent with CDC guidance, we will not require masks for vaccinated people. However, we encourage mask-wearing by anyone who feels more comfortable doing so. Should any unvaccinated person choose to attend in person, we strongly encourage you to wear a mask for your own protection. We will continue to offer a Zoom or Livestream option for people who live far from the zendo or who choose not to attend in person for any reason. A system for broadcasting events from the Dharma Center has been assembled to facilitate this.
For those who are joining us online:

Meeting ID for Monday Evenings: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977
Prior to the meeting, download the free Zoom Client for Meetings (13 MB) As you Wait for the host to start the meeting click the Test Computer Audio button to make sure you can hear and be heard by others.
Download the chants in PDF.
At 6:50 pm, join the meeting.
The program will begin at 7pm with this approximate schedule: 30 minute sitting; 5 minute chant; announcements; then a 30-40 minute Talk/Discussion.

*To join by telephone (audio only):

Dial 669 900 6833 (San Jose) and follow voice prompts for entering the Meeting ID and password.
Phone Controls: *9 = Raise hand; *6 = Mute/unmute

Morning Zazen & Service (in-person & online)
2021-07-22 06:00 - 07:30

Dharma Talk by Rev. Dojin Sarah Emerson (in-person & online)
2021-07-26 19:00 - 20:30
Dojin Sarah Emerson is co-Head Priest at Stone Creek Zen Center in Graton, CA. She lived and trained at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center and other sites of the San Francisco Zen Center from 1998-2007. She received Dharma Transmission from Abbott Konjin Gaelyn Godwin of the Houston Zen Center in 2015. She has a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies, and has worked in the fields of mental health and pastoral care with children and adults. As a priest in the U.S., Sarah is committed to centering anti-racist practice. She experiences Bodhisattva Zen practice as uniquely supportive to inquiring into, challenging, and transforming systems of oppression, particularly racial inequities and the harm they cause within convert Buddhist sanghas and in U.S. society generally. Sarah has also worked for many years in grief support—clinically, pastorally, and in community—specializing in ceremonies for child loss. She lives with her partner, Korin Charlie Pokorny (also a Soto Zen Buddhist priest), their children, and numerous pets in Sonoma County.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.

For those who are joining us online:

Meeting ID for Monday Evenings: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977
Prior to the meeting, download the free Zoom Client for Meetings (13 MB) As you Wait for the host to start the meeting click the Test Computer Audio button to make sure you can hear and be heard by others.
Download the chants in PDF.
At 6:50 pm, join the meeting.
The program will begin at 7pm with this approximate schedule: 30 minute sitting; 5 minute chant; announcements; then a 30-40 minute Talk/Discussion.

*To join by telephone (audio only):

Dial 669 900 6833 (San Jose) and follow voice prompts for entering the Meeting ID and password.
Phone Controls: *9 = Raise hand; *6 = Mute/unmute

Dharma Talk by Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (in-person & online)
2021-08-02 19:00 - 20:30
Paravrtti 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. Doralee works as a clinical psychologist. (www.livingforwardwhole.com)
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.

For those who are joining us online:

Meeting ID for Monday Evenings: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977
Prior to the meeting, download the free Zoom Client for Meetings (13 MB) As you Wait for the host to start the meeting click the Test Computer Audio button to make sure you can hear and be heard by others.
Download the chants in PDF.
At 6:50 pm, join the meeting.
The program will begin at 7pm with this approximate schedule: 30 minute sitting; 5 minute chant; announcements; then a 30-40 minute Talk/Discussion.

*To join by telephone (audio only):

Dial 669 900 6833 (San Jose) and follow voice prompts for entering the Meeting ID and password.
Phone Controls: *9 = Raise hand; *6 = Mute/unmute

Half-day Zazenkai, led by So-On Jim Hare (in-person OR online)
2021-08-07 08:30 - 12:30
This sitting may be on Zoom rather than outdoors at the Dharma Center as recently planned. In addition to heightened concerns about Covid, we are experiencing poor air quality due to fires in the Sierra. If these conditions continue on Saturday, the sitting will be held via Zoom. Please call or send an email for most recent venue information.
Zazenkai is a silent meditation retreat that doesn’t feature a Dharma talk. It is simply to go deeply into the practice of zazen; allowing silence and stillness to offer their blessings. The schedule will alternate six half-hour periods of sitting and walking meditation, with a short silent break in mid-morning.

If this is your first time practicing with us or your first half-day sitting, please call So-On Jim at 916-456-7752 to learn more about the day.

Register on Eventbrite.com

Introduction to Zen Meditation (online)
2021-08-09 18:00 - 18:40
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.
This class WILL BE HELD ONLINE BECAUSE OF CURRENT COVID-19 GUIDELINES. zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89078415062
Sign up for Weekly Emails to receive current program information.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey (in-person & online)
2021-08-09 19:00 - 20:30
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 was drawn to religion and spirituality at an early age and found Zen Buddhism in his teens. He began sitting in 1969 and practiced with many San Francisco Zen Center practitioners and teachers, including Dainin Katigiri-roshi, Kobun Chino-sensei, Yoshimura-sensei, and Issan Dorsey. Myo studied Sanskrit at UC Berkeley for ten years.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.

Meeting ID for Monday Evenings: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977
Prior to the meeting, download the free Zoom Client for Meetings (13 MB) As you Wait for the host to start the meeting click the Test Computer Audio button to make sure you can hear and be heard by others.
Download the chants in PDF.
At 6:50 pm, join the meeting.
The program will begin at 7pm with this approximate schedule: 30 minute sitting; 5 minute chant; announcements; then a 30-40 minute Talk/Discussion.

*To join by telephone (audio only):

Dial 669 900 6833 (San Jose) and follow voice prompts for entering the Meeting ID and password.
Phone Controls: *9 = Raise hand; *6 = Mute/unmute

Dharma Talk by So-On Jim Hare (in-person & online)
2021-08-16 19:00 - 20:30
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 in 2016.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.

Meeting ID for Monday Evenings: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977
Prior to the meeting, download the free Zoom Client for Meetings (13 MB) As you Wait for the host to start the meeting click the Test Computer Audio button to make sure you can hear and be heard by others.
Download the chants in PDF.
At 6:50 pm, join the meeting.
The program will begin at 7pm with this approximate schedule: 30 minute sitting; 5 minute chant; announcements; then a 30-40 minute Talk/Discussion.

*To join by telephone (audio only):

Dial 669 900 6833 (San Jose) and follow voice prompts for entering the Meeting ID and password.
Phone Controls: *9 = Raise hand; *6 = Mute/unmute

Way-seeking Mind Talk by Dell Richards (in-person & online)
2021-08-23 19:00 - 20:30
Each of us has come to Zen practice as a seeker, with a spirit of inquiry, 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 a unique way that often blends autobiography, spiritual biography, and the practice questions that each is engaged with.

Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.

Meeting ID for Monday Evenings: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977
Prior to the meeting, download the free Zoom Client for Meetings (13 MB) As you Wait for the host to start the meeting click the Test Computer Audio button to make sure you can hear and be heard by others.
Download the chants in PDF.
At 6:50 pm, join the meeting.
The program will begin at 7pm with this approximate schedule: 30 minute sitting; 5 minute chant; announcements; then a 30-40 minute Talk/Discussion.

*To join by telephone (audio only):

Dial 669 900 6833 (San Jose) and follow voice prompts for entering the Meeting ID and password.
Phone Controls: *9 = Raise hand; *6 = Mute/unmute

Book Club (ONLINE)
2021-08-26 16:30 - 18:00
Our intention with this book club is to continue our inquiry into the relationship between white supremacy, white privilege and the Dharma. We will meet monthly on the fourth Thursday, with a book selected by the group. We will rotate facilitators. ALL ARE WELCOME.
Contact: Doralee Grindler Katonah at grindkaton@icloud.com or Linda Dekker at zendekker@gmail.com

Retreat Night (in-person & online)
2021-08-30 19:00 - 20:30
On Retreat Night we offer an opportunity to settle into your meditation practice with three 25-minute periods of zazen, interspersed with walking meditation (called kinhin). Turning the light inward we explore the causes of suffering and what can end it. This invitation is extended to everyone.

Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.
For those who are joining us online:

Meeting ID for Monday Evenings: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977
Prior to the meeting, download the free Zoom Client for Meetings (13 MB) As you Wait for the host to start the meeting click the Test Computer Audio button to make sure you can hear and be heard by others.
Download the chants in PDF.
At 6:50 pm, join the meeting.
The program will begin at 7pm with this approximate schedule: 30 minute sitting; 5 minute chant; announcements; then a 30-40 minute Talk/Discussion.

*To join by telephone (audio only):

Dial 669 900 6833 (San Jose) and follow voice prompts for entering the Meeting ID and password.
Phone Controls: *9 = Raise hand; *6 = Mute/unmute

CLOSED for Labor Day Holiday
2021-09-06 19:00 - 21:00

Introduction to Zen Meditation-CANCELED
2021-09-13 18:00 - 18:40
Please check in with us next month on October 11.
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.
Sign up for Weekly Emails to receive current program information.

Practice Circle on Grandmother Mind, led by Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (in-person & online)
2021-09-13 19:00 - 21:00
Dogen says: “You can understand all of Buddhism, but you cannot go beyond your abilities and your intelligence unless you have robai-shin, grandmother mind, the mind of great compassion.
”Through first presenting several stories pointing to Grandmother Mind, Doralee will facilitate a practice circle inviting each person to share a significant grandmother experience (note there are many forms and kinds of grandmothers) and reflective thoughts regarding qualities of Grandmother Mind that are revealed through our stories. The capacities of Grandmother Mind are cultivated and realized through our practice together.
Paravrtti 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. Doralee works as a clinical psychologist. (www.livingforwardwhole.com)
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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

Full Moon Ceremony (in-person & online)
2021-09-20 19:00 - 21:00
This ceremony is an affirmation of the vow to live for the benefit of all beings. In the Zen tradition we associate the full moon with the ideal of awakening. All are welcome.

Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Dharma Talk by Rev. Mary Mocine (in-person & online)
2021-09-27 19:00 - 21:00
Joining us this evening, in the Meditation Hall, is Reverend Mary Mocine, abbess of Clear Water Zendo in Vallejo. She was trained at San Francisco and Berkeley Zen Centers, and Tassajara Zen Monastery. She was ordained in 1994 by Sojun Mel Weitsman, former Abbot of San Francisco Zen Center and continuing Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. Reverend Mocine has also trained with Abbess Zenkei Blanche Hartman and former Abbots Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Tenshin Reb Anderson of the San Francisco Zen Center. She received dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman in May 2005.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Awakening Bodhi Mind - A One-day Zen Retreat, led by So-On Jim Hare
2021-10-02 09:00 - 17:00
Zen master Dogen speaks of “raising an aspiration to escalade the very sky.” What is the place for such audacity in our practice?
Many of us begin Zen practice with the hope that it will relieve the pain and grief we feel much of the time. Later, we learn that relieving suffering is just part of the work. The Buddhas point the way toward complete liberation, not only for ourselves but for all beings. The aspiration for such liberation is called Bodhicittapada.
We will explore the aspiration for enlightenment in our one-day sitting, through multiple periods of zazen, a morning Dharma talk and afternoon discussion.
Please note this is an IN-PERSON retreat. All who attend must be vaccinated against Covid-19. In addition, masking and social distancing protocols will be practiced.

If this is your first time practicing with us or your first one-day sitting, please call So-On Jim at 916-456-7752 to learn more about the day.
Please bring a bag lunch.
Fee is by donation.

REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE.COM

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey (in-person & online)
2021-10-04 19:00 - 21:00
Rev. Myo Lahey is Abbot at Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco and our guiding teacher. He has previously served as Practice Leader at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He is a Dharma heir of Tenshin Reb Anderson. Tonight’s talk will be online from Hartford Street Zen Center.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Introduction to Zen Meditation
2021-10-11 18:00 - 18:40
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.
Sign up for Weekly Emails to receive current program information.

Dharma Talk by So-On Jim Hare (in-person & online)
2021-10-11 19:00 - 21:00
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 Rev. Myo Lahey in 2016.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Dharma Talk by Rev. Ben Connelly (in-person & online)
2021-10-18 19:00 - 21:00
Ben Connelly is a Soto Zen teacher and Dharma heir in the Dainin Katagiri Roshi lineage. He also teaches mindfulness in a wide variety of secular contexts including police and corporate training, correctional facilities, and addiction recovery and wellness groups. Ben is based at Minnesota Zen Meditation Center and travels to teach across the United States. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the author of: Inside the Grass Hut: Living Shitou’s Classic Zen Poem, Inside Vasubandhu’s Yogacara: a Practitioner’s Guide, and Mindfulness and Intimacy.

Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.

Annual Sangha Meeting - on ZOOM
2021-10-24 10:30 - 12:00
It’s a virtual event!
Bring your coffee or tea and a pastry and spend a relaxed Sunday morning catching up with Sangha friends, hearing the latest news from VSZS Board members, meeting our two new Board members, adventuring into an ice-breaker game, and sharing ideas!
President Doralee will review events of the past year, and Treasurer Larry Smith will present the Sangha’s financial report. We will assemble in our Zoom cubicles and in breakout rooms to more easily talk about what has been and what could be for our sangha in the coming year.
• Register on Eventbrite

Dharma Talk by Lama Rod Owens (online video)
2021-10-25 19:00 - 21:00
Love and Rage – The Path of Liberation Through Anger – Lama Rod Owens interviewed by Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz : an online video.

All of us have many reasons to be angry and even enraged in this fractured world we are living in. Come listen to Lama Owens and participate in a discussion about how we practice with “negative” emotions as an aspect of seeking social justice and healing for all beings.
Lama Rod Owens is an author, activist, African American gay man and authorized lama in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism who explores spiritual practices that transform anger and rage into a force of healing in this world.

Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.

Sejiki Ceremony (in-person & online)
2021-11-01 19:00 - 21:00
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.
All are welcome.

Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, practice circle or retreat night. 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.
