Valley Streams Zen Sangha

Dharma Talk by So On Jim Hare
2017-01-23 19:00 - 20:45, 2016-11-14 19:00 - 20:45 (America/Los_Angeles) | 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, 95826, United States

Inauguration Day Meditation and Prayer
2017-01-20 09:00 - 12:00
• Join us for a non-partisan, Buddhist-inspired meditation and prayer gathering to encourage wisdom, compassion, and loving kindness for ourselves, our neighbors, our government leaders and the world.
• During the inauguration we will sit to support community, to support those outside community, to be in touch with the here and now and to water the seeds of interconnection.
• Sit for a few minutes, an hour, or the entire time, but come be part of a collective effort for peace.
Flyer for printing.

Morning Zazen
2017-01-19 06:00 - 07:30
Everyone is welcome to come at 6:00 or 6:40 for morning meditation.
6:00 Zazen6:30 Kinin (walking meditation)6:40 Zazen7:10 Service7:20 Informal Tea

Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, by Miriam Davis
2017-01-16 19:00 - 20:45
To observe the birthdays of Rev. Martin Luther King and Eihei Dogen, we will have a presentation by Miriam Davis on the bodhisattva of compassion, Kuan Yin, “The One Who Hears the Cries of the World”.

March for the Dream in Sacramento
2017-01-16 08:45 - 14:00
Walk with us!
Sacramento Dharma Center will walk as a group in the annual March for the Dream.
9a.m. – 9:30a.m. The march begins at Sacramento City College (3835 Freeport Blvd.)
11:15a.m. – 11:45a.m. The march arrives at Sacramento Convention Center (1400 J Street)
12:00 – 2p.m. The main stage program and opening ceremonies will start at noon.
Map of the route.

Morning Zazen
2017-01-12 06:00 - 07:30
Everyone is welcome to join us at 6:00 or 6:40 for morning meditation and stay for tea:
6:00 Zazen6:30 Kinin (walking meditation)6:40 Zazen7:10 Service7:20 Informal Tea

Full Moon Ceremony
2017-01-09 19:00 - 20:45
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.

Introduction to Zen Meditation
2017-01-09 18:00 - 18:40, 2016-12-12 18:00 - 18:40, 2016-11-14 18:00 - 18:40, 2016-10-10 18:00 - 18:40
For those who are new to Zen meditation, we offer this 40-minute introduction on the second Monday every month.

One-day Sitting
2017-01-07 09:00 - 17:00
This is our first one-day sitting of the new year. This gentle one-day sitting will include a work period and formal tea in the afternoon if enough people attend. The day will include a Dharma talk by Practice Leader Jim Hare. Everyone is welcome.
Register for the sitting.
*Please note our one-day sittings are now held on Saturday instead of Sunday.

Morning Zazen - CANCELED
2017-01-05 06:00 - 07:30
Canceled due to installation of our new furnace. We’ll be sitting NEXT THURSDAY, January 12th!

Introduction to Winter Theme by Doralee Grindler Katonah
2017-01-02 19:00 - 20:45
“The highest value of Buddhist practice is to shine the light of awareness on habits of mind that perpetuate prejudice and discrimination so all may wake up together. This includes learning how we are conditioned to separate ourselves by race, gender, age, ability, sexual orientation and other forms of cultural identity.” (VSZ Diversity Statement)
This season we will take up the concept of “other” and the object-seeking mind. Using our Diversity Statement, we will “study the self”, the object-seeking mind, and our human tendency to “other” that which is different, helping us to see how our practice supports the development of skillful means in turning toward, rather than away from, difficult interactions. Through talks by sangha members and guests, readings and discussion, we will explore together the “harmony of difference and equality.”

Winter Solstice Celebration
2016-12-26 19:00 - 20:45
Come share music, poetry, stories and refreshments with the sangha.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey
2016-12-19 19:00 - 20:45
Rev. Myo Lahey is our guiding teacher and abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco.

Dharma Talk by Guest Teacher Susan Moon
2016-12-12 19:00 - 20:45
Susan Moon is a writer, editor, and lay teacher in the Soto Zen tradition. She has been a Zen student since 1976, practicing in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi at Berkeley Zen Center, Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery, Green Gulch Farm, and with Zoketsu Norman Fischer’s Everyday Zen sangha. She received “entrustment” as a lay teacher in 2005.

Rohatsu Retreat Night
2016-12-05 19:00 - 20:45
Retreat night consists of three 25-minute sitting periods with walking meditation in between – a time to sit quietly with no interruptions. With Rohatsu we observe the enlightenment of the historical Buddha.

Memorial Service for John Briggs
2016-12-04 14:00 - 16:00
To celebrate the life and practice of Kogan Fukuden – Ancient vow, Field of Blessing
May 20, 1940 – October 10, 2016

New Moon Ceremony
2016-11-28 19:00 - 20:45
The ceremony is an affirmation of the vow to live for the benefit of all beings.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey
2016-11-21 19:00 - 20:45
Rev. Myo Lahey is our guiding teacher and abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. Fall study period ends.

Discussion: The Bodhisattva's Four Methods of Guidance
2016-11-07 19:00 - 20:45
We continue our study of the Bodhisattva’s four methods of guidance: giving, kind speech, beneficial action, and identity action. Download text in PDF.

SDC Opening Celebration
2016-11-06 13:00 - 15:00
Members of Sacramento Insight Meditation, Valley Streams Zen Sangha, and Sacramento Buddhist Meditation Group are invited to come together for our Opening Celebration. Each Sangha will contribute a message or ritual of blessing our new space. We will sit together, celebrate, and enjoy refreshments.

One-day Sitting
2016-11-05 09:00 - 17:00
This is our first one-day sitting at the Sacramento Dharma Center! Fall study period participants should make a special effort to attend, as this is the sole opportunity to “sit long” during the study period. Of course everyone is welcome. This gentle one-day sitting will include a work period and exercise period. We will have formal tea in the afternoon if enough people attend. The day will include a Dharma talk by Practice Leader Jim Hare.
*Please note our one-day sittings are now held on Saturday instead of Sunday.

Sejiki Ceremony
2016-10-31 19:00 - 20:45
Our Sejiki, 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. Treats, tea and conversation after the ceremony.

Discussion: The Bodhisattva's Four Methods of Guidance
2016-10-24 19:00 - 20:45
Rev. Myo Lahey was not able to make it due to illness.

Discussion: The Bodhisattva's Four Methods of Guidance
2016-10-17 19:00 - 20:45
The Bodhisattva’s four methods of guidance are giving, kind speech, beneficial action, and identity action.

Sangha Brunch and Annual Meeting
2016-10-16 10:00 - 13:30
Bring the whole family, a potluck dish to share and enjoy each others’ company in our new space at the Sacramento Dharma Center. Meet new Board members and help us celebrate milestones of the past year, as well as look to the future of our Sangha.

Dharma Talk by Edward Espe Brown
2016-10-10 19:00 - 20:45
Edward Espe Brown is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest and teacher. He was ordained in 1971 by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, who gave him the Dharma name Jusan Kainei , “Longevity Mountain, Peaceful Sea.” He leads sitting groups and meditation retreats in Northern California and internationally.
