Valley Streams Zen Sangha

Memorial Service for Kyōji Linda Dekker (Hybrid)
2023-07-09 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sacramento Dharma Center, Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Kyōji Linda Dekker
Kyōji Linda Dekker was a founder of Valley Streams Zen Sangha and of the Sacramento Dharma Center. She served on the Boards of SBMG, Valley Streams, and the Dharma Center and incorporated all three organizations as nonprofits. Linda served on the Sacramento Dharma Center Board for over 8 years, through the entire process of inception, fundraising and locating the Wissemann Drive property we now occupy. She also served on the SDC Art and Design Committee, helping to transform the building into the pleasing aesthetic we have today. In addition to all of this, Linda served as the first office manager of the Sacramento Dharma Center, stepping down in 2022 when her illness made it infeasible for her to continue. Linda’s service throughout was offered from her great spirit of giving and devotion to the Dharma.In her practice life, Linda became a student of Tenshin Reb Anderson in the late 1990’s. She was lay-ordained by him and practiced in residence at Green Gulch Farm 2001-2002. She served as Ino (head of the meditation hall) for Valley Streams Zen Sangha 2015 – 2018.
Linda passed from this life April 2, 2023 after a long illness, surrounded by friends and family.
Linda is survived by her son Bryn, partner Nuala, and grandchild Parlee, as well as best friends, Gwen Roedel Green, Garry Green, honorary grandson Nathaniel Green, and many close friends, Dharma brothers and sisters.
A reception will follow the service. Bring cookies, a sweet or fruit to share.
View the ceremony via Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89161166483
Download the Program & the Chants.

Study Group (Hybrid)
2023-07-06 08:00 - 09:00
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 Ives, twl4148@gmail.com

Morning Zazen and Service (Hybrid)
2023-07-06 06:00 - 07:30
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 of each period to take your seat in the zendo or, if arriving via Zoom, to allow the AV person time to admit you. If you arrive on Zoom after the beginning of the sit, the AV person will not admit latecomers until the beginning of the next period. Stay for a cup of tea after service if you join in person.
•Zoom meeting link
•Chants used in our morning service (SFZC website)

Full Moon Ceremony (Hybrid)
2023-07-03 19:00 - 21:00
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.
Texts for the chants are distributed during the ceremony or available here: *Full Moon Ceremony Chants

To prepare for the ceremony there are two 25 minutes meditation periods separated by 10 minutes of walking meditation. All are welcome to participate.

*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Half-Day Sitting led by Rev. Parāvṛtti Hokyo Doralee Grindler Katonah : Cultivating Intimacy Within Open US to the World (In-person)
2023-07-01 08:30 - 12:30
A monk asked Dongshan: What is Buddha? Donshan replied, ‘Three pounds of flax.’
Whether sitting, walk, sitting, standing, or lying down we open wholeheartedly to the Way and Buddha activity happens on its own. Come, sit, and walk together to support each other in continuous practice. The retreat includes periods of zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation), and a dharma talk with a social lunch to follow. Bring your own bag lunch. Hot water and tea are available.
For more information contact us at info@valleystreamszen.org. If you have limited or no experience in sitting meditation, please email the teacher at grindkaton@ icloud.com
Rev. Parāvṛtti Hokyo Doralee Grindler Katonah serves as Ino, or head of the meditation hall at Valley Streams Zen Sangha. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in May 2022.
Register on Eventbrite.

(On break) Study Group (Hybrid)
2023-06-29 08:00 - 09:00
The Study Group will take the month of June off and reconvene on Thursday, July 6.
At that time we will start our new text, The Lankavatara Sutra, translated with commentary by Red Pine. The Zen Study Group meets at the 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 Ives, twl4148@gmail.com

Dharma Talk by Shōku Kathy Early (Speaker on Zoom)
2023-06-26 19:00 - 21:00
Guest teacher Shōku Kathy Early came to zen practice in 1994 through classes with Tenshin Reb Anderson at the Yoga Room in Berkeley while working as a semiconductor engineer in Silicon Valley. She then practiced for several years with Keido Les Kaye at Kannon Do Zen Center in Mountain View, after which she trained at San Francisco Zen Center for 16 years. She was priest ordained by Tenshin Anderson in 2005. Shōku also spent a year and a half in residence at Toshoji International Training Monastery, in Okayama, Japan, including four angos (90 day training periods).
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 in-person or on zoom.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

(On break) Study Group (Hybrid)
2023-06-22 08:00 - 09:00, 2023-06-15 08:00 - 09:00, 2023-06-08 08:00 - 09:00
The Study Group will take the month of June off and reconvene on Thursday, July 6. We’ll start our new text, The Lankavatara Sutra, translated with commentary by Red Pine.
The Zen Study Group meets at the 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 Ives, twl4148@gmail.com

Way-Seeking Mind Talk with Malia McCarthy (Speaker in-person)
2023-06-19 19:00 - 21:00
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 engaging each person.
Malia is a member of the Valley Streams Board of Directors and serves as secretary.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Dharma Talk by Rev. So'on Jim Hare (Speaker in-person)
2023-06-12 19:00 - 21:00
Rev. 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, and was priest ordained by Rev. 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 in the zendo or on zoom.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

A Dramatic Reading of the Holy Teaching of Vimalakīrti
2023-06-05 19:00 - 21:00
This beloved text, unique among Buddhist Scriptures, contains the quintessence of Mahayana doctrines, taught with vivid imagery, dramatic encounters and sly humor. Members of the Thursday morning study group recently completed a study of this text and, together other cast members, present a dramatic reading of excepts from the Vimalakīrti Sutra, slightly adapted.
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.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Shukke Tokudo Ceremony for Clement Spring (Hybrid)
2023-06-03 14:00 - 16:00
Come, monk*
The ceremony of Shukke Tokudo consists in receiving the precepts of the Bodhisattva and, by doing so, taking refuge in the three treasures: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It is the ceremony for priest ordination. Preceptor Rev. Kyōshō Valorie Beer will convey the precepts to sangha member Clement Spring and will ordain him as a Soto Zen priest in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi. All are invited.

Download Invitation RSVP at 775.636.4814 or springcj@att.net

*calligraphy by Shunryu Suzuki

Study Group (Hybrid)
2023-06-01 08:00 - 09:00

ZENDO CLOSED for Memorial Day
2023-05-29 19:00 - 21:00

Practice Talk by Tō Ji Chi Kai Oscar Balaguer (Speaker in person)
2023-05-22 19:00 - 21:00
Spiritually inspired art can illuminate Zen teaching and enrich Zen practice without the need for verbal overlay. in his talk “Zen Practice and Inspired Art,” Oscar will consider four approaches to expressing the ineffable through imagery, using examples from Zen and other traditions. Oscar is a retired environmental scientist, a long-time student of Tenshin Reb Anderson, and a devotee of the capacity to create and love art.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Retreat Night
2023-05-15 19:00 - 21:00
Join the sangha for two period of zazen (sitting meditation) with one period of kinhin (walking meditation). We will close the evening with the Three Refuges chanted in Pali.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Study Group (Hybrid)
2023-05-11 08:00 - 09:00
*We will reconvene on May 18*
The Zen Study Group meets at the 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 Ives, twl4148@gmail.com

Morning Zazen and Service (Hybrid)
2023-05-11 06:00 - 07:30
•We will reconvene on May 18•
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 of each period to t ake your seat in the zendo or, if arriving via zoom, to allow the AV person time to admit you. If you arrive on zoom after the beginning of the sit, the AV person will not admit latecomers until the beginning of the next period. Stay for a cup of tea after service if you join in person.
Click here for zoom meeting link.
To download chants used in the morning service, visit the San Francisco Zen Center website.
To offer dana to support building rental expenses, click on our Paypal link.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (Speaker in-person)
2023-05-08 19:00 - 21:00
Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah will present a dharma talk in person at the Dharma Center. She serves as Ino, or head of the meditation hall. She studied in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Center in Sunnyvale, California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in May 2022. She offers Practice Interviews upon request.
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.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Dōan-ryo Rehearsal (in-person)
2023-05-06 13:30 - 15:00
Dōan-ryo are the group of people who serve the sangha in temple roles including the dōan, the fukudo, the chiden, the jiko, and the kokyo. They meet bi-monthly after the Saturday half-day sit to rehearse for upcoming ceremonies.

Half-day Sit led by Rev. So'on Jim Hare & Buddha's Birthday Celebration
2023-05-06 08:30 - 12:00
Rev. So’on Jim Hare will lead a half-day sit in the morning with a special service at noon for the ceremonial washing of the Baby Buddha statue and the chanting of the Buddha’s Birthday Eko in gratitude for Queen Maya’s sacrifice.
Buddha’s birthday is celebrated in Japan on April 8th. In south and southeast Asia it is celebrated as Vesak or Buddha Day on May 5th. We will celebrate on May 6th, to honor the life of our original teacher in India, Shakyamuni Buddha. You are welcome and invited to join this sitting and ceremony. During the latter, we will chant the Heart Sutra and bathe the Baby Buddha. Please bring a lunch to enjoy with your Dharma friends following the ceremony. Birthday cake will be provided.
You are welcome to join the sangha at noon just for the service without participating in the half-day sit.
Register on Eventbrite.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myō Lahey (Speaker on Zoom)
2023-05-01 19:00 - 21:00
Rev. Myō Lahey, Valley Streams’ guiding teacher, joins us online via Zoom from Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco, where he is Abbot. He previously served as Practice Leader at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He is a Dharma heir of Tenshin Reb Anderson.
Our Monday night programs are hybrid beginning 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.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Dharma Talk by Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (Speaker in person)
2023-04-24 19:00 - 21:00

Inter-Sangha Jizo Ceremony (In person)
2023-04-22 13:00 - 16:00
Jizo is the beloved Great Bodhisattva found within many Buddhist traditions, who carries us across the threshold of death and loss and safely accompanies us through the ‘hell zones’ of deep suffering.
Especially honored in Japan, Jizo (also known as ‘Earth Store’ or ‘Earth Womb’) brings to us the qualities of courage, fearlessness, and tenderness needed to enter into our experiences of grief and loss and to open our hearts to the mystery of life and death.
This will be a sacred time for us to come together to acknowledge and remember the death of someone dear to us or another kind of significant loss, whether recent or from long ago. We will take refuge in the safe container of our shared presence with each other for the sake of our healing.
We will be introduced to this ceremony by our facilitator and then in silence we will create hand-made offerings for our loved ones. In a ceremony of remembrance we will honor their lives and our relationship with them. We will complete the ceremony with a processional into our garden to offer prayer flag messages for the dying and for ourselves as we continue to live our lives.
In this sacred space we will together turn towards the complexity of grief and discover the strength that arises when we embrace our interconnectedness with all beings.
Register on Eventbrite.
Everyone is welcome and there is no fee. Donations offered will be given to the Susan Orr Memorial Garden.
For further information contact: Doralee Grindler Katonah at grindkaton@icloud.com
This ceremony has been brought to us from Japan by Yvonne Rand and Jan Chosen-Bays and transmitted to Chris Forten and Sarah Emerson (all transmitted Zen Priests). Rev. Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah will lead this fourth inter-sangha event. She has had two years of training in preparation for guiding this ceremony.
Rev. Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah serves as Ino, or head of the meditation hall for Valley Streams Zen Sangha. She studies in the Soto Zen lineage with Sojun Diane Martin, founder and guiding teacher of Udumbara Zen Center in Illinois and Rev. Val Szymanski, Head Priest of Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in California. She was lay ordained in 2008 and priest ordained in 2019. She served as head student for the Spring practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha in May 2022..

Dharma Talk with Rev. So'on Jim Hare (Speaker in person)
2023-04-17 19:00 - 21:00
Rev. 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, and was priest ordained by Rev. 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.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Dharma Talk by Rev. Ganbō Berry Crawford (Speaker in person)
2023-04-10 19:00 - 21:00
Rev. Ganbō Berry Crawford will speak on “The Science of Zen.”

Rev. Crawford has been a Zen practitioner since 1992. In the mid 90’s he lived for a year at a Soto Zen monastery and afterwards practiced with Diane Rizzetto in Charlotte Joko Beck’s Ordinary Mind Zen School. He is a fully ordained priest in the Clear Mind Zen school. Ecumenical by nature, he continues his Zen practice in various Zen traditions. At Valley Streams he is a member of the Dōan-ryo, serves as Valley Streams’ webmaster and representative on the Sacramento Dharma Center Board.
He is the host of the Simplicity Zen Podcast (https://simplicityzen.com/) and maintains the Science of Zen website (https://scienceofzen.org/).

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.

*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Short Practice Night and Memorial Service (Hybrid)
2023-04-03 19:00 - 21:00
This evening’s practice will be zazen (sitting mediation), kinhin (walking meditation), zazen, followed by a memorial service for Kyoji Linda Dekker. Linda passed from this life at 10 p.m. Sunday night after a long illness, surrounded by friends and family. She was a founder of Valley Streams Zen Sangha and a founder of the Sacramento Dharma Center. She served on the Boards of SBMG, Valley Streams, and the Dharma Center and incorporated all three organizations as nonprofits. Linda served on the Sacramento Dharma Center Board for over 8 years, through the entire process of inception, fundraising and locating the Wissemann Drive property we now occupy. She also served on the SDC Art and Design Committee, helping to transform the building into the pleasing aesthetic we have today. In addition to all of this, Linda served as the first office manager of the Sacramento Dharma Center, stepping down in 2022 when her illness made it unfeasible to continue. Linda’s service throughout was offered from her great spirit of giving and devotion to the Dharma.
In her practice life, Linda became a student of Tenshin Reb Anderson in the late 1990’s and practiced with him in residence at Green Gulch Farm 2001-2002. She served as Ino (head of the meditation hall) from 2015 – 2018.
Chant: Dai HI Shin Dharani
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Riding in the Same Boat with All Beings: One-day Sitting led by Rev. Kokyo Henkel (Speaker in person)
2023-04-01 09:00 - 16:30
The theme of this sitting is the essay Zenki (the Whole Works),
Zen master Dogen’s vision of realization manifested in both life and death
Guest teacher Kokyo Henkel will lead this one-day retreat, which will include alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, punctuated by morning and afternoon Dharma talks and discussion. The theme of this retreat is Dogen’s essay Zenki
Kokyo Henkel was ordained as a Zen priest in 1994 by Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi, receiving the Dharma name Kokyo Yakai (Luminous Owl, Midnight Liberation 光梟夜解). He received Dharma Transmission from Tenshin Roshi in 2010, becoming a lineage-holder authorized to guide others on the path. From 2010 – 2020 Kokyo was teacher at the Santa Cruz Zen Center. He is currently Tanto (Head of Zendo practice) and a Dharma teacher at Green Gulch Farm. He has also been practicing with the Tibetan Dzogchen (“Great Perfection”) Teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche since 2003, in California, Colorado, and Kathmandu.
Register on Eventbrite.
