Valley Streams Zen Sangha

Study Group (Hybrid)
2023-07-06 08:00 - 09:00, 2023-09-28 08:00 - 09:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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

Memorial Service for Kyōji Linda Dekker (Hybrid)
2023-07-09 14:00 - 16:00 | 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.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myo Lahey (Speaker on zoom)
2023-07-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Rev. Myo Lahey is Abbot at Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco and Valley Streams’ guiding teacher. He previously served as Practice Leader at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Rev. Lahey is a Dharma heir of Tenshin Reb Anderson.
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.
Click for Zoom link to this program.

Practice Talk with Sho Kan Clement Spring (Speaker in-person)
2023-07-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Sho Kan Clement Spring was recently priest ordained to by Rev. Kyosho Valorie Beer. He has served as the treasurer for the Valley Streams Board of Directors and formerly as Head Doan.
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

Dharma Talk with Rev. So'on Jim Hare (Speaker In-person)
2023-07-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 Meikyo Bob Rosenbaum (Speaker in-person)
2023-07-31 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Meikyo Robert Rosenbaum, PhD. received lay entrustment in Soto Zen from Sojun Mel Weitsman. He is also authorized as a senior teacher of the Taoist practice of Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigong in the lineage of Yang Meijun by Master Hui Liu. In addition, he has received denkai in Ordinary Mind Zen from Karen Terzano. Bob teaches Zen and Qigong at the Meadowmind Center in Sacramento.
Bob is the author of several books including Zen and the Heart of Psychotherapy, Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with Tao Te Ching and most recently, That is not your Mind! Zen Reflections on the Sarangama Sutra.
*Zoom link for this program: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82008151977

Entering the Door of Liberation ~ One-day Retreat Led by Rev. So'on Jim Hare
2023-08-05 08:30 - 16:30 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Sitting in stillness and silence is an excellent method for entering the door of liberation; this door is open to everyone. The first chapter of the Flower Garland Sutra recounts the myriad insights, understandings, realizations and visions that have allowed enlightening beings to enter the Dharma door of liberation. In this retreat we will engage sitting and walking meditation – the fundamental Dharma doors of Soto Zen. The day will include a Dharma talk and opportunities for individual practice discussion.
Outside the meditation hall we will maintain noble silence. Please bring a bag lunch.
Register on Eventbrite. Suggested donation $20 -$60.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Mary Mocine (Speaker in-person)
2023-08-07 19:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Reverend Mary Mocine is Abbess of Clear Water Zendo. She trained at San Francisco and Berkeley Zen Centers, and at Tassajara Zen Monastery. She was priest ordained by Sojun Mel Weitsman in 1994 and received dharma transmission from him in 2005. She also studied with Jikai Myo-ōn Yvonne Rand, former Abbess Zenkei Blanche Hartman and former Abbots Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Tenshin Reb Anderson of the San Francisco Zen Center.
Rev. Mocine graduated from Hastings College of the Law in 1971. In 1988 she became interested in Zen Buddhism and took three months off in 1989 to spend time in intensive residential practice at Green Gulch Farms never returning to the practice of law.
In 1998 Rev. Mocine formed a meditation group in Vallejo California. The group grew and Clear Water Zendo was formally opened in January of 2000. The name of the zendo, Clear Water, comes from a poem by Zen Master Dogen, “The Point of Zazen.”
Realization, neither general nor particular,
is effort without desire.
Clear water all the way to the bottom;
a fish swims like a fish.
Vast sky transparent throughout;
a bird flies like a bird.
The 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. 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. Newcomers and experienced Zen students alike are invited to join us.
Click for zoom link to this program.

Dharma Talk with Rev. Kainei Edward Espé Brown (Speaker in-person)
2023-08-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Edward Espe Brown found his way to Zen practice in 1965 and dove in whole-heartedly. He was the first head cook, or tenzo, at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. He was priest ordained by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 1971 who gave him the dharma name Jusan Kainei (Longevity Mountain, Peaceful Sea).
Rev. Brown helped found Greens Restaurant in San Francisco and has written several cookbooks including The Complete Tassajara Cookbook, and Tomato Blessings and Radish Teachings. He edited Not Always So, a collection of Suzuki Roshi’s lectures. In 2018 he published No Recipe: Cooking as a Spiritual Practice, a book about finding our own way in the kitchen – and in life. One of Rev. Brown’s students, Danny Parker, compiled 30 years of his dharma teachings in The Most Important Point, published in 2019.
The 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. Donations 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. Newcomers and experienced Zen students alike are invited to join us.
Click for zoom link for this program.

Retreat Night (Hybrid)
2023-08-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
On Retreat Night we offer an opportunity to settle into your meditation practice with three 25-minute periods of zazen (sitting meditation), interspersed with kinhin (walking meditation). Turning the light inward we explore the causes of suffering and what can end it. This invitation is extended to everyone.
Click here for zoom link to program.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Renshin Bunce (Speaker on Zoom)
2023-08-28 19:00 - 21:00 | CA
Rev. Renshin Bunce was lay ordained by Myogen Steve Stucky in 1996, and priest ordained by Zenkei Blanche Hartman at San Francisco Zen Center in 2003. She served as Shuso (head student) with Myogen at Tassajara in 2008 and received dharma transmission from him in April of 2013. After completing the Sati Center’s Buddhist chaplaincy training and residency in 2010, she worked as a hospice chaplain until retiring in 2022. She has been affiliated with Norman Fischer and Everyday Zen since 2012.
Rev. Bunce has two books, Entering the Monastery, a record of her time at Zen Center, which was published in 2008; and Love and Fear, reflections on chaplaincy, which was published in 2020. She is a photographer. See flickr to view her images. Rev. Bunce also assists Zen students in the sewing of Buddha’s robe.
The 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. 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. Newcomers and experienced Zen students alike are welcome to join in the zendo or on zoom.
*Click here for Zoom link.

CLOSED for Labor Day Holiday
2023-09-04 19:00 - 21:00 | CA

Envisioning the Future of SDC and the 3 Sanghas
2023-09-10 12:30 - 17:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Hozan Alan Senauke will lead a discussion on the future among all our sanghas and the Sacramento Dharma Center. Bring your questions, concerns, and thoughts about YOUR vision of the future of the Sacramento Dharma Center. Hozan is also a musician, and as a bonus, promises some musical entertainment!
Hozan Alan Senauke has been an engaged Buddhist activist for many years. He is currently Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center and was the director of Buddhist Peace Fellowship for many years. Alan was a founder of Think Sangha, a group of writers and intellectuals that are affiliated with the BPF and the International Network of Engaged Buddhists. Think Sangha is a group of individuals who meet to identify some of the most pressing social issues that they feel engaged Buddhists should be addressing. He is also the founder of the Clear View Project, which focuses on social change and relief efforts in Asia, most recently in Burma.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myō Lahey (Speaker on Zoom)
2023-09-11 19:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Rev. Myō Lahey is Abbot at Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco and Valley Streams’ guiding teacher. He previously as 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 an early age and found Zen Buddhism in his teens. Rev. Myō began sitting practice in 1969 while still in high school, and attended zazen-kai at Haiku Zendō in Los Altos, which had recently been established and which hosted Suzuki-roshi from time to time
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. Donations 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. Newcomers and experienced Zen students alike are invited to join us in the zendo or on zoom.
Click here for zoom link to program.

Retreat Night (Hybrid)
2023-09-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
On Retreat Night we offer an opportunity to settle into your meditation practice with three 25-minute periods of zazen (sitting meditation), interspersed with kinhin (walking meditation). Turning the light inward, we explore the causes of suffering and what can end it.
If you are new to meditation or just exploring the idea, the Introduction to Meditation Class on the second Monday of the month is recommended before attempting an extended evening retreat.
Click here for zoom link to program.

Dharma Talk with Rev. So'on Jim Hare (Speaker In-person)
2023-09-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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, or practice circle. 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.
*Click here for zoom link.

Civil Rights Pilgrimage with Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah and Malia McCarthy (Hybrid)
2023-10-02 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
OUR CIVIL RIGHTS PILGRIMAGE TO ALABAMA
Facing Hate with Love – Beginning a new conversation.
Going on Pilgrimage can mean a journey to a sacred place….a seeking of a deeper connection to the larger truth guiding our lives through a visceral encounter with the tremendum. From Sept. 5-10 eight bodhisattvas traveled to Alabama to witness and learn from the ‘places’ in the South where the roots of the civil rights movement began; where the courage of Black people whose ancestors were enslaved changed the world, where these denied truths can be witnessed.

Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah along with Malia McCarthy will speak of their experiences with time for tender discussion amongst all of us.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, or practice circle. 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.
*Click here for Zoom link.

Sitting in the Light of Buddha's Wisdom ~ One-day Retreat Led by Rev. So'on Jim Hare
2023-10-07 08:30 - 16:30 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Each and every thing is equally illumined in the light of Buddha’s wisdom. So, there is no wisdom to get ahold of. Just sitting is enough.
In the second chapter of the Flower Adornment Sutra, the Buddha responds to a set of questions from his followers by emitting rays of light in every direction. This kind of awesome, magical display seems far from the precincts of grounded Zen practice, yet it may have something to teach us.
This one-day retreat will consist of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation and a Dharma talk. The retreat will be led by So’on Jim Hare, practice leader at Valley Streams Zen. Please bring a bag lunch. If this will be your first one-day retreat with us, please send a message to info@valleystreamszen.org to introduce yourself.
A donation (Dana) of between $20 and $60 is requested. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Register on Eventbrite.

Medicine Buddha Meditation with Susan Farrar
2023-10-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Susan began practicing in the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism in 2008 and took refuge with Lama Yeshe Jinpa in 2009. She competed the Buddhist Chaplaincy course of study through the Sati Center in 2019 and considers chaplaincy her “calling” after having spent 5 years as a hospice respite volunteer, 4 years as a volunteer hospital chaplain, and is now embarking on a path of hospice chaplaincy as a volunteer. Through Lion’s Roar Dharma Center, she has also taught beginners classes and facilitated discussion groups since 2015.
Susan also sits with Valley Streams Zen Sangha and serves on its Board of Directors as well as on the Board of Directors of Lion’s Roar Dharma Center.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, or practice circle. 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.
*Click here for Zoom link.

Potluck Brunch and Valley Streams Zen Sangha Annual Meeting (In-person)
2023-10-14 10:00 - 13:00 | CA
Join the Valley Streams for a Sunday potluck brunch and Annual Meeting. Spouses, partners, friends, and family—all are invited. Gather at 10 am to share a meal and each other’s company. After a fun social mixer, President Dave Jarrell will introduce the 2023-2024 Board and give a report on the state of the sangha. We look forward to enjoyable conversations and thoughtful contributions to deepening our Buddhist practice in sangha life.
RSVP via Eventbrite.

Civil Rights Pilgrimage with Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah and Malia McCarthy (Hybrid)
2023-10-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Cultivating Courage to Engage Calls for Justice.
Inspired by the courage of the Civil Rights Movement Doralee and Malia will continue unfolding their pilgrimage experiences (first presentation was October 9) through reflecting upon the many faces of courage and how our practice life informs us. Come participate in this inquiry in both the larger community and practice circles..

Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah along with Malia McCarthy will speak of their experiences with time for tender discussion amongst all of us in a practice circle.
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, or practice circle. 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.
*Click here for Zoom link.

Workshop with Keiryu Liên Shutt (Zen) and Dawn Haney (Vipassana) (Speakers in person)
2023-10-22 13:00 - 17:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Home Is Here: Healing Harm with Compassionate Connection
What does it mean to attend to our suffering in body, heart, and mind when racism has caused such intense hurt and pain, individually and collectively?
Grounded in the Eightfold Path, this workshop offers us a journey on the Path of restoration from the results of white supremacy culture’s racism by examining deeply and fully individual and collective conditioning, questioning it in mindful and compassionate ways. With courageous honesty, we investigate how we may have been misled, misinformed, or perhaps, even colluded in perpetuating or creating hurt and harm.
We’ll engage in practices from Rev. Liên’s book Home is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path* which emphasizes wholeness-based interactions, or Compassionate Connections, with each other. These exercises will support and allow us to let go of old beliefs. We will learn new skills and behaviors, building confidence that we are able to heal from the hurts and harms of racism as we practice co-creating liberation for all.
To foster brave spaces, this workshop will have teachings and instructions for the full group while exercises and processing will be in BIPOC or white-identified affinity groups. It is sponsored by SBMG and co-sponsored by the BIPOC Sangha. Please contact the scholarship coordinator; no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
This workshop** is for anyone seeking restoration and healing from the hurts and harm of racism.
* Rev. Liên & Dawn will be in dialogue about the book at Capital Books on Saturday, 10/21, at 3 p.m. Come join us and buy your book for the workshop!
**Workshop participants are encouraged to attend SBMG’s morning program led by Rev. Liên and Dawn on Oct 22, 10 am-12 noon, 3111 Wissemann Dr, Sacramento.
Rev. Liên Shutt (she/they) is 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 U.S., Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. She was a founding member of the Buddhists of Color in 1998 and currently is the guiding teacher of Access to Zen, an inclusive, anti-oppression sangha and non-profit in the SF Bay Area. She lives on Ohlone land, currently called San Francisco, with her partner, exploring waterways and forests as often as they can. Visit AccessToZen.org for ways to connect and practice together. Her new book, Home Is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path (North Atlantic Books, pub 8/22/2023) builds on foundational Buddhist teachings – the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path — offering an intersectional framework to help us embody antiracist practices and tend to our healing and wholeness.
Dawn Haney (they/she) has been organizing, coaching, teaching, and writing for 20 years, on feminism, white anti-racism, Buddhism, leadership, and liberation. They braid together wisdom from Buddhism and social justice traditions, understanding identity, power, and change through their own experiences as a white, fat, queer, nonbinary femme, and through social movements from migrant justice to fat liberation. A dharma student since 2003, she is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders program, a Community Teacher at East Bay Meditation Center and the Alphabet Sangha, and taught across the US as former Co-Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
Click here to register.

Dharma Talk with Rev. So'on Jim Hare (Speaker In-person)
2023-10-23 19:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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, or practice circle. 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. If this is your first visit please arrive at least 15 minutes early for a brief orientation.
*Click here for zoom link.

Sejiki Ceremony (Hybrid)
2023-10-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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.
Please bring bells, cymbals, drums, or other noisemakers with which to call the hungry ghosts into the Dharma Hall to eat our food offerings. Everyone is invited to stay for treats and conversation after the ceremony.
*Click here for zoom link.

The Mysterious Unfolding of Our Undivided Reality: a Half-day Retreat with Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (In Person)
2023-11-04 08:30 - 12:30 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Come rest in the mystery, practice with great awareness, and experience the mystery unfolding amongst us. The retreat includes periods of zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation), and a dharma talk. Please bring a bag lunch and join us for an informal lunch at 12:30 pm. Hot water and tea will be available. Everyone is welcome.

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 Doralee Grindler Katonah serves as Ino, or head of the meditation hall. 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 2022 practice period at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Sangha. She offers practice interviews upon request.

REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE

Dharma Talk by Rev. So'on Jim Hare (Speaker in Person)
2023-11-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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.
*Zoom link to program
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, or practice circle. 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. If this is your first visit please arrive at least 15 minutes early for a brief orientation.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Myō Lahey (Speaker on Zoom)
2023-11-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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 an early age and found Zen Buddhism in his teens. Rev. Myō began sitting practice in 1969 while still in high school, and attended zazen-kai at Haiku Zendō in Los Altos, which had recently been established and which hosted Suzuki-roshi from time to time.
*Zoom link to program
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. Newcomers and experienced Zen students alike are invited to join us in the zendo or online via Zoom.

Dharma Talk by Susan Moon (Speaker on Zoom)
2023-11-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Susan Moon is a writer, editor, and lay teacher in the Soto Zen tradition. She is the author of a number of books about Buddhism, including the humor book The Life and Letters of Tofu Roshi and This Is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity. For many years she was the editor of Turning Wheel, the journal of socially engaged Buddhism. Her short stories and essays have been published widely.
Sue 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 now with Zoketsu Norman Fischer’s Everyday Zen sangha. She received “entrustment” as a lay teacher in 2005.
*Zoom link to program
Our Monday night programs begin with zazen (sitting meditation) followed by a devotional service and dharma talk, group discussion, or practice circle. 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. If this is your first visit please arrive at least 15 minutes early for a brief orientation.

CLOSED - Thanksgiving Day
2023-11-23 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
