Valley Streams Zen Sangha

Morning Zazen and Service (Hybrid)
2024-03-14 06:00 - 07:30, 2024-03-21 06:00 - 07:30, 2024-03-28 06:00 - 07:30, 2024-04-04 06:00 - 07:30, 2024-04-11 06:00 - 07:30, 2024-04-18 06:00 - 07:30, 2024-04-25 06:00 - 07:30, 2024-05-02 06:00 - 07:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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)

Study Group (Hybrid)
2024-03-14 08:00 - 09:00, 2024-03-21 08:00 - 09:00, 2024-03-28 08:00 - 09:00, 2024-04-04 08:00 - 09:00, 2024-04-11 08:00 - 09:00, 2024-04-18 08:00 - 09:00, 2024-04-25 08:00 - 09:00 | 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

Talk on "Climate change and the Dharma" by Oscar Balaguer and Diana Cassady (Speaker in Person)
2024-03-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
How do we think about something so big and inexorable as climate change? How should we live with that in the background of our lives? How do we face and practice with it? Oscar Balaguer and Diana Cassady will explore these big questions in their Dharma talk.
Senior student and longtime member of Valley Streams Sangha, Oscar Balaguer was lay ordained by Tenshin Reb Anderson. Diana Cassady practices with Sacramento Insight Meditation (SIM). She leads Third Act Sacramento (for climate activists over 60) and is currently head of SDC’s Climate Sangha.
We offer a Well-Being Ceremony on the third Monday of every month to remember friends, family, neighbors, pets and people of the world who are ill, facing a recent loss, or struggling with some difficulty in their lives. Please send the names of those you wish to be remembered to: Parāvrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (Ino@valleystreamszen.org) by the Sunday evening prior.
*Zoom link to program
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.

Sangha Picnic and Hike (In Person)
2024-03-24 10:00 - 14:00 | Cache Creek Nature Preserve, County Road 20, Woodland, CA, 95695, United States
Join the sangha for a private guided tour and a picnic lunch at the Cache Creek Nature Preserve. Cache Creek Nature Preserve is a 130-acre complex of wetlands, oak woodlands, grasslands, and creekside lands located outside of Woodland. The site is home to two unique features: the Tending and Gathering Garden (TGG) and the Jan T. Lowrey Memorial Grove. The Nature Preserve has about 1.5 miles of trails through the grasslands, oak savanna, and by the wetlands. The riparian area bordering the Lower Cache Creek has been maintained in a natural state with willows and cottonwood trees shading the trail that winds along the southern edge of the Nature Preserve.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn about the Native American stewardship of this land and share time with each other in this special place.
To learn more and reserve you spot on the tour see Eventbrite.

Full Moon Ceremony (Hybrid)
2024-03-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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. To prepare for the ceremony there are two 25 minutes meditation periods separated by 10 minutes of walking meditation. All are welcome to participate.
*Full Moon Ceremony Chants
*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.

Family Sangha (In Person)
2024-03-31 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-04-28 10:00 - 12:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Welcome to Family Sangha, sponsored by Sacramento Dharma Center with the support of Sacramento Buddhist Meditation Group, Valley Streams Zen Sangha, and Sacramento Insight Meditation.
On last Sundays, parents, uncles and aunts, grandparents, friends, are invited to come to SDC and share the Buddha path of wisdom and kindness with their children. Adults are expected to stay on site near their children.
Please come to Family Sangha through the West Lobby.
Participating family member(s) can join the sangha meditation and/or dharma talk, while their children enjoy Family Sangha! Please check in with coordinators Ajit or Helen first. Family Sangha is family-created, all volunteer, so we ask that newcomers please stay with their children in the program for their first and second visits. Activities focus on fundamental teachings through conversation, mindfulness, song(s), story, movement, nature dharma and active play outside, snacks, art and even mindful clean-up. Families are welcome to stay for refreshments at noon with SBMG.
If you have any questions, or wish to help in any way, please contact Ajit and Helen at familydharma@sbmg.org. We are actively seeking childcare helpers and a mindfulness facilitator. Stipends are available. Please let us know if you have recommendations.

Dharma Talk by Rev. Mary Mocine (Speaker in Person)
2024-04-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Reverend Mary Mocine, former abbess of Clear Water Zendo, trained at San Francisco Zen Center, Berkeley Zen Center and Tassajara Zen Mountain 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 do intensive residential practice at Green Gulch Farm, after which she never returned to practicing law.
In 1998 Rev. Mocine formed a meditation group in Vallejo California. The group grew and Clear Water Zendo was formally opened in January 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.

*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.

The Mother of All Buddhas and Celebrating Buddha's Birthday: One-day Retreat led by Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (In Person)
2024-04-06 08:30 - 16:30 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Prajna Paramita, the mother of all Buddhas, invites us to participate in the continual birthing of living spiritual energy in each moment.

Come, put aside all worldly affairs, sit zazen and walk together in community. We will touch the ground of Mother Earth, open our heart/minds to the spiritual energy ready to penetrate and awaken our love for all living beings. Our expressions will spontaneously arise in each moment. These potentials do not arise from our self-effort. The awakening of the Wisdom Body comes by itself. We will rest, open, listen, and receive.

There is a power which you cannot grasp with your rational mind. It operates freely, according to the situation, in a more natural way. At the same time, this power functions in our lives to clarify and settle activities and is beneficial to all living beings. ~ Eihei Dogen

In the afternoon, we will enter the Ceremony of Bathing the Baby Buddha – celebrating the Birth of our Buddha nature arising from the Baby Buddha. If you can only sit half the day, please arrive at 1:30 p.m., to sit the afternoon periods and participate in the ceremony at the end of the day.

If you are new to this practice, please email Ino@valleystreamszen.org, and we will arrange an introduction to zazen at the beginning of the day.

Please bring a bag lunch.

Introduction to Zen Meditation (In Person Only)
2024-04-08 18:00 - 18:40 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
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.
Following the instruction the Valley Streams Zen Sangha meets for a 30-minute meditation in the Dharma Hall followed by a 10-minute service and Dharma talk. You are invited to stay for these events after the instruction.
* Meets in the Library at Sacramento Dharma Center.
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Dharma Talk by Rev. So’on Jim Hare (Speaker in Person)
2024-04-08 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. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah and WaDen Eido Barbara Baccei (Speaker in Person)
2024-04-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Embodying our Wild Feminine Spirits – a framing of our first women’s retreat and more.
Led by Paravrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (in Person) with commentary by WaDen Eido Barbara Baccei, Sensai (on Zoom).
Rev. Parāvṛtti Doralee Grindler Katonah 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.
WaDen Eido Barbara Baccei, an ordained Soto Zen Teacher, received Lay Entrustment from Kyōshō Valorie Beer Roshi. She is also a Soto Zen sewing teacher lineage holder of Suzuki Roshi. An alignment-focused yoga teacher, she is a graduate of the Berkeley Yoga Room Teacher Training. A contemplative artist and book artist, she works on paper and fabric embellished with findings from the natural world.
We offer a Well-Being Ceremony on the third Monday of every month to remember friends, family, neighbors, pets and people of the world who are ill, facing a recent loss, or struggling with some difficulty in their lives. Please send the names of those you wish to be remembered to: Parāvrtti Doralee Grindler Katonah (Ino@valleystreamszen.org) by the Sunday evening prior.
*Zoom link to program
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.

SDC Climate Sangha (In Person)
2024-04-17 18:00 - 19:30 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
Using One Earth Sangha as a model, the Climate sangha meets at the Dharma Center on the third Wednesday of the month from 6-7:30 pm. The group explores Buddhist teachings on caring for the Earth, practice together and, in some cases, join actions to address the climate crisis.
For more information, contact Diana Cassady, dlcassady@comcast.net.

Jukai Ceremony (In Person)
2024-04-20 14:00 - 16:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
The ceremony of Jukai consists in receiving the precepts of the Bodhisattva and, by doing so, takes refuge in the three treasures: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It is the ceremony for lay ordination.
Preceptor Rev. Myō Lahey, together with So’on Jim Hare, will convey the precepts to sangha members Dave Jarrell and Malia McCarthy. A reception will follow the ceremony.

SDC Grounds Maintenance (In Person)
2024-04-21 08:00 - 10:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
The Sacramento Dharma Center Grounds Committee meets on the third Sunday of the month from 8-10 a.m. to rake, prune the yard and garden. Excessive heat or rain cancels. To volunteer, meet the crew on the third Sunday at the Dharma Center.
For more information, contact Julie DeHart, julieedehart@gmail.com

Retreat Night (Hybrid)
2024-04-22 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.
*Zoom link to program
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.

Dharma Talk by Hoka Chris Fortin (Speaker on Zoom)
2024-04-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95826, United States
This evening we welcome guest teacher, Chris Fortin, a Soto Zen teacher who began practicing Buddhism in 1976 while living at the San Francisco Zen Center. After many years of practice she received Dharma Transmission from Zoketsu Norman Fischer of Everyday Zen, in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.

Chris founded Dharma Heart Zen to share the path of wholehearted living and awakening with others. She leads the Dharma Heart Zen Sangha in Cotati and the Woman’s Lotus Sangha in Sebastopol. She is a senior teacher in the Everyday Zen community and leads workshops at SFZC. She is guiding teacher of Sky Island Zen in Tucson, Arizona and leads retreats in ancient Aravaipa Canyon. She was the co- founder of Veterans PATH (formerly Honoring the Path of the Warrior), offering retreats and meditation and mindfulness practices for returning veterans. She offers Jizo Bodhisattva trainings and ceremonies for those who have lost children, loved ones and those who are grieving the pain and suffering of the world. Chris is actively engaged in the dharma of social and racial justice and the climate crisis. She co-leads a monthly Racial Literacy and Dharma Group and serves on the Soto Zen Buddhist Association’s Diversity Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility (DEIA) Committee.

*Zoom link to program
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.
