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. Our sangha is maintained by a community of people who have traveled many different paths. We come together to support each other in practicing Buddha’s way.
Valley Streams Zen Sangha draws its inspiration from zazen, commonly understood as meditation practice, but truly encompassing a wider field of possibility and human potential. We invite experienced Zen students and newcomers to join our weekly meetings and other events. Our Monday night program always begins with our core practice of just sitting. Additional offerings include a devotional service, dharma talks by visiting teachers, group discussions, practice circles and retreat nights. The forms practiced at Valley Streams Zen Sangha are inspired by the teaching and tradition of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and the San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC).                  Â
Valley Streams’ guiding teacher is Abbot Myo Denis Lahey, whose home temple is Hartford Street Zen Center, located in San Franciso’s Castro Street neighborhood. Rev. Myo is a fully entrusted Zen teacher, having received Dharma transmission from Tenshin Reb Anderson, Senior Dharma Teacher at San Francisco Zen Center. Locally, Rev. Jim Hare serves as Practice Leader and co-leads our practice in consultation with our guiding teacher and our board of directors. Jim has practiced Zen for 35 years and was head student during the spring 2002 practice period at Green Gulch and was recently ordained by Rev. Myo Lahey.    Â
The mission of Valley Streams Zen Sangha is to promote the instruction and practice of meditation according to the traditions of Soto Zen Buddhism and to encourage peaceful communion in accordance with its forms and ceremonies.
Since the Sangha formed in 2002, our resident teachers have served without financial compensation. This fortunate, but unusual, situation is unlikely to be replicable in the future. Zen priests typically train in temple settings where they receive room and board and a small stipend. To engage a priest/teacher in the future, it will be necessary to offer compensation.
This is where the Maitreya Fund comes in. Named for the future Buddha, this fund works like an endowment, an investment that grows over time. The Sacramento Region Community Foundation pools funds from non-profit organizations like ours. The funds are invested in a stock and bond portfolio to enhance their future value. Contributions to our fund plus their investment yield will solely benefit Valley Streams Zen Sangha.
We appeal to those who practice with Valley Streams or those who simply want to sustain our mission to consider donating to the Maitreya Fund. Your contribution(s} will serve as a legacy of your life and practice.
Our sangha is maintained by a community of people who have traveled many different paths. We come together to support each other in practicing Buddha’s way.
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.
Organization name
Valley Streams Zen Sangha
2006
Tax id (EIN)
20-5583076
Mission Category
Human Services
Operating Budget
$0-$50,000
Organization Need
Funding: Other
Local Counties Served
El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Yolo
Address
3624 58TH STSacramento County, CA, US
Yolo County, CA, US
El Dorado County, CA, US
Placer County, CA, US
other
916-456-7752