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Sacramento Dharma Center

Letter from 100 Buddhist teachers encourages engagement in getting out the vote.

“This is a truly critical time in American society,” the letter reads. “As Buddhist teachers and leaders, we recognize that every vote and voice needs to be heard.”*

Dear Friends in the Dharma,

This is a truly critical time in American society. We are in the midst of a global pandemic, financial collapse, climate change emergency, and approaching a November election that threatens to exclude many eligible voters. As Buddhist teachers and leaders, we recognize that every vote and voice needs to be heard to help guide the next years of our society wisely.

A mutual caring community is one of the central teachings of the Buddha. In these times so marked by divisiveness and a lack of compassionate leadership, many of you have wondered how you and your whole community can help move us in this direction. Here are two crucial activities to encourage for everyone in your community:

  • Register to vote; and sign up for an absentee ballot: You and your community can do this through Vote.org. Over thirty states now have no-excuse absentee voting, and many others are considering allowing COVID-19 as a valid excuse.
  • Get your friends and family to register, sign up for an absentee ballot, and vote.

There’s more we all can do, and these actions don’t demand a lot of time.

1. Volunteer to do voter registration, absentee sign-ups, and get out the vote through these organizations.
• State Voices: A network of nonpartisan state coalitions of hundreds of grassroots organizations. Reach out and see if there are volunteer opportunities.
• National Voter Registration Day (Sept 22): Provides training and support on how to conduct voter registration, and will be making a heavy pivot to remote options this year, as well as a push to sign up for Vote-By-Mail (absentee). Includes legal guidance for voter registration drives.
• Vote Early Day (Oct 24): Inspired by National Voter Registration Day and anchored by a number of large media and tech companies, this organization will also be providing toolkits and training opportunities for impactful work, including recruitment of election workers. Will be assisting voters with both mail and in-person early-voting options. Was in the works pre-COVID-19, but is likely more critical in a pandemic.
• When We All Vote: The best-resourced, truly nonpartisan voter engagement organization.

2. Help ensure that eligible voters get to vote in key states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida and Wisconsin. Whether non-partisan or partisan there are many ways to help. There are many ways to do this.
• Here is an example of how you can get involved in the critical state of Wisconsin: https://winwisconsin.org/webinars/

3. Sign up to be a poll worker. Serving as a poll worker offers a dramatically under-appreciated opportunity to have an impact. Problems are made markedly worse or are mitigated to a substantial degree based on the quality of the poll worker. Chronic shortages of election workers nationwide cause long lines at the polls, especially at polling places that serve communities of color.

You can sign up to be a poll worker using this form and be connected to your local elections office.

Our collective involvement leading up to the November elections can really make a difference. Please forward this to as many teachers and Buddhist communities as you can throughout the United States. And thanks for joining us!

With lovingkindness, compassion and blessings,

Yours in the Dharma,

100+ Buddhist Teachers

(*This letter was written before the current social unrest focusing on the affect of systemic racism on our society.)

Jack Kornfield
Tara Brach
James Baraz
Sylvia Boorstein
Trudy Goodman
Konda Mason
Zoketsu Norman Fischer
Lama Palden
Oren Jay Sofer
Neesha Patel
Tara Mulay
Joseph Goldstein
Sharda Rogell
Matthew Brensilver
Karen Maezen Miller
Debra Chamberlin
Taylor Lynn
Weinberger
Jaya Rudgard
Jonathan Weinberger
Erin Treat
Rev. Sumi Loundon Kim
Rev. Grace Schireson
Layla Smith Bockhorst
Eiko Joshin Carolyn Atkinson
Dharmacarani Vimalasara
Bhiksuni Thubten Chodron
Melissa Myozen Blacker, Roshi
Rev. Edward Oberholtzer
Lama Christopher Coriat
Bonnie Rose Christine
Lama Justin von Bujdoss
George Kinder
Valerie Brown
Joann Rosen
Sensei Katherine Griffith
Sharon Salzberg
Wes Nisker
Kamala Masters
Dawn Maurici
Andrea Castillo
Phillip Moffitt
Anna Douglas
Tere Abdala
Lama Surya Das
Andrea Fella
Rev. angel Kyodo williams
Jeff Haozous
Jozen Tamori Gibson
Ruth King
Mary Grace Orr
Walt Opie
Gil Fronsdal
Lama Willa Miller
Carol Wilson
Howard Cohn
Susie Harrington
Lama Pat Berube
Madeline Klyne
Furyu Schroeder
Donald Rothberg
Anne Cushman
Devon Hase
Judy Lief
Rev. James Ishmael Ford
Bob Thurman
Chris Cullen
Eihei Peter Levitt
Christina Feldman
Nena Thurman
Akincano Webber
David Loy
Yuka Nakamura
Sebene Selassie
Matthew Regan (Rev. Bup Hee)
Rebecca Li
Karma Lekshe Tsomo
Thanissara
Rev. Wendy Egyoku Nakao
Mitchell Ratner
Rev. Ronald Kobata
Kate Johnson
Narayan Helen Liebenson
Nakawe Cuebas
Kittisaro Weinberg
Carole Aldstadt
Pamela Ayo Yetunde
Jonathan Foust
James Myosan Cordova, Sensei
Lucinda Green
Jules Shuzen Harris Sensei
Dean Koyama
Lama Daniela Coriat
Ava Avalos
Kaira Jewel Lingo
Richard Brady
Thich Pháp Hai
Louije Kim
Grace Song
JD Doyle
La Sarmiento
Trish Magyari
Jeffrey Rosenberg
Kristin Barker
Yong Ik Oh
Kenley Neufeld

April News ~ Staying closed, staying healthy!

Remaining Closed

Following government COVID-19 guidelines, our Center will remain closed through at least May 1.

Because of the changing nature of this crisis, the Sacramento Dharma Center Board (in collaboration with the resident sanghas) will continue to reassess the closure status weekly.

Whenever reopening is permitted and advisable, we will let you know how it will be implemented.

We will get through this!

Still Standing

The good news is that the Sacramento Dharma Center building is still being maintained (in accord with safety protocols) and will be ready to go when the time comes to reopen.

Our landscaping contractor is still able to cut the grass and blow off the parking lot twice a month as usual. Because we have suspended monthly volunteer workdays, we are expanding the area that he mows to now include the entire backyard.

Our Sustaining Sanghas have made a startlingly rapid transition to the virtual realm and have been able to continue to offer many of their programs and classes with the aid of technology.

For the most up-to-date info, check the SDC and sangha websites:

Yard Work Opportunities

Spring has sprung at the Center, and nature is quickly finding its way through all the cracks. Group workdays remain on hold, but we are inviting interested individuals to come by when they can and take on a few light outdoor tasks.

We ask volunteers to bring their own tools and abide by social distancing requirements if anyone else is there.

When an individual must enter the building, that individual is asked to observe the instructions for disinfection of all surfaces touched.* Also, please do not use the kitchen or breakroom.

Some ideas about the tasks you could do:

-Weeding—anywhere you see them, but especially in the landscaped beds, in the non-planted areas under the trees, and in cracks in the sidewalk and parking lot.

-Sweeping sidewalks. Picking up any trash. Putting fir bark back in the planters.

-Deadheading the camellias and other flowering plants that need it.

-Weeding the rows of compost in the far backyard. Weeding the sidewalk and area next to it by the area north of the building.

Coming Soon – A New Roof

Our Center will be sporting a new shingled roof by the end of June. The contract has been signed and we are waiting our turn in the roofer’s line. Thank you to all those who contributed to our recent fundraising campaign!

Support

If you are able, please continue to contribute to your sangha and to Sacramento Dharma Center during this very unusual time.

There is much need out there right now and many worthy causes. Please bear us in mind if you have received the government stimulus and are considering which charities to support. You can donate at sacdharma.org.

* Cleaning Guidelines:

Disinfection of all surfaces touched includes, but is not liminted to: door handles light switches, faucets, counters, tools, untensils, alarm pads, and any other shared surface such as chairs, tables, benches, bells, window covering in offices, restrooms and meeting rooms. The easiest way to avoid having to disinfect is to touch as little as possible.

Approved disinfectants will be found in a box on a table in the break room. Please use only these materials for this purpose. Discard used paper towels and take any rags or cloths home and launder in hot water with detergent.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reply here or contact us at info@sacdharma.org.

Temporary Closure in Response to Covid-19 (updated 4/1/20)

The three resident sanghas at the Sacramento Dharma Center—Valley Streams Zen Sangha, Sacramento Insight Meditation, and Sacramento Buddhist Meditation Group–have suspended all live, in-person activities at the Center through the end of April or longer.

Accordingly, the Board of Directors of Sacramento Dharma Center announces that, effective immediately, the Center is closed for any in-person meetings until at least April 30, 2020. Because of the changing nature of the crisis the SDC Board (in collaboration with the resident sanghas) will review the closure status on an ongoing basis.

Please visit sangha and Center websites for the most up-to-date information as well as ways to continue to access the dharma and support practice.

Challenges

We in the Sacramento dharma community, as well as the larger community and world, are in the midst of almost unprecedented challenges. As dharma practitioners, we are facing these challenges within the framework of the dharma that informs both our personal and our collective responses.

The SDC Board asked the sustaining sanghas to decide, based upon their particular situations, how to best contain the spread of COVID-19 and protect the public while continuing to foster community and provide a sanctuary for those who seek to end suffering.

Our decisions focused on two areas:

—Activities at SDC, almost all of which are live, in-person meetings, and

—The ability to keep the Center as a safe space in terms of the potential spread of COVID-19.

Actions of the Sanghas to Suspend Live
In person Activities

Advice from the local, state, and national levels has evolved and changed rapidly over the past few days. The sanghas made their decisions in the midst of the uncertainties that still face us, and them. All three sanghas decided independently to suspend their sittings and dharma talks, one-day retreats, and other activities, including classes. These decisions were made in order to assure the most effective means of preventing the spread of the virus, social distancing.

Continuing to Provide Opportunities
for Dharma and Sangha

The sanghas will be providing a variety of means to support practice during the absence of activities at the Center. In addition to email communications, e-newsletters, and Facebook, sangha websites will have the latest information and instructions for alternative ways to access dharma talks, classes, and other sangha programs.

Sacramento Buddhist Meditation Group, sbmg.org; Sacramento Insight Meditation, sactoinsight.org, and Valley Streams Zen Sangha, valleystreamszen.org, will all provide some electronic access to many activities that will no longer meet in person. Access may be via Zoom, a video conferencing technology; via live-streamed talks; and/or via recorded talks or videoconferences.

In addition to the resources provided by our sanghas, there are a wide variety of online resources available, such as dharmaseed.org, and courses and livestreaming provided by meditation centers and teachers worldwide. Each sangha website, and the SDC website, will list a small fraction of those resources, with links.

Maintaining the Center as a Safe Space

According to experts in communicable disease, social distancing—avoiding contact with others—is the most effective means of preventing or slowing the transmission of disease. After that comes exercising extreme vigilance about disinfecting all surfaces that could harbor viruses.

There will be some necessary traffic at the Center for maintenance and administration even during the closure. When an individual must enter the building, that individual is asked to observe the instructions for disinfection of all surfaces touched, including but not limited to: door handles, light switches, faucets, counters, tools, utensils, alarm pads, and any other shared surfaces such as chairs, tables, benches, bells, window coverings in offices, restrooms and meeting rooms. The easiest way to avoid having to disinfect is to touch as little as possible.

Approved disinfectants will be found in a box on a table in the break room. Please use only these materials for this purpose. Discard used paper towels and take any rags or cloths home and launder in hot water with detergent. If there is any doubt about the efficacy of a method, or a concern, please contact us, info@sacdharma.org.

Your Support

Continued support of your sangha and the Dharma Center is greatly appreciated during these difficult times. Although the doors are closed, fixed monthly operating costs are still accruing.

Refuges

As we continue to face the challenges in front of us, may we all find refuge in our tradition, in the wisdom of the Buddha, the teachings and practices of the dharma, and the strength and support of sangha. May all beings be free from suffering.
Warm Regards from the Dharma Center Board of Directors

 

https://sacdharma.org/20269-2/

Coronavirus (Covid19) Update & Cancellations

The SDC Board has reviewed the current recommendations of the California Department of Health which now states that -“Smaller gatherings (under 250) held in venues that do not allow social distancing of six feet per person should be postponed or canceled. This includes gatherings in crowded auditoriums, rooms or other venues… Gatherings of individuals who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should be limited to no more than 10 people. Higher risk individuals are adults over 60, individuals with compromised immune systems, and individuals who have serious chronic medical conditions. This applies to all non-essential …community gatherings.”
After considerable discussion it was decided that, due to our concern for the well being of our Sangha and the larger community, we would comply with this recommendation. Sustaining Sangha meetings on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday evenings have been cancelled at least through the month of March. We will continue to monitor the health advisories and keep you posted.
For other small meetings please contact the individual Sanghas’ leadership. Some small groups will meet on site practicing social distancing, other groups may use video conferencing, some may be cancelled .

SBMG Website

SIM Website

Valley Streams Zen Sangha Website

SDC ~ Third Anniversary Party Schedule

We hope to see you at our

third anniversary celebration

this Saturday the 9th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Please note these schedule changes:

1:00 pm – music with Kent Lacin and friends

2:30 – Cooking Demonstration with Jay Nair

3:30 – Some closing words

During the afternoon you will also have a chance to enter our silent auction for this wonderful painting by Susan Orr recently gifted to the Dharma Center by her daughter, Katie Thomas, for the purpose of fundraising. It is called The Anguish, The Grace, a framed oil pastel. It is with a grateful heart that we thank Katie for carrying on her mother’s dream with such a generous act. We will be announcing the winner at 3:30.

The photo below does not begin to show the beauty of this dramatic piece. If you are unable to attend the party and would like to bid on the painting you may send a proxy or contact us at 916-386-9844 to make other arrangements.

SDC ~ Third Anniversary Party 11/9/19!

Join us for Sacramento Dharma Center’s Third Anniversary Celebration

Saturday, November 9, 2019 from 1 to 4 p.m.

You are invited to celebrate what your generous time, effort and financial support has manifested as we mark another year together in our beautiful building! Family and friends are welcome.

We hope you are enjoying the new and improved meeting spaces in the western half of our building and being able to fully use this wonderful space for classes, workshops, meetings, book groups, and more. Also, check out the Library! We hope you have noticed some of the outdoor improvements including raised garden beds, and we’ll share a look at some future improvements.

More details will follow. If you have time and would like to be on the volunteer committee for the party reply to this email. Or contact Linda Dekker at zendekker@gmail.com.