Entering the Way
First Steps on the Path
Imagine standing at the threshold of a new world – one filled with peace, wisdom and connection. Join our Zen family by attending any of our FREE events such as our Sunday Morning Zen program or our weekly morning online meditation. Here, lasting bonds form effortlessly among kindred spirits. Allow yourself the gift of time and let your heart lead you to discern if our Zen Center is the sanctuary you’ve been seeking.
Getting Started
Zen meditation and the cultivation of mindful awareness forms the core of our practice, offering profound benefits such as stress management, deeper relationships, and a richer life experience. Begin your journey with our four-part Foundations of Mindfulness course, led by certified Mindfulness Meditation Instructors with years of meditation experience. Join thousands across Chicago and beyond who have embarked on their spiritual path through our courses. Your journey to a more mindful life starts now.
Embrace the Zen Journey
Our Sangha welcomes all, from curious newcomers to dedicated practioners. To help you understand better the nature of the Zen Spiritual Path, we suggest you take our course, the Path of Zen. The next step is to consider joining the Center as a member. There are two kinds of membership at the center. You may become a supporting member paying monthly dues to help support our mission. You may also choose to embark on a serious Zen path of training. With three different teachers available, you can find the perfect guide and mentor for your journey. Start with one-on-one meetings with each teacher. Which one do you feel most connected with. Once you’ve chosen your teacher, then join as a Zen Student member. Once you have done this you can solidify your commitment through a formal ceremony called Shoken done between you and your teacher. In this simply ceremony you form a karmic relationship with your teacher in which you both commit to clarify your life and spiritual path together. Keep going and watch your journey unfold in a Zen-inspired life of openness, empathy and clarity.
Finding Your True North
As you delve into your Zen practice, a world of self-discovery unfolds before you. The ordinary is extraordinary–each moment a revelation, each breath a miracle. Your journey may lead you to take the Jukai ceremony, where you embrace the sixteen precepts under your teacher’s guidance. Adorned with a rakusu, and bestowed with a Dharma Name, you’ll join the vital White Plum lineage. This spiritual thread, woven through millennia, connects you to ancient wisdom from India to China, Japan to the West. With the Jukai ceremony you join the ranks of other Bodhisattvas taking the vow to heal suffering wherever it resides in the human heart. Consider taking our course, the Six Paramitas: Courage and Grace Under Fire, to learn about the six practices of a Bodhisattva. With good spiritual friends and a warm-hearted Sangha community your journey continues to unfold with each passing day.
