The Center provides a number of ceremonies for members. The most important ceremonies during the year are Vesak, Jukai, and New Year's ceremonies. Vesak occurs in May, and is a celebration of the Buddha's birth. This is a family celebration involving the telling of the story of the Buddha's birth, a picnic, tales, stories, games, prizes and more. Jukai is the taking of the Buddhist precepts.

One could say that taking Jukai formally is entering the Buddha's family, thereby becoming a Buddhist.

There is a dedicated, formal Jukai in November, and there are more abbreviated Jukai ceremonies as part of the New Year's celebrations and the Temple Night before Vesak. Temple Night is a free-form night dedicated to devotional practices. New Year's celebrations include several ceremonies at the Zen Center, including the driving out of demons, reading of the metta sutra, repentance, and the New Year's Candle Lighting Ceremony. New Year's is also a family celebration, where children can also take Jukai.

Other family-oriented events at the Center include various family outings occasionally held away from the Center. These include our annual picnic and group visits to places such as Fermi Lab, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Field Museum.

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