OUR PEOPLE

The Chicago Zen Center was founded in 1974 by a small group of people who were interested in practicing Zen as taught by Philip Kapleau in the Harada-Yasutani tradition.  Since then it has grown into a complete practice center, under the guidance of established teachers, offering the full spectrum of Zen training and practice opportunities: daily sittings (all with dokusan), weekly teishos, a regular schedule of sesshin retreats, and a full complement of Buddhist celebrations and devotional services.

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The men and women who practice here come from every walk of life across all age ranges from late adolescents through octogenarians (small children, for whom zazen would be a rather bizarre kind of time out, are more than welcome at our special ceremonies throughout the year). What unites us all is our diligent pursuit of the Dharma, not any political orientation, social theory, or statistically measurable identity markers. Here, at least, we practice simply as human beings in pursuit of the Way.

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If you have any questions, contact the Center: contact@chicagozen.org.

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