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## Our mission is to empower you to live a Zen-inspired life of openness, empathy, and clarity.
# Upcoming Programs
#### January 29, 2025Wednesdays, 7:30–9:00 pm | Online Only
### *MINDFUL PARENTING–THRIVING FAMILIES*
## MINDFULNESS AND THE ART OF IMPERFECT PARENTING
Perfect parents don’t exist–we all struggle and make mistakes. Despite the many joys of being a parent, we also experience a flood of other feelings like anger, frustration, anxiety, guilt, overwhelm, and loneliness . . . sound familiar? This 5-week course is designed to help you slow down, build compassionate awareness and transform the way you relate to parenting challenges and stress.
#### February 7-8, 2025 | Hybrid | Nonresidential
## TWO DAY MEDITATION RETREAT*The Quiet Season: Winter Zen*
Join us for this short 2 day retreat done in a bare-bones styles (no services) Register by donation.
# Welcome to the Zen Center
Every day, people just like you step through our doors – CEOs and students, believers and skeptics, all searching for clarity. We understand the burdens you may carry: the depression that colors your world gray, the stress that tightens your shoulders, and the burnout that dims your spark. We’ve walked this path before and we’ve found something worth sharing.
### 1. 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  program or our weekly morning .
### 2. Getting Started
Zen meditation and the cultivation of mindful awareness form 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  course.
### 3. Embrace the Zen Journey
Our Sangha welcomes all, from curious newcomers to dedicated practitioners. To help you understand better the nature of the Zen Spiritual Path, we suggest you take our course, the . The next step is to consider joining the Center as a member. There are two kinds of membership at the center.There are several ways to participate as a member. You may become a  paying monthly dues to help support our mission You may also choose to embark on a serious Zen path of training.
### 4. 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.
#### **Our Mission**
## **To empower you to live a Zen-inspired life of openness, empathy and clarity.**
# Get in touch
### Become a member
There are different ways to become a member. Join today and help us fulfill our mission, and let us support your practice.
### Meet our Abbot, Roshi Robert Althouse
Schedule a 30-minute online interview with Roshi to learn more about ZLMC and Zen practice.
[![Join us this coming Sunday, Nov. 22 at 10AM for Dharma Talk, &quot;Form(ing) in sunyata: Transgressive bodies and the Heart Sutra&quot; by Rev. Sid Yang
Rev. Syd Yang, MDiv (they/them) is a mixed race/Taiwanese American queer trans/non-binary lay B![Join us this coming Sunday, Nov. 22 at 10AM for Dharma Talk, &quot;Form(ing) in sunyata: Transgressive bodies and the Heart Sutra&quot; by Rev. Sid Yang
Rev. Syd Yang, MDiv (they/them) is a mixed race/Taiwanese American queer trans/non-binary lay B
[![As we approach the end of this wonderful year, join us for this joyful celebration of our Sangha Community, followed by an Autumn Harvest Brunch.
The celebration will include poetry, music, humor, and hula. Following this, we will hold our FREE Harv![As we approach the end of this wonderful year, join us for this joyful celebration of our Sangha Community, followed by an Autumn Harvest Brunch.
The celebration will include poetry, music, humor, and hula. Following this, we will hold our FREE Harv
Mon–Fri: 7:00-7:45 AM (CST)
Sat: 8:00-8:45 AM
Sunday: 9:00–11:00 AM
**Contact Us**
Zen Life & Meditation Center, Chicago
46 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60302
708-689-1220
info@ZLMC.org
Zen Life & Meditation Center, Chicago is a Zen Center in the White Plum Lineage. The White Plum Asanga is an organization of peers whose members are Zen teachers in the lineage of Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi
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Zen Life & Meditation Center, Chicago is an affiliate of ZPI and is dedicated to the Zen Peacemakers' Three Tenets: Not-Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Taking Action
**Program Attendance Policy**: The Zen Life & Meditation Center, Chicago is committed to providing dharma teachings to anyone regardless of their ability to pay. We have set up a Dharma Fund which our members contribute to in order to support this policy. As a result, partial scholarships are always available for any of our programs or offerings. Email us to apply.