Our mission is to empower you to live a Zen-inspired life of openness, empathy, and clarity.

Upcoming Programs

July 31, 2025 | 8:00-10:00 am

MORNING COFFEE
following morning meditation

The Kinship Circle invites you to join us for a morning coffee on Thursday, July 31st following morning meditation. Come any time between 8:00 and 10:00. We’ll provide coffee, tea, and treats, you provide . . . yourself!

Saturday, August 2 from 10:00-11:30 AM.

MEDITATION FOR EVERYONE
In-Person Only
@ ZLMC (46 Lake Street in Oak Park)

In this four-part course you will be introduced to the nature and benefits of mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness can help you manage and regulate stress by grounding you in an embodied awareness of the present. These timeless teachings draw on modern insights in ways that are practical and down-to-earth. Get started with meditation today!

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 Sunday Morning Zen program or our weekly morning online meditation.

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 Meditation for Everyone 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 Path of Zen. 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 supporting member 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.

As we enter the holiday season and close out 2024, join us in fellowship for this conversation with Roshi Robert Althouse. We are grateful to all our Sangha members whose generosity and commitment to Zen practice inspire us and help us move through o
Join us this coming Sunday, Nov. 22 at 10AM for Dharma Talk, "Form(ing) in sunyata: Transgressive bodies and the Heart Sutra" 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. 17th to witness James Kanshin Sullivan receive Shukke Tokudo from Joshin Roshi to become a novitiate Zen Priest in the White Plum Lineage. Kanshin lives in Oak Park with his wife, Sharada and his daughter Elspeth. He
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