Membership

Cultivate a World of Wisdom:
Become a Steward of our Sangha Community

In these turbulent times, the world yearns for the qualities Zen nurtures: stillness in chaos, compassion in conflict, and clarity in confusion. For over ten years the Zen Life & Meditation Center has been a beacon of these transformative teachings. Now, we invite you to deepen your practice and expand our impact by becoming a member.

As a ZLMC member, you’re not just supporting a center, you’re nurturing a living tradition. Rooted in the White Plum Lineage, our teachings bridge timeless wisdom with modern life, offering a path to genuine well-being. Your monthly contribution is the lifeblood that allows us to:

  • Member Discounts – offer our members discounts on most of our offerings

  • Offer Sanctuary – Maintain our serene Oak Park center as a refuge for all who seek peace, from first-time meditators to seasoned practioners.

  • Share Timeless Wisdom – Attract and support our dedicated Zen teachers, ensuring that authentic, transformative teachings continue to flow.

  • Innovate and Adapt: Develop new classes, retreats, and workshops that address the evolving needs of our community, from stress relief to deep awakening.

  • Foster a Global Sangha: Expand our online offerings, bringing Zen insights to those who can’t reach us physically, creating a worldwide community of practice.

  • Open the Dharma Gate for All: Provide scholarships to those facing financial hardships, living our belief that the Dharma is too precious to be limited by finances.

Every membership level makes a difference:

  • Bodhisattva Member: $83/month – Help provide scholarships for others.

  • Peacekeeper Member: $42/month – Keep our teachings alive and bright

  • Pathfinder Member: $20/month – Nurture our communal bonds

Your contribution, at any level, is an act of generosity that ripples out. Each person who finds clarity here, each moment of compassion cultivated, each insight that transforms a life–this is the fruition of your support. In a world that often feels divided, your membership helps us build bridges of understanding. In a time of environmental crisis, it helps us teach mindful stewardship. In the face of personal challenges, it offers a path to resilience and peace.

Join us. Together, let’s tend this garden of awakening, where every mindful breath nurtures a more aware, compassionate world.

Featured
The Obstacles is the Path by Roshi June Tanoue
The Obstacles is the Path by Roshi June Tanoue

Autumn colors of gold and yellow, flecked with red. A brightly shining sun. Schiller Park South exuded a gentle warmth of beauty as my husband and I were walking the dirt path. As we walked, we came upon a number of logs and branches across the path.

“The obstacle is the path,” Joshin said matter-of-factly as we stepped over branches, sometimes using our hands to clamber over a few of the larger logs. He didn’t stop and say, “Oh, I wish this path was clearer” or “Why doesn’t someone cut this log away and clear the path?” We simply did what we needed to do - walk over them.

Hula Sutra by Roshi June Ryushin Tanoue
Hula Sutra by Roshi June Ryushin Tanoue

In the middle of the Pacific, 2,500 miles away from the nearest continent, lies a chain of islands called Hawaii. The weather is mild and sunny with trade winds that often keep the humidity in check. Fragrant flowers and salty sea air embrace you. Colors are vivid; mountains are vast. Amidst this beauty, powerful storms and volcanic eruptions occur. Hula and I were born from this rich environment.  

My mother told me that at age six, I asked her to take me to hula class. She took me to our local Shingon Buddhist temple where Louise Beamer taught hula to children of many ages. Aunty Louise played her ukulele and sang while we danced. Her instruction was gentle. I was entranced.  

Dancers must be in touch with their bodies. We must know where our torso, head, arms, hands, legs, and feet are in time and space. This requires mindfulness and practice. It’s a source of focus and concentration as we learn to tell a story with our bodies.    

What is to Give Light Must Endure Burning
What is to Give Light Must Endure Burning

“What is to endure light must endure burning”

Viktor Frankl (1905-1997) Austrian neurologist, pychologist, philosopher, and Dachau survivor

I’ve heard August called the dog days of summer. This could mean that it’s so hot, all you want to do is lie around like a dog. It could also mean that you’re up against something hard, a challenge, something scary that you’d rather not deal with at the moment, if at all and that you’re lying around like a couch potato.

When this happens there are two major options for you. There are more of course but they fall into these two big categories.

“Falling Cup” by Brad Hunter
“Falling Cup” by Brad Hunter

The handle of the cup breaks,

Swallows dance impossibly on the air.

A bell is heard in a mysterious distance

Beyond engine and hammer song,

Beneath tire hum and street hysteria.

A cracked brick catches your eye

And the world stops turning.

Just for an instant, thoughts refuse to rise,

Past and future fall off the edges of time.