Soto Zen Buddhist Meditation in Chicago
Ancient Dragon Zen Gate is a community of practitioners committed to Soto Zen Buddhist meditation practice in Chicago, and now online to many distant practitioners. Our guiding teacher is Taigen Dan Leighton, author, scholar, and Dharma teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki. We invite you to read his teachings or listen to audio recordings of Dharma talks by Taigen and many others. Sunday mornings we welcome brand new visitors to attend our online zendo to learn meditation before our regular program. Please email info@ancientdragon.org
IN-PERSON EVENTS RESUME AT EBENEZER LUTHERAN CHURCH
The Board of Directors of Ancient Dragon Zen Gate voted at their June 19th meeting to resume in-person zen practice at Ebenezer Lutheran Church for Sunday morning and Monday evening services, effective Sunday, June 26th, with the previously established and published safety protocols. Masks will continue to be required at in-person service, with N95 masks encouraged, and sangha members will also be able to attended remotely via Zoom. Please review our COVID policy for attending in-person events, which can be found here. Please see our calendar, the Sangha Events section, and the Meditation Events sections of this site for news about upcoming events.
Guiding Dharma Teacher Taigen Dan Leighton will be available for dokusan by telephone or zoom, as will Dharma Teachers Nyozan Eric Shutt, Eishin Nancy Easton, Hogetsu Laurie Belzer, and Visiting Dharma Teacher Zengyu Paul Discoe. Please send requests for dokusan to our info@ancientdragon.org mailbox. Lay Teacher Douglas Floyd and Practice Leaders Gyoshin Laurel Ross, and Shudo Paula Lazarz also are available for practice interviews and can be reached through info@ancientdragon.org.
Finally, our Sangha Care Committee provides and facilitates support for Sangha members and their loved ones. We view caring for our community as an opportunity of mutual benefit, a chance to live out our Bodhisattva precepts and to realize our interconnectedness as beings. Challenging times during which the Sangha Care Committee could be of support include times of illness, grief, or hardship. Examples of support include our Dharma Buddies Program, support during times of illness or hospitalization, and mobilization of sangha resources and mutual aid. Please contact sanghacare@ancientdragon.org to be in touch.
Click the Online Zendo button above to enter our online zendo via ZOOM. Please bow to the camera when entering or becoming visible on Zoom, but then do not face the screen directly during zazen.
Please refer to our calendar for a complete schedule of services and events in our online zendo. As well, please refer to our Online Zendo page for instructions on accessing the room.
Latest Dharma Podcast Episodes
Decisions about Giving Attention in Our Daily Life
ADZG 1031 ADZG Monday Night Dharma Talk by Kathy Bingham
Featured Podcasts: Buddhism in Kamakura Japan
Click here to learn more about some recent dharma talks given by our guiding teacher, Taigen Dan Leighton, about key buddhist figures in Kamakura-era Japan.
Featured Events
HALF-DAY SITTING WITH HOGETSU LAURIE BELZER – Sunday, September 25, 2022 @ 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Half day hybrid sitting in-person at Ebenezer Church and via our online Zendo via ZOOM. Please register by September 19, 2022 using the form in the event link. Suggested donation is $50.00, or “sliding scale” – please contribute any amount that works for you when you register. For more information, see details on our retreat page.
ZAZEN AND DHARMA TALK BY REIRIN GUMBEL – Sunday, October 2, 2022 @ 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Dharma talk by Reirin Gumbel, Teacher at the Milwaukee Zen Center. Sunday Morning Public Program at Ebenezer Lutheran Church and in our online Zendo via ZOOM.
FLOWER ORNAMENT SUTRA READING GROUP – Friday, October 7, 2022 @ 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
This reading group, open to all, will be reading aloud together the classic expansive and psychedelic Mahayana Buddhist text, Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Ornament Sutra). Participants are not expected to purchase this text and are welcome to drop in for any reading group gathering. Participants will also be invited to sit for optional seated meditation at each gathering. There is no registration or fee to attend, but donations are welcome. Email info@ancientdragon.org with questions.
Featured News
NOVEMBER PRACTICE INTENSIVE
Ancient Dragon will be hosting a practice intensive during the month of November. This is an annual event for sangha members to deepen and support each other’s awakening practice. Please see our November Practice Intensive page for more information about the period and information on how to register.
SEMINAR ON HUAYAN BUDDHISM LED BY TAIGEN DAN LEIGHTON
Taigen will be leading a seminar on Saturday, October 22 from 1-4:30 PM where he will introduce and discuss complexities of the Huayan Buddhist school in China (Kegon in Japan), often considered the pinnacle of Mahayana philosophy. He will explore teachings of the Huayan ancestors, including Indra’s Net and the Fourfold Dharmadhatu, the unfolding of the relationship between Principle and Phenomena and their non-obstruction. To register, fill out the form in the event link here. For more information, contact info@ancientdragon.org. Suggested donation is $50, but sliding scale available to all, less or more is welcome. All are invited regardless of insufficient funds.
DHARMA BUDDY PROGRAM RECONVENING
We are restarting our dharma buddy program! The dharma buddy program is intended to be a support for sangha members, and to be a way to encourage each other in your practice and otherwise. We will pair you with one or two other sangha members and you can meet to talk about practice, how you are doing, or simply just to connect with each other. You will plan your meetings together at a time that works best for you; it could happen once a week, or twice a month, on the phone, on zoom, or in person. To ensure everyone gets paired in a timely manner, please sign up by October 1st, 2022. You are welcome to sign up after, there may just be a bit of a wait.
If you are interested in participating, please fill out this Google form. If you have trouble with the form, please email sanghacare@ancientdragon.org.
Check out our Sangha News page to look at older news items previously featured here.
ARCHIVAL TALKS
Sangha Calendar
Monday Morning Online Zazen with Douglas Floyd
Zen Meditation and Dharma Talk by Alex Bernstein: 500 Fox Lives-Ghosts and Karma in my Year Residing at a Buddhist Temple
Tuesday Morning Online Zazen with David Wray
Meditation and Recovery Online
Wednesday Morning Online Zazen with Gerrie Griffin
Donate when shopping at AmazonSmile!
Every little bit helps! Amazon will contribute a small percentage of your purchase when choose us, Ancient Dragon Zen Gate NFP, when you shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/41-2219998.
Click the Online Zendo button above to enter our online zendo via ZOOM. Please bow to the camera when entering or becoming visible on Zoom, but then do not face the screen directly during zazen.
Please refer to our calendar for a complete schedule of services and events in our online zendo. As well, please refer to our Online Zendo page for instructions on accessing the room.
IN-PERSON EVENTS RESUME AT EBENEZER LUTHERAN CHURCH
The Board of Directors of Ancient Dragon Zen Gate voted at their June 19th meeting to resume in-person zen practice at Ebenezer Lutheran Church for Sunday morning and Monday evening services, effective Sunday, June 26th, with the previously established and published safety protocols. Masks will continue to be required at in-person service, with N95 masks encouraged, and sangha members will also be able to attended remotely via Zoom. Please review our COVID policy for attending in-person events, which can be found here. Please see our calendar, the Sangha Events section, and the Meditation Events sections of this site for news about upcoming events.
Guiding Dharma Teacher Taigen Dan Leighton will be available for dokusan by telephone or zoom, as will Dharma Teachers Nyozan Eric Shutt, Eishin Nancy Easton, Hogetsu Laurie Belzer, and Visiting Dharma Teacher Zengyu Paul Discoe. Please send requests for dokusan to our info@ancientdragon.org mailbox. Lay Teacher Douglas Floyd and Practice Leaders Gyoshin Laurel Ross, and Shudo Paula Lazarz also are available for practice interviews and can be reached through info@ancientdragon.org.
Finally, our Sangha Care Committee provides and facilitates support for Sangha members and their loved ones. We view caring for our community as an opportunity of mutual benefit, a chance to live out our Bodhisattva precepts and to realize our interconnectedness as beings. Challenging times during which the Sangha Care Committee could be of support include times of illness, grief, or hardship. Examples of support include our Dharma Buddies Program, support during times of illness or hospitalization, and mobilization of sangha resources and mutual aid. Please contact sanghacare@ancientdragon.org to be in touch.
Latest Dharma Podcast Episodes
Decisions about Giving Attention in Our Daily Life
ADZG 1031 ADZG Monday Night Dharma Talk by Kathy Bingham
Featured Podcasts: Buddhism in Kamakura Japan
Click here to learn more about some recent dharma talks given by our guiding teacher, Taigen Dan Leighton, about key buddhist figures in Kamakura-era Japan.
Featured Events
HALF-DAY SITTING WITH HOGETSU LAURIE BELZER – Sunday, September 25, 2022 @ 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Half day hybrid sitting in-person at Ebenezer Church and via our online Zendo via ZOOM. Please register by September 19, 2022 using the form in the event link. Suggested donation is $50.00, or “sliding scale” – please contribute any amount that works for you when you register. For more information, see details on our retreat page.
ZAZEN AND DHARMA TALK BY REIRIN GUMBEL – Sunday, October 2, 2022 @ 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Dharma talk by Reirin Gumbel, Teacher at the Milwaukee Zen Center. Sunday Morning Public Program at Ebenezer Lutheran Church and in our online Zendo via ZOOM.
FLOWER ORNAMENT SUTRA READING GROUP – Friday, October 7, 2022 @ 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
This reading group, open to all, will be reading aloud together the classic expansive and psychedelic Mahayana Buddhist text, Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Ornament Sutra). Participants are not expected to purchase this text and are welcome to drop in for any reading group gathering. Participants will also be invited to sit for optional seated meditation at each gathering. There is no registration or fee to attend, but donations are welcome. Email info@ancientdragon.org with questions.
Featured News
NOVEMBER PRACTICE INTENSIVE
Ancient Dragon will be hosting a practice intensive during the month of November. This is an annual event for sangha members to deepen and support each other’s awakening practice. Please see our November Practice Intensive page for more information about the period and information on how to register.
SEMINAR ON HUAYAN BUDDHISM LED BY TAIGEN DAN LEIGHTON
Taigen will be leading a seminar on Saturday, October 22 from 1-4:30 PM where he will introduce and discuss complexities of the Huayan Buddhist school in China (Kegon in Japan), often considered the pinnacle of Mahayana philosophy. He will explore teachings of the Huayan ancestors, including Indra’s Net and the Fourfold Dharmadhatu, the unfolding of the relationship between Principle and Phenomena and their non-obstruction. To register, fill out the form in the event link here. For more information, contact info@ancientdragon.org. Suggested donation is $50, but sliding scale available to all, less or more is welcome. All are invited regardless of insufficient funds.
DHARMA BUDDY PROGRAM RECONVENING
We are restarting our dharma buddy program! The dharma buddy program is intended to be a support for sangha members, and to be a way to encourage each other in your practice and otherwise. We will pair you with one or two other sangha members and you can meet to talk about practice, how you are doing, or simply just to connect with each other. You will plan your meetings together at a time that works best for you; it could happen once a week, or twice a month, on the phone, on zoom, or in person. To ensure everyone gets paired in a timely manner, please sign up by October 1st, 2022. You are welcome to sign up after, there may just be a bit of a wait.
If you are interested in participating, please fill out this Google form. If you have trouble with the form, please email sanghacare@ancientdragon.org.
Check out our Sangha News page to look at older news items previously featured here.
Sangha Calendar
Monday Morning Online Zazen with Douglas Floyd
Zen Meditation and Dharma Talk by Alex Bernstein: 500 Fox Lives-Ghosts and Karma in my Year Residing at a Buddhist Temple
Tuesday Morning Online Zazen with David Wray
Meditation and Recovery Online
Wednesday Morning Online Zazen with Gerrie Griffin
ARCHIVAL TALKS
Donate when shopping at AmazonSmile!
Every little bit helps! Amazon will contribute a small percentage of your purchase when choose us, Ancient Dragon Zen Gate NFP, when you shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/41-2219998.
