Soto Zen Buddhist Meditation in Chicago
Ancient Dragon Zen Gate is a community of zen buddhist practitioners in the American Soto Zen tradition of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi. Our sangha is a Branching Stream of San Francisco Zen Center. Our zen meditation practice, zazen (just sitting meditation), is cultivated for the benefit of all life and for our great earth. Our collective practice is offered as a refuge and support for showing up in our lives with the awakened awareness, wise compassion, and creative vitality that flow from zen meditation.
We endeavor to create a welcoming practice community in Chicago and online.
COME SIT WITH US!
Everyone is welcome to attend any of our onsite, online, and hybrid regular meditation practice events.
To get acquainted, you are warmly invited to request personal meditation instruction and temple orientation, or if you wish, just drop in for zazen.
Explore the Path: MEDITATION INSTRUCTION & TEMPLE ORIENTATION
Onsite – To register: email info@ancientdragon.org
Sunday, June 14, 2026 @ 8:30am – 9:00am
Monday, June 15, 2026 @ 6:15pm – 6:45pm
2026 SUMMER SUPPORTER DRIVE
TWO WAYS TO HELP | Commit to a monthly pledge to become new supporter.
Current monthly supporters can increase their pledge amount.
Our goal is to have 12 participants by the end of July. Click below to contribute.
Featured Events
SEMINAR BY TAIGEN DAN LEIGHTON | DOGEN’S EXTENSIVE RECORD, PART 2 – Saturday, June 13, 2026 @ 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Online)
Part 2 of a 2-part seminar on Dogen’s Extensive Record, led by our guiding teacher emeritus, Taigen Dan Leighton. For more information about the seminar, and to register, click here.
REV. STEVEN TIERNEY | PRIDE MONTH SUNDAY GUEST SPEAKER – Sunday, June 14, 2026 @ 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM (Hybrid)
Steven Tierney (Kai Po Koshin) is a Dharma transmitted teacher in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. He is the guiding teacher at Oceans Compassion Zen Community, Meditation in Recovery Sangha at SFZC and the SFLGBTQA+ Sangha. Koshin will join our normal Sunday morning program remotely.
HUAYAN SCHOOL STUDY GROUP – Thursday, June 18, 2026 @ 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Online)
This reading group will study the Huayan School, the Chinese teachings emerging from the Avatamsaka Sutra (Huayan in Chinese). All are welcome to attend this group in our Online Zendo. Suggested donation is $10.00 per meeting, $60.00 for the whole series (self-determined sliding scale). Everyone is welcome with no donation and no registration is required. Please write “Huayan – Taigen” on donation form.
Latest Dharma Podcast Episode
Dogen’s Extensive Record and American History
1285 ADZG Sunday Morning Dharma Talk by Taigen Dan Leighton
Featured News
REGISTRATION OPEN | HALFDAY SITTING LED BY REV. HOGETSU LAURIE BELZER – Sunday June 28, 2026 @ 7:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Discover and renew zen within this spacious morning of half-day sitting led by our guiding teacher, Hogetsu Laurie Belzer. Please bring your own bag lunch and we can eat together informally after the sitting. Suggested donation is $35; self-determined sliding scale is always welcome. Please register by Monday, June 22.
SIGN UP NOW | SANGHA WEEK AT SFZC’s GREEN GULCH FARM
August 19 – 23, 2026
Hogetsu will lead this temple stay at Green Gulch Farm near San Francisco. Residing in the beautiful Guest House, we willpractice with the GGF community with time to enjoy the beautiful landscape, Muir Beach, and surrounding trails. Please click here for more information. If you are interested, please speak to Hogetsu or email info@ancientdragon.org as soon as possible as the trip requires some planning.
JUNE IS PRIDE MONTH AT THE DRAGON
We inaugurated Pride with a special ceremony where we chanted the Harmony of Difference and Sameness and dedicated the merit to our queer ancestors with a special eko (dedication). Our LGBTQIA+ dharma group made a beautiful altar cloth and helped with the wording off the eko: May we pay homage our queer ancestors through liberating all beings from discriminating conditioning, and allow all to freely enjoy their true nature. May we bring queer wisdom to every moment, letting go of delusion and free from attachment to who we think we are.
SUMMER SUPPORTER DRIVE
Our summer supporter drive is now live! Through the end of July, anyone is welcome to become a new monthly supporter or increase their existing monthly donation. Click here to learn more and to help us reach our goal!
TAIGEN’S TEACHINGS
Our emeritus guiding teacher, Rev. Taigen Dan Leighton continues to offer his dharma teachings and scholarship at ADZG and beyond.
Click here to see Taigen’s page and his many dharma offerings.
ANCIENT DRAGON PUBLIC HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS
Flu and respiratory virus season is here! If you think you are ill or have a recent exposure to virus, please attend online. Germs spread easily in group settings and when in doubt, join online, In the zendo, we will be opening windows, so please dress in layers and follow CDC protocol in this infographic (click to enlarge).
