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; COVID POLICY UPDATED
Beginning February 27, 2022, Ancient Dragon Zen Gate will return to holding in-person events at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 West Foster Avenue, on Sunday mornings and Monday evenings. Ancient Dragon events will continue to be available online and will be recorded. Because of concerns related to the infectiousness of the Omicron variant, Ancient Dragon has revised its COVID protocols, 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, 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 Hogetsu Laurie Belzer, 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
Report on the Branching Streams Conference
ADZG 993 ADZG Monday Night Dharma Talk by Gerrie Griffin & Douglas Floyd
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
NAGARJUNA READING GROUP – Wednesday, May 18, 2022 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
This reading group in our online zendo, open to all, begin with thirty minutes of zazen, followed by reading aloud together and discussing Nāgarjuna’s The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way. Participants are not expected to purchase this text and are welcome to drop in for any reading group gathering. We’ll be reading from the translation and commentary by Jay Garfield. There is no registration or fee to attend, but donations are welcome. Email info@ancientdragon.org with questions.
SEMINAR BY TAIGEN ON DOGEN’S EXTENSIVE RECORD – Saturday, May 21, 2022 @ 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Online seminar by Taigen Leighton on Dogen’s Extensive Record, Eihei Koroku. Taigen will give an introduction to this text, then will discuss selected excerpts from the text, which includes the whole of Dogen’s teaching career, from his studies in China in the 1220s to his later teachings at Eiheiji till his death in 1253. To register, fill out the form on the event page. 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.
FLOWER ORNAMENT SUTRA READING GROUP – Friday, June 3, 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
SEMINAR BY TAIGEN ON DOGEN’S EXTENSIVE RECORD
On Saturday, May 21, from 1 – 4:30 PM CST, Taigen Leighton will host an online seminar on Dogen’s Extensive Record, Eihei Koroku. For more details about the event, and to register, click here to view the event listing. 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.
BOOK LAUNCH FOR STEVEN HEINE FESTSCHRIFT
Taigen Dan Leighton will be participating in a book launch this Friday, April 8, from 12-3 PM CST, commemorating the release of The Theory and Practice of Zen Buddhism: A Festschrift in Honor of Steven Heine(Springer, 2022), edited by Charles S. Prebish and On-cho Ng, for which he was among many notable contributors. Taigen’s article for the book, “Dōgen’s Vision of the Environment and his Practice of Devotion and Faith,” can be viewed here. The Zoom link to the event can be accessed here.
NEW ARTICLE BY TAIGEN DAN LEIGHTON
Click here to read a new article by Taigen Dan Leighton entitled “Dogen’s Vision of the Environment and His Practice of Devotion and Faith,” to be published in The Theory and Practice of Zen Buddhism: A Festscrift for Steven Heine, edited by Charles Prebish and On-cho Ng (Springer, 2022).
Check out our Sangha News page to look at older news items previously featured here.
ARCHIVAL TALKS
Sangha Calendar
Tuesday Morning Online Zazen with David Wray
Meditation and Recovery Online
Wednesday Morning Online Zazen with Gerrie Griffin
Nagarjuna Reading Group
Thursday Morning Online Zazen with Hogetsu Laurie Belzer
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; COVID POLICY UPDATED
Beginning February 27, 2022, Ancient Dragon Zen Gate will return to holding in-person events at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 West Foster Avenue, on Sunday mornings and Monday evenings. Ancient Dragon events will continue to be available online and will be recorded. Because of concerns related to the infectiousness of the Omicron variant, Ancient Dragon has revised its COVID protocols, 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, 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 Hogetsu Laurie Belzer, 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
Report on the Branching Streams Conference
ADZG 993 ADZG Monday Night Dharma Talk by Gerrie Griffin & Douglas Floyd
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
NAGARJUNA READING GROUP – Wednesday, May 18, 2022 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
This reading group in our online zendo, open to all, begin with thirty minutes of zazen, followed by reading aloud together and discussing Nāgarjuna’s The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way. Participants are not expected to purchase this text and are welcome to drop in for any reading group gathering. We’ll be reading from the translation and commentary by Jay Garfield. There is no registration or fee to attend, but donations are welcome. Email info@ancientdragon.org with questions.
SEMINAR BY TAIGEN ON DOGEN’S EXTENSIVE RECORD – Saturday, May 21, 2022 @ 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Online seminar by Taigen Leighton on Dogen’s Extensive Record, Eihei Koroku. Taigen will give an introduction to this text, then will discuss selected excerpts from the text, which includes the whole of Dogen’s teaching career, from his studies in China in the 1220s to his later teachings at Eiheiji till his death in 1253. To register, fill out the form on the event page. 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.
FLOWER ORNAMENT SUTRA READING GROUP – Friday, June 3, 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
SEMINAR BY TAIGEN ON DOGEN’S EXTENSIVE RECORD
On Saturday, May 21, from 1 – 4:30 PM CST, Taigen Leighton will host an online seminar on Dogen’s Extensive Record, Eihei Koroku. For more details about the event, and to register, click here to view the event listing. 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.
BOOK LAUNCH FOR STEVEN HEINE FESTSCHRIFT
Taigen Dan Leighton will be participating in a book launch this Friday, April 8, from 12-3 PM CST, commemorating the release of The Theory and Practice of Zen Buddhism: A Festschrift in Honor of Steven Heine(Springer, 2022), edited by Charles S. Prebish and On-cho Ng, for which he was among many notable contributors. Taigen’s article for the book, “Dōgen’s Vision of the Environment and his Practice of Devotion and Faith,” can be viewed here. The Zoom link to the event can be accessed here.
NEW ARTICLE BY TAIGEN DAN LEIGHTON
Click here to read a new article by Taigen Dan Leighton entitled “Dogen’s Vision of the Environment and His Practice of Devotion and Faith,” to be published in The Theory and Practice of Zen Buddhism: A Festscrift for Steven Heine, edited by Charles Prebish and On-cho Ng (Springer, 2022).
Check out our Sangha News page to look at older news items previously featured here.
Sangha Calendar
Tuesday Morning Online Zazen with David Wray
Meditation and Recovery Online
Wednesday Morning Online Zazen with Gerrie Griffin
Nagarjuna Reading Group
Thursday Morning Online Zazen with Hogetsu Laurie Belzer
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.
