Zen Life & Meditation Center of Chicago

Zen Life & Meditation Center of Chicago ZLMC offers a comprehensive curriculum for living a Zen-inspired life of openness, empathy and clarity. Contact us today to get started!

Zen Life & Meditation Center of Chicago offers a comprehensive core curriculum of principles and practices for living a Zen-inspired life of openness, empathy, and clarity. It begins with the Primer Series, which grounds you in the fundamentals of living a Zen-inspired life, and then continues with the Gateway Series, which engages you in the essential transformative aspects of living a Zen-inspir

ed life. Our wide array of offerings include meditation, retreats, Sunday Morning Zen, and Fridays with Roshi. We also provide wellness programs such as private zen counseling, Reiki, and corporate wellness.

Tuning In - Oct. 17Mindfulness, Self-Awareness and the Path Away from Burnout3 hour experiential workshopBurnout doesn't...
09/11/2026

Tuning In - Oct. 17

Mindfulness, Self-Awareness and the Path Away from Burnout

3 hour experiential workshop

Burnout doesn't usually announce itself—it creeps in as a low hum of exhaustion, a shorter fuse, a growing sense that nothing you do quite lands anymore. Tuning In: Mindfulness, Self-Awareness and the Path Away from Burnout is a 3-hour workshop built for anyone who's felt that hum lately: managers, caregivers, educators, healthcare workers, or simply people juggling more than their nervous system was built to hold. Rather than another talk about “self-care,” this is a working session—part teaching, part guided practice, part honest reflection—designed to help you actually see your own patterns before they turn into a crisis.

Over three hours, you'll move through four guided mindfulness practices, a personal self-mapping exercise that maps what's draining you against what actually restores you, and conversations that make burnout feel less like a private failure and more like a shared, workable problem. You'll leave with a clear picture of your own early-warning signs, one specific boundary tied to a value you actually hold, and a 30-day micro-commitment you can realistically keep—not a vague resolution, but a concrete next step.

This workshop won't erase your workload or rewrite your calendar. What it will do is give you language for what you're experiencing, tools you can use in under five minutes anywhere, and space to work through it with others. If you've been running on empty and telling yourself it's temporary, this is a chance to pause long enough to actually check.

Early bird specials until Sept. 26
$35 members (regular $40)
$50 nonmembers (regular $55)

Teacher will be Rev. Jacquelyn Genshin Weiner-O’Shea, LMFT, CMIP

Register at zlmc.org

Join us on Sunday, September 13th, for Sangha Conversation with Roshi RobertSchedule9:00 AM — Meditation10:00–11:00 AM —...
09/09/2026

Join us on Sunday, September 13th, for Sangha Conversation with Roshi Robert

Schedule
9:00 AM — Meditation
10:00–11:00 AM — Talk

Quote by Roshi Robert Althouse
09/07/2026

Quote by Roshi Robert Althouse

Community Welcome Night - October 6Curious about Zen, or looking for a spiritual community to support your meditation pr...
09/05/2026

Community Welcome Night - October 6

Curious about Zen, or looking for a spiritual community to support your meditation practice? Drop in to tour the center, enjoy snacks and conversation, and try a simple meditation–no experience needed. All are welcome.

Come on by between 7:00-8:00 PM. We’re at 46 Lake St. in Oak Park.

Join us on Sunday, September 6th, for the Ango Opening CeremonySchedule9:00 AM — Meditation10:00–11:00 AM — Ceremony
09/02/2026

Join us on Sunday, September 6th, for the Ango Opening Ceremony

Schedule
9:00 AM — Meditation
10:00–11:00 AM — Ceremony

Quote by Roshi Robert Althouse
08/31/2026

Quote by Roshi Robert Althouse

Fall 7/3 Day RetreatFIND STILLNESS IN THE SEASON OF CHANGEA Zen Buddhist Meditation Retreat held in the quiet turning of...
08/29/2026

Fall 7/3 Day Retreat

FIND STILLNESS IN THE SEASON OF CHANGE

A Zen Buddhist Meditation Retreat held in the quiet turning of the season, featuring intensive meditation practice, uplifting services, inspiring dharma talks, and personalized one-on-one sessions with experienced teachers. Participants may join either in-person or through online options. This retreat is designed as a nonresidential experience. Retreat is nonresidential.

7-Day Retreat: Date: Sept. 6 – Sept. 12, 2026
3-Day Retreat: Date: Sept. 6 - Sept. 9, 2026

Register at zlmc.org.

Join us on Sunday, August 30th, for I Am Who I Think You Think I Am - a talk by Rev. Jacquelyn Genshin Weiner-O’SheaSche...
08/26/2026

Join us on Sunday, August 30th, for I Am Who I Think You Think I Am - a talk by Rev. Jacquelyn Genshin Weiner-O’Shea

Schedule
9:00 AM — Meditation
10:00–11:00 AM — Talk

Jacqui is certified by ZLMC as a “Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher”.

Jacqui is a Licensed Marriage (Couples) and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and Master’s Degree in Family Counseling at Northeastern Illinois University. Jacqui is a Certified Level-1 provider of trauma-informed, evidence-based mental health services through the IDCFS and is recognized by the National Board of Certified Counselors. She is extensively trained in Parent Coaching and is certified as an Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist for Children and Adolescents, a Clinical Trauma Professional, and a Mindfulness-Informed Professional. Currently in private practice, Jacqui also offers Family Dynamics Seminars to providers that serve children with developmental differences and their families.

Jacqui has been a member of ZLMC for over 6 years, receiving Jukai and the name Genshin in September 2023 while co-stewarding the Open Heart Circle. She ordained as a novice Zen priest in November 2025. An Oak Park resident, she has a step-son who lives in Wisconsin and spends her free time with her dog Declan, doing jigsaw puzzles, exercising, and enjoying outings with her family and friends.

Ango 2026 | Sept. 6 – Dec. 6COMMITMENT IS OUR COMPASSA 3 month training period that begins with our Fall Seven-Day Retre...
08/21/2026

Ango 2026 | Sept. 6 – Dec. 6

COMMITMENT IS OUR COMPASS

A 3 month training period that begins with our Fall Seven-Day Retreat, and ends with our Winter Seven-Day Retreat. Ango participants have access to both retreats, plus a study group or class once a week with Shuso, Rev. Patrick Ungo O’Shea or Rev. Diane Myogetsu Bejcek

Opening Ceremony: September 6
Closing Ceremony: December 6
Cost: $329

Register at zlmc.org.

Join us on Sunday, August 23rd, for Awakening Together: A Dharma Conversation by Larry YangSchedule9:00 AM — Meditation1...
08/19/2026

Join us on Sunday, August 23rd, for Awakening Together: A Dharma Conversation by Larry Yang

Schedule
9:00 AM — Meditation
10:00–11:00 AM — Talk

For 20+ years, Larry has taught meditation retreats nationally. He has a special interest in creating greater access to both Buddhist and secular mindfulness for non-dominant cultures, and in transforming the strong currents of White Supremacy in our Mindfulness communities. Larry has practiced meditation for 35+ years, with extensive time in Burma and Thailand, and a six month period of ordination as a Buddhist monastic. Larry is one of the founding teachers of both East Bay Meditation Center (Oakland) and Insight Community of the Desert (Palm Springs), and he was on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council for 10 years. He trained dharma teachers for spiritual leadership within communities of color and LGBTQI communities for 15 years. He has since stepped away from formal dharma teaching in 2020.

Larry is currently senior advisor in the Mindfulness and Healing Justice Program for the Kataly Foundation, to provide grants for supporting community-based mindfulness and awareness practices and projects for ethnically and racially diverse multicultural communities and organizations.

Larry was honored for his work in racial justice by being selected as the community Grand Marshal in the 2016 San Francisco LGBTIQ Pride Parade, whose theme that year was “For Racial and Economic Justice.” His book, “Awakening Together: the Spiritual Practice of Inclusivity and Community,” is published by Wisdom Publications.

In previous lives, Larry has been a national park ranger, graphic designer, psychotherapist, public health social worker, and diversity consultant.

Address

46 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL
60302

Opening Hours

Monday 6am - 7am
6pm - 6:45pm
Tuesday 6am - 7am
6pm - 6:45pm
Wednesday 6am - 7am
6pm - 6:45pm
Thursday 6am - 7am
6pm - 6:45pm
Friday 6am - 7am
6pm - 6:45pm
Sunday 9am - 11am

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