This review is about my experience staying at the Temple for few nights, not the meditation sits,…read morewhich were great! Years back, I had stayed few days at the Zen Buddhist Temple, which was ran by this nice lady monk who had since moved. Because I had a phenomenal and transformative experience, I decided to come back for a second retreat! When I came back, the Temple was ran by a male monk from Korea (could be the same monk now, not sure), and I left there with an uncomfortable and unpleasant time. Reflecting on this, I realized that there were certain assumptions that the male monk failed to inform me, before I checked in. I don't want to go into exact details of what those issues were because I don't want to ruin people's view of the Temple. But, if you have any plans to stay at the Temple overnight, ask what rules and expectations are for guests, especially when it comes to the access and use of the kitchen...

Very welcoming and friendly experience. We were introduced to the meditation center from a friend…read moreand will continue to go. I highly recommend if you are looking for a Zen Buddhist temple.

I have been here years ago for the Japanese classes. The folks were really friendly and I liked the…read moreteacher a lot. They use Japanese for Busy People as their text, though, and having taken Japanese in high school and college, JfBP isn't a book I like for language learning. Classes were affordable, and they were laid back too. I enjoyed my time learning here.

This place is fantastic! I can't remember the last time I felt more welcome. They do a fantastic…read morejob of guiding you from the moment you step in the door till after the service. It is also structured similar to a Christian service so I didn't feel like a complete fish out of water. If you are curious about learning Buddhism this is a great place to start!

Truly a remarkably tranquil and beautiful house of worship. The gardens are lovely, especially in…read morespring and summer. The welcome center has a lot of useful literature on the Baha'i faith, and it's wonderful to learn more about this incredibly inclusive and peaceful religion, and saddening to hear about the persecution of Baha'i people. I've visited the Lotus Baha'i temple in Delhi before, and the building in Chicago is significantly smaller and less of an architectural marvel. However, unlike the temple in Delhi, the house of worship in Chicago is not a tourist destination. This allows for more serene contemplation, away from the hustle and bustle of the main city. The Baha'i hous of worship is easily accessible by public transport and also has ample parking. The restrooms in the welcome center are spotless. Overall, I highly recommend a visit to the House of Worship. It's not a typical tourist destination, but is instead truly a place for contemplation and silence.

One word: GO! This is the perfect way to spend an hour in…read morethe area. The temple is free to visit every day from 10 A.M. - six P.M. The house of worship includes a temple, gardens, and a Welcome Center. The welcome center has restrooms, a bookstore, and a mini museum filled with pictures and plaques explaining the Baha'i faith and its history throughout the world. Since I visited on a Sunday, I decided to attend the half hour service, so I could see the inside of the temple. The walls are the same color white as The outside and religious scripts are written across the walls in English and Arabic.

I am a long time student and supporter of Taigen (Roshi). We first me in San Francisco around 2001…read morewhen I began sitting with his Sangtha. It is difficult to describe in words how important Taigen and his Sangha were to me then. My beloved father died in 2004 and I recall how supportive the Sangha was at that time. I guess you might say that Taigen was just the right teacher at the right time. I recall how impressed I was with Taigen's sincerity and passion for Soto Zen. Taigen helped to firmly shift my mind in the direction of the Dharma. It should also be noted that Taigen is considered one of the great contributors to the academic study of Dogen in the West. Deep Bows, Phil T

It feels a little funny giving a Buddhist temple a yelp review.... but here goes…read more I practiced here for more than 7 or so years and I would consider myself a former student. I very dearly miss the company of the people I practiced with at ADZG and I remember my time with them fondly. I came to ADZG a confused young man and I left a confused older man. If you're looking for a place that will fix you you're looking in the wrong place. Over the course of my attendance the guiding teacher spent countless hours with me answering my questions and at times showed greater concern for my well being than I had shown for myself. He is not perfect, he has things to work on and it's important to note that we all do. I'm not trying to minimize or maximize his benevolence and every person who enters ADZG will have a different experience of him. My ask, if I can make a request, is that you enter this space with your eyes open and your ears ready. This place may not be for you. You may run away after your first visit. But, please do not take any review of this place as the definition. Our age is poisoned by politics and partisanship. I've heard the guiding teacher make political statements during talks and I believe he should stop that immediately. But he's not a bad person and the people who go to ADZG are not in a cult. Zen isn't a leftist movement and if you're a more conservative person this practice is for you too.

I use to go to meditation sessions there on Friday nights with my wife, Ajahn Tappekorn was usually…read morethere, he was very good at guiding our sessions, and very accomadating to my crazy schedule. This is a great place!

Excellent temple, well cared for, went on several wkend retreats there, very comfortable. I highly…read morerecommend it.

For the Lunar New Year, upon our parents request my friend and I blistered this snow storm and…read morevisited some temples for the new year to pray for a great 2014. I heard about this temple briefly from an elderly man I met on a flight to Chicago from California. This temple was easy to find, but there isnt much content about it online, so i'm glad i'm creating a search for this temple on yelp!! From the outside the temple looks very plain, but instead its a huge eye opener! It has a huge praying room and an individual room for those who recently passed away. In addition to the praying rooms, in the back theres a mini school where Sunday school is held to learn to speak/read/write Vietnamese, martial arts, lion dance and traditional dance. A great community center with a lot of amenities and resources for all ages. Since it is the Lunar New Year, the temple has been cooking all weekend long vegetarian and vegan food for all the guest. Best part, its all free!!! I stuffed my face with delicious veggie noodle soup, tofu, veggies and desserts! I was informed that every Sunday from 11am (after the second praying session) until they close they offer free food for all attendees, but this weekend due to the special occasion its going on all weekend. All of the people here at the temple were SOOOO FRIENDLY! A lot of them made an effort to converse with us. They also gave us a tour and prayed with us individually. This temple has a true sense of family. I think I found my resident temple between the two temples I went to today! CHUC MUNG NAM MOI!

Discovering Chan meditation practice a couple of years ago has been one of the main turning points…read morein my life. Chan denotes what later became "Zen" in Japan. The method at this center is taught in the tradition of Chan Master Sheng Yen (for more information please look up his wikipedia entry or check out the center's website). If you are curious to learn how to meditate please join the weekly group meditation on Sunday mornings or on Tuesday evenings. If you would like to learn more about the Buddhists teachings then you can also join the Dharma class held on Sunday mornings on a bi-weekly basis by the teacher Iris Wang.

From the owner: We are a Chan Buddhist center and offer various activities such as meditation, Yoga and Tai Chi…read moreclasses, Dharma studies. We operate as a registered non-profit organization. Chan is also known as Zen (which is the Japanese version of it). If you are interested in learning how to meditate please feel free to give it a try and come visit our center on Sunday mornings!

I started coming here for meditation in January 2011 and found a wonderful group of people and a…read moregentle and inspiring meditation teacher. It's a great setting for a range of interests, whether the goal is to have access to more secular meditation help or to practice more directly in a Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The founder and teacher are really intelligent about contextualizing practices and teachings for people who grew up in the west, so there's access to a really rich tradition but always with clear translation. The resident teacher has a phenomenal meditation background and a range of visiting teachers come through to give special programs. There are introductory workshops on a regular basis, and an introduction to the posture and basic meditation practice is always offered at the beginning of any session. I also liked the atmosphere here because I want to contribute financially and help out but am sometimes broke or strapped for time. The feel of the center is really open and there is never any pressure, so I am able to contribute when I can but never feel bad about how much to give or participate, so I can keep up a regular meditation practice throughout.

From the owner: Bodhi Path offers instruction in meditation and Buddhist philosophy, through weekly seminars, study…read moregroups, and periodic events by visiting teachers from around the world. Also, monthly 1-day retreats and monthly dharma movie screenings.

As a beginner to meditation, I felt very comfortable and received thoughtful and complete…read moreorientation before starting. Have been to both the temple and a meditation series in the Osaka garden and completely enjoyed both. Definitely a community to look into if you find yourself addicted to distraction or constantly unsatisfied and looking for the next thing to feel fulfilled!!

Welcoming and friendly! Our mediation at the temple was lovely and the environment inviting…read more Wonderful experience.