Chicago Zen Center
Encyclopedia
The Chicago Zen Center is a Harada-Yasutani Zen
practice center located in Evanston, Illinois
near Northwestern University
currently led by Co-Abbots Elie Jishin Nijm and Yusan Graham. Established in 1974, the Chicago Zen Center formed around an interested group of students who had attended a workshop
given by Philip Kapleau
in the early 1970s. For many years the center was an affiliate of the Rochester Zen Center
in Rochester New York, which had sent teachers there throughout the year to hold sesshin
s. Today, Chicago Zen Center acts independently of the Rochester Zen Centerhttp://www.rzc.org/html/sangha/cloud.shtml.
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
practice center located in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
near Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
currently led by Co-Abbots Elie Jishin Nijm and Yusan Graham. Established in 1974, the Chicago Zen Center formed around an interested group of students who had attended a workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
given by Philip Kapleau
Philip Kapleau
Philip Kapleau was a teacher of Zen Buddhism in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition, a blending of Japanese Sōtō and Rinzai schools.-Early life:...
in the early 1970s. For many years the center was an affiliate of the Rochester Zen Center
Rochester Zen Center
The Rochester Zen Center is a Sōtō and Rinzai Zen Buddhist sangha in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage, located in Rochester, New York and established in 1966 by Philip Kapleau. It is one of the oldest Zen centers in the United States. The history of the Rochester Zen Center begins overseas with the...
in Rochester New York, which had sent teachers there throughout the year to hold sesshin
Sesshin
A sesshin , literally "touching the heart-mind" , is a period of intensive meditation in a Zen monastery....
s. Today, Chicago Zen Center acts independently of the Rochester Zen Centerhttp://www.rzc.org/html/sangha/cloud.shtml.