Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago

My brain feels like it got a bath. No, that’s a good thing! I feel shiny and new and serene and blissful. And quiet. And still. And this is hours after leaving the Zen Buddhist Temple in Evanston.
I attended their Sunday afternoon Zazen sitting. For those of you unfamiliar with Zazen, it’s a meditation, or just sitting without thinking for a good long while. There’s some guided chanting in English and Japanese with walking meditation thrown in for good measure. And that’s a hell of a lot harder than it sounds. I fidgeted, I wiggled, my thoughts kept sneaking in reminding me of my undone laundry, unpaid bills, my misplaced shorts, unread novels. My knees ached, my nose itched, my hands were hot and sweaty. I prayed for the sitting to end. I kept sneaking looks around the temple.
And yet I walked out in bliss, high on cloud nine. Yep, I’m a fan of Zazen meditation after the fact, even though I hated it 5 minutes earlier.
While the congregation seems small, they’re friendly and very willing to explain different parts of the service that seems alien to a Westerner like me, which is something that I haven’t found in other temples I’ve attended. In my experience, Buddhists are a rare breed — they’re the happiest campers on earth, but they really couldn’t give a rat’s ass about being friendly to newcomers. But not here.
I’m not sure if I’ll be back though — the service was well over 2 hours. Yes, that probably why I feel so sparkling clean and refreshed at the moment, but 2 hours of sitting and trying to clear the mind is an hour too long for this Westerner born and raised in our ADHD culture where we prefer everything at a million miles an hour.
Which means I should be 2 million miles away from here.

[I feel weird rating this, because I feel like this is the last kind of place I should be judging, because part of the point is not to judge… but here goes]
One of my favorite quotes is by Gandhi: «Be the change you want to see in the world». Well, there has been a lot of conflict in my life lately, both from without and probably even moreso within, so I understand if I want to be a part of that change, it has to start with myself. I am the first one to admit how fallible and flawed I am, and hopefully as long as I am of this earth (well, beyond that too), I will not cease trying to remedy that.
I have read many texts on Buddhism and been interested for years in the philosophy, and had tried meditation on my own, but had never been to a formal practice. I decided today was the perfect time to start (or I guess, in a way, continue). The Buddhist temple near me did not have a service today, so I decided to try this one. I drove by it at first, because it was not a temple like I was expecting, but was a storefront in Evanston. Lesson one, don’t judge by first impressions or by outward appearances. As we walked in, this very kind grey bearded man greeted us and briefly explained how the afternoon would work. We began with a chant that at first I was taken aback because his voice was so deep and this was all so different for me, but as it went on I appreciated the words (part of it was in English) and the beat was comforting, like a heartbeat. Then we took our spots on the mats and began the first sitting. He gently came around and corrected our postures, and briefly explained proper breathing, etc. At first it was hard to shut out my thoughts, but it came much easier after a while, and I was surprised when he announced the end of the first sitting. Then we did a walking meditation around the room, which pointed out a lesson I well need to learn – that I need to slow down and be more patient with those around me, and that I don’t always need to focus on getting to the end point… After that, we did a seated session again (which after walking, was hard to focus and settle into). During this, he briefly gave us what I guess would be the equivalent of a sermon, though in a very calm and soothing voice and not preachy at all, but thoughtful. I appreciated it. Then we finished our sitting, and we made an offering to the altar (totally voluntary, and it is not to any god) and bowed in thanks. I was shocked and amazed to find out the sittings had been 40 minutes – he said he does not tell people that, and I agree if I had known I probably would have been much more antsy. He also took the time to answer any questions, ask us how we felt about it, etc.
They also have 10 hour sessions once a month, but I personally don’t know if I will ever be that Zen!
It left me feeling very peaceful and very hopeful… I then went to the lake with a friend to just sit, read, and be with our thoughts, and I am sure the session helped put us in that frame of mind.
I want to check out other temples, but I may go back. And I would not hesitate to recommend this place to anyone interested in finding out more about Zen meditation.
Namaste.