LAKESIDE BUDDHA SANGHA

P.O. Box 7067
Evanston, IL 60201

 

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Lakeside Buddha Sangha is an Evanston-based meditation group organized to study and practice the "Engaged Buddhism" taught by Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Lakeside grew out of a four-day Chicago-area retreat led by Thich Nhat Hanh in May 1991, which attracted 195 participants. At the conclusion of the retreat, there was a strong consensus to form a Chicago-area group which would continuously make available sitting meditation, walking meditation, Days of Mindfulness and retreats in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.

Participants in Lakeside activities come from all walks of life and from diverse backgrounds. Lakeside members need not consider themselves Buddhist.  Lakeside's common denominator is an interest in mindfulness practices by Thich Nhat Hanh, who encourages a life of awareness, healing, love and understanding in our communities.

Weekly meetings begin with a twenty-minute period of sitting meditation, followed by a round of walking meditation and then a final twenty-minute period of sitting meditation. Activities during the second hour have included discussions of Buddhist sutras and teachings, the life of the Buddha and ways to incorporate mindfulness practices in daily life. Activities are announced in a monthly newsletter. In June 1992, a member of the group was ordained a Dharmacarya or Dharma teacher by Thich Nhat Hanh in a Transmission of the Lamp ceremony conducted in Plum Village, France. The role of the Dharma teacher includes making available group instruction in meditation and leading retreats and Days of Mindfulness.