Name: Meditation Mini-Retreat <small>(online & in-person)</small>
Start: 2026-10-25T15:15:00-05:00
End: 2026-10-25T17:30:00-05:00
Location: Kiku Matsu Aikido Dojo

COVID-19 Response:
In order to continue to exercise cautions and to ensure the safety of all our members, we are extending our online group practice until further notice.
We remain hopeful that we will be meeting in-person again before long. Sign-up to receive our weekly newsletter to get the latest updates.

How to join us online:
via Zoom: Visit https://zoom.us/j/727507599 (video + audio)

by Phone: 312-626-6799 / Meeting ID: 727507599# (audio only)

If Zoom is new to you, watch this video on how to join a Zoom meeting.

May all beings be safe, healthy, and at peace.

October 2026
Meditation + Dharma Story + Tea (online & in-person)
October 18 @ 3:15 pm - 5:30 pm CDT

Kiku Matsu Aikido Dojo 4512 North Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
On the 3rd Sunday of each month, we will have two shorter sitting periods with walking meditation in between. Afterwards, one of our members tells a Dharma/Buddhist story and we chat about it over vegan snacks & tea with this schedule (Central Time): 3:15 PM: Door opens / Zoom link opens 3:30 PM: […]
Meditation Mini-Retreat (online & in-person)
October 25 @ 3:15 pm - 5:30 pm CDT

Kiku Matsu Aikido Dojo 4512 North Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
On the 4th Sunday of each month, we do a mini-retreat with this schedule (Central Time): 3:15 PM: Door opens / Zoom link opens 3:30 PM: Slow Moving Meditation - to help settle our body & mind 3:50 PM: Sitting Meditation 4:25 PM: Walking Meditation ~4:45 PM: Sitting Meditation ~5:10 PM: Self-Massage ~5:30 PM: Adjourn […]

Tags: chicago, group meditation, meditation, online meditation, online retreat, retreat, sitting meditation, walking meditation

“Bodhicitta: Jewel of the Mind” by Guest Teacher Ven. Thubten Lamsel

On March 30, 2025, Ven. Thubten Lamsel joined us via Zoom to lead meditation and offer a Dharma talk on the topic of bodhicitta—the wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. She spoke on how this motivation, without the attachment to “self,” lies at the heart of the Buddhist path, and how it can guide our actions, speech, and thoughts throughout daily life. Drawing on examples from monastic training and simple practices like mindful eating, she shared how even ordinary activities become powerful causes for awakening when rooted in compassion. The talk emphasized bodhicitta as both the source and expression of our deepest wisdom and connection to others.

“A Cross-Zen Dialogue” in Chicago Brings Diverse Buddhist Practitioners Together

On June 28, 2019 evening, about 80 participants from many different sanghas and lineages in Chicago and beyond attended the “A Cross-Zen Dialogue” event. This event brought the three teachers Rev. Taigen Dan Leighton (Japanese Soto Zen), Meido Moore Roshi (Japanese Rinzai Zen) and Guo Gu (Chinese Chan) together to discuss the similarities and differences between the approaches that each of their traditions takes to Dharma and practice. The overall theme for the evening was that all the practices and lineages represented by the three teachers have much more in common than they differ, and that no single approach is better for everyone.

May all beings be safe, healthy, and at peace.

October 2026