Schedule - Shambhala Meditation Center of Chicago

The Queer Dharma Meditation Group is free meditation open house that caters to Chicago's LGBTI group. Queer Dharma provides a safe and sane environment in which the unique concerns and experiences of LGBTQ individuals can be freely discussed, but everyone is welcome.

Meditation instruction is provided at the beginning of each session, followed by sitting and walking meditation till 8pm. This is followed by a break for refreshments and a reading/discussion related to meditation in action. Come for
meditation and for the reading, or just the meditation.

Meditation practice provides a warm, genuine basis for
realizing the full potential of our inherent wisdom. Through the practice, we learn to touch in with this wisdom, allowing us to live our lives with a mind that is more present and fully engaged. Waking up to our own inherent goodness has a natural impact on our family members, friends, co-workers, and our world at large.

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Many of us are slaves to our minds. Our own mind is our worst enemy. We try to focus, and our mind wanders off. We try to keep stress at bay, but anxiety keeps us awake at night. We try to be good to the people we love, but then we forget them and put ourselves first. And when we want to change our life, we dive into spiritual practice and expect quick results, only to lose focus after the honeymoon has worn off. We return to our state of bewilderment. We're left feeling helpless and discouraged. It seems we all agree that training the body through exercise, diet, and relaxation is a good idea, but why don't we think about training our minds?

— From Turning the Mind into an Ally by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

Shambhala, Shambhala Meditation Center, and Shambhala Center are registered service marks of Shambhala International (Varjadhatu). Shambhala Training is a registered trademark of Shambhala/Nalanda Foundation.