Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Florian.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Steve. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Kadampa Meditation Center Chicago is a small non-profit organization that has been serving Chicago and the surrounding areas for over 15 years. We began humbly when a small group of individuals interested in Buddhist meditation began meeting in each other’s homes. Slowly the group grew and started renting library rooms to host public meditation classes, and we now have two permanent locations, one in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, and one in Oak Park.
We are affiliated with a worldwide organization called the New Kadampa Tradition-International Kadampa Buddhist Union, and our Resident Teacher was trained and ordained by this organization. However, we receive no funding from the organization. Kadampa Meditation Center Chicago has been and continues to be entirely self-sustaining. Besides our Resident Teacher, we are run entirely by volunteers from the community. No one “owns” the business and no one profits personally from our income.
We offer a variety of weekly “drop-in” classes, open to anyone at any time, and more intensive study programs for dedicated students who attend every week. We also offer special events like away retreats, weekend workshops, and community gatherings. While most of the classes have a published class fee, no one is ever turned away for lack of funds. In fact, we believe it is incorrect to charge for Buddha’s teachings – the class fee is to pay for the facility, not the teaching. All are welcome at our center, regards of age, religious affiliation, gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, etc, and no previous meditation experience is necessary.
Kadampa Meditation Center Chicago is driven by the Buddhist principles of compassion, working solely for the benefit of others and wishing that all beings find happiness and freedom from suffering. One of our core principles is that “Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible.” The world is full of conflict, agitation, and problems, but if we cannot in our own mind remain peaceful, patient, and compassionate, how can we expect the world to do so? With this wisdom, we work to improve our minds so that we can each contribute to creating the world that we wish to see.
At our classes, we teach, discuss, and meditate upon various aspects of Buddha’s teachings, all of which function to help attendees to overcome negative minds like anger and anxiety, and instead develop inner peace, contentment, and a mind of universal compassion. We focus on very practical techniques and perspectives that help individuals live a more peaceful, joyful life even as they go about the normal, busy activities of modern life. Many of our attendees do not even identify themselves as “Buddhist,” as studying and benefiting from Buddhist teachings does not preclude any other cultural traditions or religious beliefs. No matter what one’s spiritual beliefs are, our practical teachings about the nature of the mind help people to become more patient, calm, and loving.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Running a non-profit is never easy, especially starting from the ground up and offering something that isn’t necessarily widely popular. But the community of students and volunteers is so strong and resilient and full of compassion, we have been able to grow and thrive year after year. The most difficult aspect is simply making sure we are financially sound since we receive no outside funding. We have to strict about our budget and simply can’t afford to do everything that we would like to both in terms of building improvements and things like expanded class offerings, community engagement, etc. But we just take things one day at a time and keep a calm and happy mind, and things seem to work out.
Please tell us about Kadampa Meditation Center Chicago.
A lot of this was covered in the first big question, but to expand a bit more: what is so special about our tradition of Buddhism is that the teachings are pure, but presented in such a way as to be easily accessible and applicable in the modern world. Many people are becoming interested in a more spiritual life, but lack qualified teachers and clear, complete practices. Our founder is Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, a Tibetan monk and meditation master who studied extensively in traditional Buddhist monasteries and engaged in extended retreats. Indeed, one can follow the lineage of student-to-teacher from Gyatso all the way back to Buddha himself. But Geshe-la, as he is affectionately called, was invited to teach in the England in the late 70s, and he realized that the teachings needed to be presented in a different way.
Needless to say, the mountains of Tibet are a very different environment than the bustling metropolis of the modern world. So without losing the pure essence and meaning, Geshe-la has condensed and clarified Buddha’s teachings in a way that is easy for people of the modern world to grasp and put into practice. This tradition is now flourishing literally all over the world, something that has never happened in the history of Buddhism. I am most proud of the amazing intention with which this business is run – everything is done solely for the benefit of others, with no concern for personal reputation or profit. Of course, problems can still arise (you know why they call it “practicing Buddhism”? because we’re still just practicing :), but the teachings always bring one back to a place of peace, acceptance, and joy.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I was actually not practicing when the organization was first started, so I can’t really say. I can’t think of any big regrets that we have.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2010 W. Pierce Ave.
- Website: www.meditateinchicago.org
- Email: info@meditateinchicago.org
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/MeditateInChicago
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kadampa-meditation-center-chicago-wicker-park-chicago
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