I use to go to meditation sessions there on Friday nights with my wife, Ajahn Tappekorn was usually…read morethere, he was very good at guiding our sessions, and very accomadating to my crazy schedule. This is a great place!

Excellent temple, well cared for, went on several wkend retreats there, very comfortable. I highly…read morerecommend it.

One of two Sinhalese Buddhist temples in the Chicagoland area, and the only one with a monk that…read morespeaks fluent English. Like a lot of immigrant places of worship, there are two main groups who come here. There are Sri Lankan Americans like me who are here for family and ethnic reasons, and there are American converts who are here seeking. I recommend this temple for both. We don't think of a dead body as very significant, when someone dies, it's a part of life and another turn in the wheel of life, samsara. Life is essentially, impermanence. We handle grief by almsgiving in honor of the deceased, called dhanas (don-nays) which I held both here and in Sri Lanka. The head monk, Bhante Sujantha helped me understand the traditions of my people at the same time he helped me immeasurably with the complex feelings I had after my father's passing (he suffered a lot, I was unable to ease his suffering, American hospitals are not a very good place to die, and we didn't have the best of relationships). The Blue Lotus Temple is also a good place if you're searching, they have classes that will help you, whether you're looking for an alternative to American Protestantism, or you want to learn how to meditate and reduce anxiety. Unlike many other religions, Buddhism does not require you leave your original faith behind, it's more about kindness and mindfulness (in its original meaning). Find Bhante Sujantha on Tik Tok or Instagram, he's better than formal therapy or a good addition to professional sessions. If you can visit the temple, if you can afford to donate, you should also know that Bhante Sujantha is a terrible businessman, but I guess that's how the good clerics are, right? I know about the classes because I came early to my first Dhana and I listened to Sujantha teach, or rather try to teach mindfulness and compassion. Then, after they were done and politely asked to leave the chapel part of the temple for my service, about half the class stayed in and talked very loudly even after having my service started (being streamed live to relatives in Sri Lanka, England, Canada, and Australia) ironically going on about mindfulness and themselves. You can lead an elephant to water, but you can't make her drink I guess. Life is a journey, don't travel alone.

The blue lotus is an amazing Buddhist Temple located a few hundred feet of the historic Woodstock…read moreSquare. We have come here many times for various events and greater with some Beautiful statues and stained glass windows which make for an peaceful yet beautiful building from the outside. The community is wonderful of folks here. May peace be In our community is a reminder outside one of the entry doors. Truth in that radiates from the Blue Lotus. Today we visited for their Saturdays Vietnamese and Sri Lankan Lunch FEAST! A delicious collection of various food on menu which changes weekly. Love it here... don't miss this hidden zen gem!

This an incredibly modern pagoda. Sunday services are presented in Mandarin Chinese. Texts with…read morepinyin and English subtitles are provided.

They wouldn't let us park on site where plenty of spots were available during the festival instead…read moresuggesting us park some other place far away. Pretty ridiculous behavior against paying visitors in my opinion.

This review is about my experience staying at the Temple for few nights, not the meditation sits,…read morewhich were great! Years back, I had stayed few days at the Zen Buddhist Temple, which was ran by this nice lady monk who had since moved. Because I had a phenomenal and transformative experience, I decided to come back for a second retreat! When I came back, the Temple was ran by a male monk from Korea (could be the same monk now, not sure), and I left there with an uncomfortable and unpleasant time. Reflecting on this, I realized that there were certain assumptions that the male monk failed to inform me, before I checked in. I don't want to go into exact details of what those issues were because I don't want to ruin people's view of the Temple. But, if you have any plans to stay at the Temple overnight, ask what rules and expectations are for guests, especially when it comes to the access and use of the kitchen...

Very welcoming and friendly experience. We were introduced to the meditation center from a friend…read moreand will continue to go. I highly recommend if you are looking for a Zen Buddhist temple.

Discovering Chan meditation practice a couple of years ago has been one of the main turning points…read morein my life. Chan denotes what later became "Zen" in Japan. The method at this center is taught in the tradition of Chan Master Sheng Yen (for more information please look up his wikipedia entry or check out the center's website). If you are curious to learn how to meditate please join the weekly group meditation on Sunday mornings or on Tuesday evenings. If you would like to learn more about the Buddhists teachings then you can also join the Dharma class held on Sunday mornings on a bi-weekly basis by the teacher Iris Wang.

From the owner: We are a Chan Buddhist center and offer various activities such as meditation, Yoga and Tai Chi…read moreclasses, Dharma studies. We operate as a registered non-profit organization. Chan is also known as Zen (which is the Japanese version of it). If you are interested in learning how to meditate please feel free to give it a try and come visit our center on Sunday mornings!

It's hard to rate a place of worship because unlike a restaurant, you aren't exactly there to pay…read morefor a service and expecting a certain standard back. So my review is just going to be based on my experience and preference. This temple is open to the public, anyone and everyone can come. Though it serves the majority of the local Vietnamese population. I prefer this temple over a few others Buddhist temples in Chicago because the location and parking nearby makes it easier to get to. They have expanded their parking lot to fit in more cars, though I wouldn't park there because you'd likely get blocked in when it's time to go home because people WILL double park inside the lot. The best parking, I've found, is going past the temple and park either by the school behind the temple or along the train tracks (Manheim Rd) on the other side. The service is going to be in Vietnamese, floor sitting is the the usual here. There will not be any chairs in the main parlor. Buddhist temples are very basic and is all about connecting to your inner self and expunging of desires. No make-up or formal dresses are necessary. It's customary to come to these places with long sleeves and no revealing clothes. Get down to the basics is pretty much the motto. Expect to take off your shoes before entering the parlor. I would recommend not wearing plain black shoes, as that is the color that 98% of the attendees wear. It's also customary to receive a free meal with every visit around lunch time. The meals are very good and they're ALWAYS vegetarian, made by volunteers of the temple. It's usually served buffet style and will even include desserts. There's always enough for everybody. Since no payment is ever expected or asked of the attendees, it's usually courtesy to donate some money while you're there. I usually give about $5 minimum to help pay for the food I ate and the upkeep of the place. You can give as much as you want. Donations are the only thing that's been keeping these places around for years. Drop your donation in any of the collection box in the main parlor. It has a slit for money and usually have one of the gods on top of it. I've also heard but don't know much details that on Sundays, the temple also opens up for Sunday schools to teach kids to read and write Vietnamese. Every function and event is solely by volunteers who takes time out of their daily lives to give back to the Buddhist community. It's a great place to go to obtain peace and feel inspired to live each day fully. You should come here on with a friend or even on your own, everyone is very friendly and no one will ever try to convert you. Most days that I go, I'll be luck if one person says a thing to me. It's a very individual practice. It's all about doing it for yourself.

Recently I stopped by for Vu Lan festival. The vegetarian food is free (like all you can eat). You…read morecan also get some home for a little contribution fee of $5 per medium container. Often many temple go-ers even brought their own special vegetarian dishes/desert to contribute to temple. There is a music band at the temple. I heard they practice every Sunday afternoon. They are quite good. Nice stage set up for the event with many local singers. Enough tables and chairs for everyone. Let see if I can post some pictures.

Went to visit families in Illinois and they always take me to the coolest places ever, it's always…read moresomething different and I never know what to expect. Their was a lot of Laos and Thai food (which I love and can't get enough of it!). There's was a lot of Asian but not too many Caucasian, my boyfriend would've loved it but he couldn't go . Parking was limited, had to park in the grass. It wasn't as big as the Asian festival in Columbus, I think it all depends on advertising. Had a great time, great people and great food! Would do it again

From the owner: Lao Buddhist Templeread more

Nice, peaceful atmosphere. Kelsang Dorje takes Dharma teachings and applies them to practical use…read morefor today. It was as if he knew exactly what i was going through. Meditation bliss in a fun part of town!

This is a wonderful place. They are warm and welcoming and people from all walks of life attend…read moreservices. Their workshops, classes and events have really invigorated my spiritual practice.