Practice Circles

The Zen Community of Oak Park considers council circle interchange an important ingredient of Zen practice. Such circles help to create a safe container where people can speak freely and genuinely. Each person practices speaking and listening from the heart.

A talking piece is passed to the person speaking, to remind everyone that there is no interuption while the person is speaking. In this way, no cross talk occurs in the circle practice, allowing each person to explore a deeper, more centered form of communication and expression.

Circles are facilitated by a person trained in this practice.

Circles may be done in an open format with no fixed theme, but often, we hold them around a specific subject. For instance, in the past we have had interfaith practice circles and diversity circles. The Sangha has an ongoing circle once a month that focuses on stewardship.