Best Meditation Centers In Metro Detroit

The Daily Meal Staff|June 30, 2014 7:00 am EST

Looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of modern life for a while? Check out these meditation centers in the metro area to find time to unwind.

Detroit Zen Center
11464 Mitchell St.
Hamtramck, MI 48212
(313) 366-7738
www.detroitzencenter.org

The Detroit Zen Center calls itself a "residential urban zen monastery," offering teaching and training to its residents. Sunday morning meditation is open to the general public, as well as daily meditations, yoga classes and courses, and an organic cafe and store. It was founded in 1990 and practices sustainability (a Buddhist principle); it does this by operating a business (a cafe offering organic food). You can sign up for its Sunday Morning Meditation & Dharma Talk, but make sure to RSVP beforehand. It's free but there is a suggested donation of $10. Monastic-style retreats and "working retreats" are also offered by the Center.

House of Yoga
2965 W. 12 Mile Road
Berkley, MI 48072
(248) 556-0992
www.houseofyoga.net

House of Yoga offers (predictably) yoga classes, but also offers meditation within those, as well as separate meditation sessions. Check out the New Moon and Full Moon Meditation classes, held on the New Moon and Full Moon every month (9:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., doors open at 9 p.m.). Fall dates start in September and are listed on House of Yoga's website. The studio was started in 2004 by two friends, and was originally in a church in Royal Oak; it moved to Berkley, and to its own space, in 2005.

Wat Paknam Buddhist Meditation Center
8500 Plumbrook Road
Sterling Heights, MI 48313
(586) 979-3300
www.sites.google.com/watpaknam.com

Wat Paknam is located in Sterling Heights and was purchased by the Church of Christ in 2009. It is open to anyone who wants to learn more about Buddhism or how to meditate, and meditation and chanting services are daily at 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. during summer – this changes to 6 p.m. during the winter. The monks don't all speak English, but the Abbott does, and there are usually one or two other English speakers there as well.

The Midwest Buddhist Meditation Center
29750 Ryan Road
Warren, MI 48092
(586) 573-2666
www.mbmcmichigan.org

The Midwest Buddhist Meditation Center offers chanting and meditation on a daily basis, from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., in Thai, Laotian and English. Its monks have been trained and ordained in Thailand, and the Abbot is Arjan Thanaphat. The MBMC opened in 1992 as the Midwest Buddhist Association Inc. in Ohio, and it became a member of the Buddhist Council of the Midwest, a member of the Council of Thai Bhikkhus (as of 1997) and a member of Council for a Parliament of the World Religions (as of 1993). Meditation retreats are also offered by the MBMC – check the website for full details.

Mumunsa Zen Center
1370 John R Road
Rochester Hills, MI 48307
(248) 650-2999
www.mumunsa.org/english

The Mumunsa Zen Center is affiliated with the Korean Buddhist Taego Order, and the metro Detroit area has a Korean population of about 20,000 people. It was started in 1993 by Suk Doe-Mahn, who came to the U.S. after studying in Japan, and services were originally held at the Sunkooksa Temple, a rental space in a medical clinic building. In 1984, it moved to Novi, but the city decided that the building was unstable. In 1986, the temple moved to Troy. The current location in Rochester Hills opened in 1989. The public is able to attend Dharma meetings, Zen meditation sessions and prayer sessions at the Zen Center.

Liz Parker is a freelance writer and a University of Michigan graduate with a degree in Creative Writing and Literature. Her work can be found at Examiner.com and yesnofilms.com.