Once in a while I get this wild idea.
I start to think I should start a Zen Center.
Well, that’s not the start of it. The start of it is wishing Kansas City had a Zen Center. Then that goes into wondering why Kansas City doesn’t have one. Then, that goes into wondering if I could do something about it.
I don’t think about this because I have an abundance of free time that I want to commit to it. I don’t think about this because I think I’m enormously qualified to run a spiritual community. That level of responsibility would be scary to me.
The main reason I start to get that idea is because Kansas City doesn’t have one and I think that’s weird.
Smaller cities have Zen Centers.
St. Louis, Columbia, Lawrence, Omaha, and Des Moines all have Zen Centers. I’ve been to some of them and they’re nice.
But why in these smaller cities and not here?
There are a handful of (really small) zen groups here, but there’s no center.
(I’m not talking about a temple. The difference between a Zen temple and a Zen center is that a temple is designed to primarily serve monks and nuns and a center is designed to serve regular people like you and me.)
And I wonder why we don’t have one?
We’re a growing city with a (surprisingly) spiritually diverse population.
Kansas City deserves a Zen Center.
That’s what I’m trying to say.
Can someone start one please?
Meditation with Daniel 
I’ve thought the same thing about where I live. This is a Buddhist wasteland. I’m sure there are some Zennists around, or people who’d be interested in it, but just have to roll up my sleeves and put it out there. Finding places to practice as a group is definitely challenging without a designated building for it.