Thank you to everyone who donated during our winter fundraising campaign. We now have the ability to accept donations online directly from our YouTube page (upper right corner): http://www.youtube.com/user/emptygatezen
Any amount helps!
Talks on The Compass of Zen
From January to March 27, our Dharma Teachers and Dharma Teachers in Training will give talks each Wednesday night on sections of The Compass of Zen. These are part of our regular Beginners Nights, which include chanting and sitting meditationeach Wednesday 7-9pm. Zen Master Bon Soeng gives the full Dharma Talk on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
Feb 22 - Mar 2: Annual 8-day Retreat
Mark your calenders for our annual 8 day retreat! Retreats include extended sitting practice, chanting, bowing, and private dharma interviews. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of experience or traditions, for a minimum of one day or more. Email hdt@emptygatezen.com to register or ask questions. Limited to 25 people, priority will be given to those sitting all 8 days.
December – One Day Retreat
Please join us for a 1 day retreat Saturday, December 15. 1 day retreats include extended sitting and walking meditation, and private dharma interviews with Zen Master Bon Soeng. An informal lunch is provided. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of experience or traditions. Please call or email for registration or if you have any questions.
Phone: 510-845-8565
Email: hdt@emptygatezen.com
To see the schedule and fee click here
October 3-Day Zen Retreat (YMJJ)
Please join us for a 3 day retreat Friday, October 19 through Sunday, October 21. Retreats include extended sitting practice, chanting, bowing, and private dharma interviews with guiding teacher Zen Master Bon Soeng. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of experience or traditions, in parts or all of the retreat. Please call or email for registration, entry times or any other questions.
Phone: 510-845-8565
Email: hdt@emptygatezen.com
To see the schedule and fee click here
September – One Day Retreat
Please join us for a 1 day retreat Saturday, September 22. 1 day retreats include extended sitting and walking meditation, and private dharma interviews with Zen Master Bon Soeng. An informal lunch is provided. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of experience or traditions. Please call or email for registration or if you have any questions.
Adjusted schedule is as follows:
7:00 am 108 Bows 7:30 – 10:00 Sitting and Walking Meditation 10:00 Brunch (informal) 10:40 – 11:20 Work Period 11:30 – 2:00 Sitting and Walking Meditation 2:00 Circle talk
Phone: 510-845-8565
Email: hdt@emptygatezen.com
July 3-Day Zen Retreat (YMJJ)
Please join us for a 3 day retreat Friday, July 13 through Sunday, July 15. Retreats include extended sitting practice, chanting, bowing, and private dharma interviews with guiding teacher Zen Master Bon Soeng. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of experience or traditions, in parts or all of the retreat. Please call or email for registration, entry times or any other questions.
Phone: 510-845-8565
Email: hdt@emptygatezen.com
To see the schedule and fee click here
June – One Day Retreat
Please join us for a 1 day retreat Saturday, June 16th. 1 day retreats include extended sitting and walking meditation, and private dharma interviews with Zen Master Bon Soeng. An informal lunch is provided. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of experience or traditions. Please call or email for registration or if you have any questions.
Phone: 510-845-8565
Email: hdt@emptygatezen.com
To see the schedule and fee click here
Spring Newsletter 2012
Check out our Spring Newsletter (Click Here). Thank you Gary Sprague and Diana Lynch for writing articles for this issue. A big thank you to Zen Master Bon Soeng for spending a large amount of time to share his impressions and experiences of India, Nepal, and the Kwan Um School's pilgrimage. Lastly, a super duper thanks to editor Leah Kenaga and copy editor, Julie Anderson.
April – One Day Retreat
Please join us for a 1 day retreat Saturday, April 21st. 1 day retreats include extended sitting and walking meditation, and private dharma interviews with Zen Master Bon Soeng. An informal lunch is provided. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of experience or traditions. Please call or email for registration or if you have any questions.
Phone: 510-845-8565
Email: hdt@emptygatezen.com
To see the schedule and fee click here
Our Annual 8 Day Retreat
Please join us for our annual 8 day retreat coming up this month February 24-March 3rd. Retreats include extended sitting practice, chanting, bowing, and private dharma interviews. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of experience or traditions, for a minimum of one day or more. Please call 510-845-8565 or email hdt@emptygatezen.com for registration, entry times or any other questions.
Jaunuary 3-Day Zen Retreat (YMJJ)
Please join us for a 3 day retreat Friday, January 20 through Sunday, January 22. Retreats include extended sitting practice, chanting, bowing, and private dharma interviews with guiding teacher Zen Master Bon Soeng. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of experience or traditions, in parts or all of the retreat. Please call or email for registration, entry times or any other questions.
Phone: 510-845-8565
Email: hdt@emptygatezen.com
New Year Schedule
There will be regular morning and evening practice on Saturday the 31st, followed by our New Year's Eve practice at 11:15PM. There will be no practice on Sunday the 1st. Have a clear New Year!
December Holiday Schedule
Holiday practice schedule as follows. Saturday, 24th morning: Yes Saturday, 24th evening: No Sunday, 25th morning and evening: No Monday, 26th morning: Yes Monday, 26th 11am sitting: No Monday, 26th evening: Yes
New Year's Eve Practice
Please help us bring in the new year with special New Year’s Eve practice. Join us for refreshments at 8:30pm, followed by kido chanting. Come for all or parts of the practice.
7:00 - 8:00pm Evening Practice 8:30pm - 11:00pm Refreshments & Movie (Bring some food to share, poem, music) 11:15pm – 12:30am Kido (Chanting)
As practice ends late, you are welcome to stay overnight in the dharma room. There will be no morning or evening practice Jan 1.
Precepts Workshop
Are you interested in learning about the 5 precepts? Have you taken the precepts and want to learn more on how they relate to our tradition? Zen Master Bon Soeng and abbot Jason Quinn will talk about the precepts and answer questions. This workshop will take place on Saturday, January 7th from 9:30am to 11:00am.
For questions and registration - Phone: 510-845-8565 Email: abbot@emptygatezen.com
December – One Day Retreat
Please join us for a 1 day retreat Saturday, December 17. 1 day retreats include extended sitting and walking meditation, and private dharma interviews with Zen Master Bon Soeng. An informal lunch is provided. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of experience or traditions. Please call or email for registration or if you have any questions.
Phone: 510-845-8565
Email: hdt@emptygatezen.com
To see the schedule and fee click here
Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule
There will be no morning or evening practice on Thursday, November 24th, the morning of Friday the 25th. Practice will resume on Friday evening at 7:00pm.
Fundraiser 2011
Dear Friends of Empty Gate Zen Center,
We are coming to you asking for your financial support. We continue our self-sustaining program of monthly retreats and thirteen practice sessions each week. The support from last year has allowed us to maintain these programs and support our full-time abbot in building the activities of the Zen Center.
This year we have increased our efforts to bring Zen teaching to new students near and far. We continue web-streaming Sunday morning practice and monthly dharma talks given by Zen Master Bon Soeng. Our social media presence on Facebook and Twitter continues to help people locally and around the world. Our teaching videos posted on Youtube of talks by Zen Master Bon Soeng have received over 50,000 views. Jason Quinn, the abbot of Empty Gate Zen Center, has offered online practice consulting interviews through email and video chat. Here at the Center, we have seen increased participation in retreats and weekly Dharma Talks. Volunteer contributions have helped us make improvements to the building and grounds. This year we also offered the first in a series of Foundations of Zen workshops.
Over the coming year, we plan to increase our outreach to Bay Area schools and organizations, update our website to feature more teaching and instruction, and look into the possibility of expanding our physical Zen Center space to make room for our growing needs. This year we will be focusing on paying down the mortgage on our current space to increase our options for expanding in the near future.
Last year's fundraising campaign was a huge success and we thank you for your support. Continuing this level of activity at our Zen Center will require regular annual financial support from all of you. Therefore, once again we ask that you give to the Empty Gate Annual Fund Campaign. We need to meet our fundraising goal of $18,000 for the coming year. An affordable and helpful way to contribute to Empty Gate Zen Center is to pledge a monthly contribution above your membership level. Some of our members are already donating between $20 and $60 per month. Another possibility, of course, is to give a one-time donation.
Please take a moment to consider what tax-deductible donation you can afford. You can send all donation checks to Empty Gate or donate online using a credit card or PayPal account.
Many thanks for your practice and your continued support of Empty Gate Zen Center.
Yours in the dharma,
Zen Master Bon Soeng Jason Quinn Leah Kenaga Steve Watkins Guiding Teacher Abbot Vice Abbot Director
Donate online using credit card or Paypal account
Send check or money order made and sent to:
Empty Gate Zen Center
2200 Parker Street
Berkeley, CA 94704
Provided byFundraising Ideas Center
November 3-Day Zen Retreat (YMJJ)
Please join us for a 3 day retreat Friday, November 18 through Sunday, November 19. Retreats include extended sitting practice, chanting, bowing, and private dharma interviews with guiding teacher Zen Master Bon Soeng. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of experience or traditions, in parts or all of the retreat. Please call or email for registration, entry times or any other questions.
Phone: 510-845-8565
Email: hdt@emptygatezen.com