You have to accept your life. Acceptance does not mean "liking" it, nor does it mean that it's a good idea or a good thing. Acceptance simply means recognizing the truth.

One of the important teachings of the Buddha was that what we perceive and what we think are not necessarily the truth, as our p...

Retreat is a time to look inward and investigate our experience. It is an opportunity to see through our habitual thinking and feeling, uncovering our natural wisdom and compassion. 

The retreat will be led by Zen Master Bon Soeng and co-led with Marshall White JDPSN. We are welcoming up to 15 part...

If we are not clear on our intention, then our life is haphazard and we just increase the suffering in the world. But if our intention is clear, it is possible in the moment of action, correct function can appear. Maybe in that moment, we put down our I, mine, me......our desire, anger, and ignoranc...

Retreat is a time to look inside and investigate our life. It is an opportunity to clear our mind of habitual thinking and access our wisdom and compassion.

The retreat will be led by Zen Jason Quinn JDPSN. We are allowing up to 13 people to come sit with us in person at the Boise location and 15 at ...

That's Zen mind. It's not about being perfect. It's not about doing everything right in such a way that someone will tell a wonderful story about you, and people will still be talking about it a thousand years from now. It's simply paying attention, meeting the moment, and helping. Our teacher, Zen ...

Dear Friends of Empty Gate Zen Center,

I would like to personally thank all of you for your participation in the practice at Empty Gate Zen Center. Over the past four years, our sangha has grown in many, many ways. Our root Zen Center in Berkeley was closed for a time and is now slowly increasing o...

The First Noble Truth is "All things are suffering." Life is suffering. The word in Sanskrit is duḥkha. Sometimes it is translated as unsatisfactory." Situations in this world and our lives are not what we want them to be. There's almost always a gap between what we want and what is. As much as we c...

Retreat is a time to look inside and investigate our life. It is an opportunity to clear our mind of habitual thinking and access our wisdom and compassion.

The retreat will be led by Jason Quinn JDPSN. We are allowing up to 15 people to come sit with us in person at the Berkeley location (fully va...

The question always comes to, “Why do that?” So now we’re present, now what? Is it for our own enjoyment? That’s okay, that’s nice; we all want our own enjoyment. But that brings us back to suffering because we’re only happy as long as it brings us joy. As soon as that joy is gone, we’re not happy a...