Fundraiser 2024
Aug 19, 2024
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 our in-person participation. After two years of strictly online practice, in-person retreat attendance has grown. Twenty-three people joined us in person for all or part of our most recent 8-day retreat. Sixteen people participated exclusively online. Additionally, our Sangha in Boise grows both in person and online.
I want to thank all of our participating Sangha for their efforts and practice. Our way is a way of practice. Together we share our efforts, and together we find our way of the Buddha. To participate, show up, and give our best effort for the benefit of all beings is the expression of our Buddha nature.
Empty Gate Zen Center exists for the benefit of its membership. We would like to be sure that we know how to serve the needs of our membership. Online practice is new, and how to best serve our online members is something we are working on. Online membership has added a wonderful dimension to our Sangha. We want to hear from you so that we know what programs and retreats serve your needs. We are committed to growing and serving all the branches of our Sangha.
As we do every year at this time, we are asking for your financial support…
Zen Master Bon Soeng (Guiding Teacher)
Message From The Abbot
With your financial support, the center has enhanced its online video capabilities and has a vision to further enhance our technology to create an even more shared experience for both online and in-person participants.
Many of you may remember bumping your head on the old shed in the back of Berkeley Zen Center during the work period. With your support, we are happy to report that we were able to retire that old shed and build a beautiful new shed where we can now store all our tools and easily access them during the work period.
With your support, we have been able to give our Berkeley Zen Center a lot of love this past year to ensure that it will be there for years to come. We installed a new 25-year roof for the center, applied a nice fresh coat of paint to the building, and had the tall trees pruned to prevent any damage to the property.
As we look forward to the future this year, we have a goal of addressing the landscaping needs of our Boise Zen Center. At this time, we have a beautiful space inside the Boise Zen Center, but the outside has not yet been addressed. Currently, the grass requires a lot of water to maintain, and we would really like to do something more sustainable and eco-friendly. We are working with the Boise community and plan to renovate the yard this summer with local indigenous, low-water-consuming plants. We have volunteers helping with many aspects of the project, but the cost of plants and materials is still substantial.
The Berkeley Zen Center HVAC system has been in use well beyond its expected life expectancy, and we would love to address it before it becomes an emergent issue. The Zen Center's goal is to be as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible. With energy costs soaring in California, we also have financial concerns about heating the building in the winter. The center would like to pursue the most efficient, sustainable heating system, and with your support, we can ensure that our practice is as harmonious as it can be with our environment and our situation.
Clinton Smith (Abbot)