Our Locations
Berkeley, California
2200 Parker St.
Berkeley, CA 94704
510-845-8565
For general inquiries, please email us
Check out our practice schedule
1977 Dr. Ezra Clark met Zen Master Seung Sahn at a 7 day meditation retreat in Esalen, California. After the retreat, Ezra introduced his wife, Diana, to Zen Master Seung Sahn. These meetings led Diana and Ezra to begin Empty Gate Zen Center.
In 1978 a large house was purchased on Arch Street in Berkeley and Empty Gate Zen Center became a public, residential Zen Center. In 1979 Jeff Kitzes, our current Guiding Teacher, came for a 7 day meditation retreat with Zen Master Seung Sahn. After the retreat, Jeff moved into Empty Gate and remained in residence for almost 6 years.
Boise, Idaho
901 N 15th St
Boise, ID 83702
For general inquiries, please email us
Phone: 208-661-6277
Check out our practice schedule
Empty Gate Zen Center of Boise practices at the Boise Buddhist Center. With a great amount of help from members of the local community who volunteered their time and energy, Empty Gate Zen Center was able to remodel the building into a beautiful Zen center in 2018. Regular practice began in January 2019, and the center held its official opening ceremony in August 2019. In the spirit of expanding the Dharma, we rent space to the Boise Institute of Buddhist Studies, which allows the center to be shared with other Buddhist groups from a variety of lineages, supporting practitioners in the wider community in finding a path that fits their needs.
fairbanks, alaska
5110 Aeronca Ave
Fairbanks, AK 99709
For general inquiries, please email us
Practice schedule
The Cold Mountain Zen Center is a community of Interior Alaskan Zen students who meet to practice Buddhism as taught by Zen Master Seung Sahn, the first Korean Zen Master to live and teach in the West. Zen Master Seung Sahn became a Zen Master in 1949 at the age of 22, and in 1972 came to the United States and founded the The Kwan Um School of Zen. Zen Master Seung Sahn died November 30, 2004.