Opening Deep Meditation Practice to Young Adults
Participant Reflections
In this video, three participants from Dharma Gates retreats reflect on their retreat experiences
Mission
Dharma Gates is a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to opening pathways into formal meditation practice for young adults. We connect young practitioners to a variety of Buddhist teachers and practice centers, working to eliminate conceptual, logistical, and financial barriers to practice. We foster connections through which practitioners can cultivate compassion, resilience, and clarity to meet the unique challenges of our times.
Practice
Dharma Gates offers young adults (18-35) a range of immersive introductory experiences to meditation practice in a variety of Buddhist traditions. We offer in-person and online events in partnership with a wide breadth of facilitators and teachers, emphasizing accessibility, diverse perspectives, and depth of training. We recognize and work to dismantle cultural and economic barriers that inhibit engagement with formal meditation practice. Click here to check out the retreats and offerings we have coming up!
Connect
The purpose of meditation is not just to benefit an individual, nor is it most effective when practiced alone. We offer spaces in which participants can connect both informally and through relational practices (such as circling). For those that are inspired, we support participants to take these practices further by connecting Dharma Gates community members, Buddhist teachers, and practice centers across the United States and abroad. Tapping into the broader community of practitioners, both peers and teachers, can transform our practice and our lives.
Engage
The younger generation faces unique, urgent, and complex challenges, with long-term consequences that require compassion, clarity, and resilience. Formal meditation training is a powerful method for cultivating these qualities in ourselves and in the world. By supporting each other to engage wholeheartedly with living practice traditions, we seek to inspire a new generation of practitioners to wake up to their innate wisdom and live lives of skillful service.
