Passing the Torch:
An Afternoon with Dharma Gates
“Dharma Gates is helping people, and thus the world, right at their roots. They bring together beautiful environments and excellent teachers that in turn offer truly awesome opportunities for people like me to reflect on our conditions at the deepest level. The people behind Dharma Gates display an inspiring amount of concentrated and compassionate effort to this cause. My time at Dharma Gates retreats has had major impacts on my wellbeing.” - Ryan
The future depends on the minds of younger generations. Do they have the inner resources necessary to navigate the increasingly turbulent and precarious times we are in?
Dharma Gates creates accessible pathways into serious contemplative practice through meditation retreats, authentic relationships with teachers, and communities of practice that invite young adults into a deeper way of living. This gathering is a chance to come together in support of that vision
Join us for an afternoon of community, reflection, and generosity in support of this work—and in support of the conditions that allow wisdom traditions to remain alive and accessible in the modern world.
Why This Matters
Young adulthood is one of the most formative periods of human development—a time when identity, relationships, habits, values, and life direction take shape. But young adults today are coming of age in a culture marked by unprecedented distraction, loneliness, anxiety, and uncertainty. Nearly 1 in 3 young adults in the United States experiences mental illness (Source: NAMI). They are navigating economic precarity, social fragmentation, climate grief, political instability, and the quiet but relentless pressure to optimize, perform, and stay constantly connected. Many are doing so with fewer stable communities, less intergenerational mentorship, and constant forces pulling attention outward.
Beneath all of this, they have a deeper spiritual hunger: a longing for meaning, belonging, inner steadiness, and a trustworthy path for meeting the fundamental challenges of being human. At precisely the moment when deeper inner training, ethical grounding, and meaningful community could be most transformative, authentic contemplative spaces—places of silence, wisdom, and genuine human connection—are often difficult to find, culturally inaccessible, or financially out of reach.
Dharma Gates Impact and Numbers
1,500+ young adults have attended a Dharma Gates program
30+ multi-day silent retreats hosted
12 states reached + 1 International program (South Korea)
Participant Voices
“Dharma Gates is, without a doubt, changing lives across this country — and I am one of them. When I arrived at the retreat, which was my first ever weeklong silent retreat, I was in a state of complete burnout: emotionally drained, spiritually disconnected, and relentlessly self-critical. By the end of the retreat, the teachings had found a lasting home in my heart. The constant irritation with external distractions softened, and for the first time in months, I slept deeply and restfully. Meditation became something I eagerly anticipated each day. Through the service of Dharma Gates, I have received real, embodied transmissions of Peace, Compassion, and Devotion.”
- Lumin
“Incredible. I feel a great amount of confidence was built. All the retreat managers were highly supportive. This was my first retreat and it was amazing.” - Chris
“The most notable aspect, aside from experiences in my personal practice, was the community. It is enriching and invigorating to have an age & culturally relevant community to practice with. I didn't know how important this was to me until now. I had sort of given up on merging social, friend, and everyday community with spiritual community. This is where I want to be.” - Spencer
“I felt deeply inspired by the teachings and encouragement of this retreat. My practice and trust in my capacity to develop as a spiritual practitioner deepened so much. The care and love that Jogen (the teacher), the cooks and retreat managers poured into the container were so powerful and palpable. I feel deeply grateful.” -Rebecca
Thank you to Donors
The following are excerpts from letters that Dharma Gates participants wrote to donors.
There aren't words to express how much I appreciate this opportunity. This was my first retreat experience and I felt so safe, comforted and supported by the staff, teacher and community. Thank you, thank you, thank you! - Anonymous
Dear DG Donors,
Thank you for making these retreats possible. This retreat in Colorado had the profound impact on me of learning to relax into presence with with two incredible Zen teachers. I’ve struggled to find retreats with strong teachers that are within my budget and don't fill up within 24 hours of registration opening. DG is one of the main places I turn to. I know this is also true for friends in my sangha in DC. Dharma Gates retreats allow us to practice - I know there is a member of my sangha benefiting from every retreat. - Leah
Hello,
I wish I could see your face to tell you this in person. I feel like I have received a beautiful gift. The gift can’t quite be ""contained"", at least not elsewhere or outside my self. This gift was the ability to see myself more clearly – my motivations, my belief systems, my love, my imperfections, and to not be afraid of them. This was physically painful, but I do not regret a moment of it. This gift has inspired me to ask how I can help others. I will be allowing that energy to flow into my community & the world. Your love & care fuels love & care.
With gratitude & sincerity & love, Ryan A. DeCrescent
Thank you so much for the gift of this experience. I had limited experience with meditation and Buddhism -- mostly academic, little engagement -- and no real personal practice. Yet over the last several years, I've encountered loss, shame, guilt and a pervasive sense that living in my mind was depriving my body and my heart of something essential. This retreat has showed me answers I didn't think I could get - clarity, peace, and heart. It's just the beginning.
- Zach
Dear Dharma Gates donor,
My name is Erika. I've been on the silent retreat for six days at Claymont Society in WV. I am forever changed. I have been experiencing such paranoia and darkness. On this retreat, I learned how to be with myself in a way that feels like it is going to save my life. The gift is ineffable. Thank you for the present of my present moment, and getting my life back.
All my love + gratitude, Erika
I'm sitting in immense awe and graditude for the gift of life and mystery you've given me in these past days - lifetimes - of sitting in meditation. This was my first time in a retreat and my whole world has been cracked open! I have felt the universe within me and felt a pure warm vessel of my body to allow spirit to wash through. I am returning home with a sense of emptiness, rejuvenation and stillness. Infinite infinite trust for myself and my path - only the way knows the way. I am committed to my spiritual path and so gratetul for this opportunity to grow and shift my frequency and perception of the complete magic and limitless of this world! I feel such love and compassion for your donation that made it possible for me in the financial situation that I'm in (floating, with no job) to be able to experience myself again! Thank you thank you sweetheart! May you experence your inner power and truth in every moment. Love you so much!
- Sovereign
Thank you for supporting Dharma Gates. I just had the most incredible week-long experience where I was able to experience true presence, whether it was through the sounds of the trickling stream, the gentle rustling of the trees, or the waving of the long grass. Sitting in silence with a group of young people seeking present awareness and looking to deepen their practice was one of the most powerful and moving experiences I’ve ever had in my whole life. My heart is now more open and I can’t wait to share this joy with open arms.
With metta, Kie