Mindful Moments

Jay Gao is a Taiwanese American whose family immigrated to the US in the mid-1980s. While attending graduate school at UCLA and feeling perplexed by what direction to take in life as he tried to adapt to a brand new culture, he began exploring the writings of various Eastern philosophies and religions. Shortly after, he started practicing meditation daily, led a meditation group for a local charity, and wrote a short mindfulness meditation guide. After graduating with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, he started working for NASA, conducting technology research and system engineering for deep space communication systems. While space technology was, and still is, a fascination for Jay, his quest for inner knowledge remains strong. Starting in the late 1990s, he began seeking deeper spiritual understanding by attending yearly meditation retreats and bringing that practice into his family life. For the past twenty years, Jay has dedicated himself to the practice of Chan (Zen) and used his personal time to translate spiritual writings from Chinese to English so that more people can benefit from these timeless treasures. Jay is married with two children and currently lives in Los Angeles.