Service as Path

Shambhala meditation centers rely on the volunteer efforts of many who share the tasks and responsibilities of sustaining them. Volunteering provides a powerful opportunity to practice leadership, support fellow practitioners, and deepen one’s connection to the community. Service is a practice of egolessness, and can help show us how to get off the “me plan” by putting others before yourself.

Please read through the list of service opportunities below and consider volunteering your time. You can decide how often you’d like to volunteer and how big of a job you want. You can even let us know if you see some other way you’d like to help out that is not on this list. Then let us know.

Service Trainings

If you would like to learn one of the jobs listed below, we can offer training. You can learn new skills while also providing a valuable community service. Periodically, we offer free workshops led by experienced students in the areas of program coordination, bookstore sales, shrinekeeping, timekeeping (umdze practice), chanting, and teacher service. We can also train you on an individual basis.

Volunteer Opportunities

Online Store manager
This job works closely with the Regional Shambhala Director to set up and maintain a small online store which acts as a funding stream. Tasks include photographing items, managing products in the online shopping cart, shipping items to purchasers. You may also take just one aspect of this job.

Audio Recording manager
Help spread the Shambhala Buddhist teachings by managing audio recordings of teachings given at our Shambhala centers. Tasks include posting files online for purchase, publicizing them, making and shipping CDs.

Digital Audio Recorder manager
Watch over our digital recorder and transfer recordings to an external hard drive. This person would also be able to train others to use the digital recorder and keep a schedule of who is using it when. Training available.

Web Designer
We are always trying to upgrade and improve our website presence. Currently, our webmaster could use some extra help managing our websites.

Social Action Tracker
Be the person who knows who is doing what in outside our community to help the world. Share that information in our newsletters, websites etc. so that others are invited to participate.

Fundraising Assistants & Event Planners
Help us with raffles, banquets, catering, auctions etc. Bring your creative mind to our fundraising team. No prior expertise needed.

Community Events helpers
Help us prepare food, set up parties and community gatherings, and clean up. All our centers can use this kind of help and it is really fun.

Support Meditation Practice
Learn how to be a timekeeper during meditation practice sessions. Keeping time for the group who is meditating is a great way to motivate yourself to practice.

If you are interested in these positions, please contact Joanne Martin Braun at [email protected] or call her at 415-971-3472.