Live and work at a beautiful Buddhist Retreat Center in Northern California!
- year round
Live and work at a beautiful Buddhist Retreat Center in Northern California!
Live and work at rural Buddhist center - help preserve Buddhist teachings making Buddhist books!
There are 3 related non-profit organizations with activities at Ratna Ling -- the Ratna Ling Retreat Center, Dharma Publishing, and Yeshe De Text Preservation Project. All work-study participants live onsite at Ratna Ling and participate equally in community life. Work-study positions are available in the following areas:
Ratna Ling Retreat Center
Now:
Yeshe De Text Preservation Project
Dharma Publishing
As with all the organizations at Ratna Ling, all new residents must follow our COVID safety policies which include full vaccination before arrival and best practices to keep each other safe.
The Yeshe De Text Preservation Project was founded in 1983 by Tibetan refugee and Buddhist master, Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche and is dedicated to preserving the Tibetan Culture. A non-profit organization committed to the replication of rare Buddhist teachings, our volunteers work as a team year-round to make Tibetan books and prayer wheels to be given away at the annual World Peace Ceremony in Bodh Gaya, India–– the site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment.
Our team is motivated by knowing that we make a difference by impacting the lives of thousands of refugees in Asia. We give our time and energy freely to save Tibetan texts that contain teachings that would otherwise be lost.
Work at the book bindery is hands-on and production oriented. Areas of work may include:
In 2021, we are planning additional projects to help support our overall work including
We are looking for a cook to create delicious vegetarian meals for our residents and to help make our kitchen run smoothly. Our kitchen is professionally outfitted, and well-stocked through deliveries, our (mostly) organic garden, and occasional trips to stores in the nearest ( over an hour away) large town. For an amateur cook who enjoys using/picking herbs and produce fresh from the garden, this is the perfect volunteer opportunity!
The ideal candidate for this position is flexible, organized, reliable, hardworking, and a knowledgeable, skilled (self-trained is acceptable) cook. Experience in large quantity cooking and baking is helpful, but not necessary.
Primary responsibilities:
Job perks:
You will also receive all the benefits of being a Ratna Ling volunteer:
Two concentrations, one team: All members of the team share active retreat tasks Friday-Sunday. The rest of the week, most of the team members share office duties: registration, answering the phone, managing the retreat reservation system, updating the website and social media with blog posts and retreat news, according to their skills. They also work in the organic gardens-vegetable and ornamental-and in various projects. A few members of the team devote their time and energy to the large vegetable gardens during the week.
Dharma Publishing, located onsite at Ratna Ling, has been a pioneering publisher of important Buddhist texts for over 40 years. Our founder, Tibetan Lama Tarthang Tulku, has written over 2 dozen titles for a Western audience offering different pathways to connect with Buddhist wisdom.
Dharma Publishing is currently seeking one or two residential volunteers to work in the areas of:
Successful DP team members are:
Visit our website, to apply, or to find out more about volunteering at Ratna Ling. Go to Contact Us to ask us questions, request an emailed application, share your aspirations, or submit your resume and photo. Email your application, photo, and resume to volunteer@ratnaling.org.
Please note: We require all volunteers and visitors to be fully vaccinated against COVID before arrival.
We receive many inquiries and will work to get back to you as quickly as possible. Thank you!