Ratna Ling Work Study Volunteer Program
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Live and work at rural Buddhist center - help preserve Buddhist teachings making Buddhist books!

Year-round
  • year round

Our Jobs

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:

  • Community Cook-vegetarian meals for volunteers
  • Retreat coordination and support with computer skills (Also involves helping with landscaping and gardening)
  • Gardener/Retreat Support-primary responsibility is in our organic vegetable gardens (experience helpful but not necessary), shifting to the lodge on retreat weekends to help with retreat tasks, such as setting up the buffet
  • Maintenance & Groundskeeping-mechanical abilities valuable 

Yeshe De Text Preservation Project

  • Sacred text preservation (boxing, wrapping, book binding, and other book-making activities)

 Dharma Publishing

  • Marketing & promotions-video and social media skills are valuable.
  • Shipping
  • Administration (including accounting and bookkeeping)

 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.

To learn more about living and volunteering at Ratna Ling please see our website.  

  • Book Bindery

    Yeshe De Text Preservation
    Ratna Ling Retreat Center, Cazadero, California

    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: 

    • Operating bindery machines like the collator, gold stamper, trimmer, and folder
    • Assembling traditional Tibetan books and wrapping them in colorful fabric
    • Putting books in slipcases and boxing them up for shipment to India

    In 2021, we are planning additional projects to help support our overall work including

    • Installing solar panels to provide sustainable power for our printing and book-binding machinery
    • Building a warehouse to augment our long-term book storage capacity
    • Engaging in controlled burns and other fire-prevention activities on the 120 Ratna Ling Retreat Center land which hosts the Yeshe De Project
  • Community Cook

    Ratna Ling Retreat Center
    Ratna Ling Retreat Center, Cazadero, California
    $200.00 / month

    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:

    • Cooking one to two family-style meals for 20 volunteers Monday-Saturday.
    • Assisting external professional cooks during retreats.
    • Kitchen cleanliness
    • Food ordering
    • Receiving deliveries
    • Inventory control

    Job perks:

    • Food Handler certification
    • Learning from professional cooks

    You will also receive all the benefits of being a Ratna Ling volunteer:

    • Free housing
    • Free vegetarian meals
    • Modest living allowance
    • Free WiFi
    • Free laundry
    • Free classes in Buddhist and self-development studies (subjects and schedules vary)
    • Living in an environment of natural beauty, close to hiking trails and the Pacific Ocean
    • Support of a community that aspires to cultivating awareness and caring

     

     

     

     

  • Retreat Support/Gardener

    Ratna Ling Retreat Center
    Ratna Ling Retreat Center, Cazadero, California
    $200.00 / month

    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.

  • Marketing & Admin for Buddhist Publisher 

    Dharma Publishing
    Ratna Ling Retreat Center, Cazadero, California
    $200.00 / month

    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:

    • Marketing
    • Digital promotion
    • Social media
    • General administration
    • Shipping
    • Light bookkeeping

    Successful DP team members are:

    • Interested in personal growth through work and daily activity
    • Reliable and self-motivated
    • Flexible and cooperative

How to Apply

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!


Contact Ratna Ling Work Study Volunteer Program