Enlightened activities program
Share Your Time, Love and Skills with Rinpoche and the CommunityOffer Your Service
Dzokden and our affiliated organizations are supported by volunteers. We are a global multilingual, multicultrual and inclusive community from over 150 countries and 13+ languages around the world. We are dedicated and committed to supporting Rinpoche’s vision to bring about a new Golden Age for our world. By volunteering you establish and strengthen your connection to Rinpoche, his mission and our Dharma sisters and brothers.
We have several large and small projects. You can choose to take on volunteer work on a case by case basis or commit to be a dedicated volunteer. Dedicated volunteers work on a project continuously and regularly. As a Dzokden Volunteer, you will work closely with team leads and coordinators across many diverse disciplines and ongoing projects. Our Volunteers support Rinpoche’s global tour each year, commissioning Dharma objects, designing retreat centers, finance, marketing, web development, graphic design, photography, book publishing, translations, event management and so much more.
The Importance of Dharma Service
Dharma service is a powerful way to reinforce the Buddha’s values of compassion and generosity by putting others’ needs before your own. Serving others cultivates humility and gratitude for your own precious life while offering the opportunity to put learnings into action.
For Kālachakra practitioners specifically, giving time and energy to serving Rinpoché’s mission through the Dzokden affiliated organizations develops respect, devotion, and a receptive mind for the Guru’s teachings. The virtue generated through Dharma service is dedicated to the accumulation of merit which is essential for the path to enlightenment. Collaborating with other Kālachakra practitioners promotes selflessness and creates a basis for community and support which is especially helpful for those engaged in formal Vajrayāna practices.
Spiritual Benefits of Volunteering
We see the practice of volunteering as an opportunity to:
1) Generate Merit,
2) Cultivate the 6 Pāramitas of the Bodhisattva Training,
3) Offer service to the Guru and his saṅgha,
4) Learn how to work with our emotions in the tantrich path by practicing in the world.
Many volunteer roles seem worldly or saṃsaric in appearance. But the roles are for the benefit of Dharma. So this give the opportunity for many people who struggle to practice the path in their daily live to see how it is possible to transform ordinary work into extraordinary opportunities. This will help you learn to walk the real tantric path.
Rinpoché reminds us that fully enlightened means you have acquired all the merit and wisdom needed to become fully enlightened. Without these two accumulations, there is no such path of enlightenment.
The merit gained by completing the apparently “mundane” work through Dharma service for Dzokden is powerful because you are transforming your intention and view while gaining wisdom at the same time.
The Enlightened Activities Program
For all these reasons and more, the new Enlightened Activities Program (“EAP”) is a unique approach to Dharma service (formerly called “volunteering”) closely aligned with Rinpoché’s guidance for practitioners on the Kālachakra Path.
The EAP provides the organization, process and support to those who aspire to devote their time and effort in service of Rinpoché’s mission and Dzokden’s affiliated organizations. Like the Bodhisattva Path of Accumulation, Enlightened Activities act as a bridge that allows you to hold the Bodhisattva’s aspiration of enlightenment for all beings while serving the Dharma for Rinpoché and Dzokden. Enlightened Activities are intended to transform your time and effort spent in the mundane world into results that benefit others while gaining merit and wisdom needed on the enlightened path. Rinpoché says that it is much easier to train the mind when the actual work has a Dharma purpose.
The EAP uses the Buddhas’ Four Enlightened Activities as a framework to organize the diverse support roles and tasks into graduated levels of Dharma service that increase in effort and commitment over time. As you progress on the Kālachakra path, you gradually begin to emanate these enlightened qualities. Your devotion and desire to work on behalf of all sentient beings will increase. Together, these will naturally indicate your Enlightened Activity.
Find Your Activity Level
We have four levels of commitment levels that you may engage with Dzokden on your Dharma service journey.
Peaceful Activities
(Skt. śānticāra; Tib. ཞི་བ་, Wyl. zhi ba)
The Buddhas pacify conflict by dispelling sickness, afflictions, and obstacles so all sentient beings can experience genuine peace and harmony.
Commitment Level:
The “Workers Bees”
This level is what most students think of as volunteering.
There is a low level of responsibility and commitment for a single activity such as helping for one day at a Buddhist center or at a short event.
Examples of Service
- Help for a few hours to set up an event
- Host a few Zoom sessions
- Provide transportation to/from an event
- Complete general Karma Yoga activities at a retreat center
- Work at one of our centers during a service period such as cooking for a day or a few days, or doing some simple physical labor task, cleaning, or gardening etc.
Increasing Activities
(Skt. Paustika; Tib. རྒྱས་པ་, Wyl. Rgyas pa)
The Buddhas increase the virtuous qualities of sentient beings and guide them in the Dharma so that all sentient beings can experience an increase of longevity, merit, wealth and qualities.
Commitment Level:
The “Merit Makers”
Merit Makers are focused on accumulating merit through Dharma service and want to contribute more intensively to Rinpoché’s mission of the Golden Age.
They complete individual tasks or small projects on an ongoing basis and can manage some limited responsibility. They are beginning to work through challenges.
Time commitment is a few hours a week.
Examples of Service
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Translating videos, practice texts, prayers, a book, or managing social media
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Golden Age Guide
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Graphic design work for a special communication
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Recurring simple administrative tasks
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Research
- Work at one of our centers such as cooking full-time for a whole event, performing various forms of physical labor, gardening, cleaning, etc. on a more regular basis.
Magnetizing Activities
(Skt. vaśīkaraṇa; Tib. དབང་བ་, dbang ba)
The Buddhas magnetize sentient beings towards the Dharma by using their power and energy to influence their lives in a positive way and inspire them to virtue. Through their influence, all sentient beings experience the bliss of the Dharma and create the causes to achieve full enlightenment.
Commitment Level:
The “Golden Age Ambassadors”
The Golden Age Ambassadors actively look for and fulfill longer-term opportunities to support Dzokden’s affiliated organizations.
These students are deepening themselves in the tantrayāna path where Dharma service is fulfilled with devotion, diligence and working through obstacles.
The time commitment is several hours weekly.
Examples of Service
- Language Team Lead
- Provide regular technical and/or help desk support
- Project manager
- Publications manager
- Long-term resident at a retreat center
- Dedicated non-resident volunteer at retreat center
- Translating/editing various kinds of Dharma materials, books, marketing, social media etc. on a regular basis
- Graphic desgin for various books, booklets, etc. on a regular basis.
- Work on a long-term project at one of our centers such as cooking full-time for several events a year, carring out complex physical labor for extended periods of time several times a year etc.
Subjugating
(Skt. abhicāra; Tib. དྲག་པོ་, Wyl. drag po)
The Buddhas subjugate all hostile, powerful negative forces that act as obstacles for sentient beings to practice virtue so that they are firmly established in their practice and can manifest limitless qualities.
Commitment Level:
“The Śhambhala Warriors”
The Śhambhala Warriors have made Dharma service to Rinpoché their number one priority in their life.
Their primary desire is to follow the path of “No Choice” (*see below) and devote their life to the Guru, his Saṅgha, and the Kālachakra path.
They take on many Bodhisattva activities, no matter the size or difficulty, and fulfill Rinpoché’s requests with willingness, joyful enthusiasm, and dispatch.
The time commitment is several hours a week to (ideally) several hours a day.
Examples of Service
- Continuous fundraising efforts to build temples, stūpas, and retreat centers
- Manage large-scale projects
- Teach
- Develop and implement new programs
- May hold a leadership position in the organization
- Carring out all efforts possible to get as much material as possible translated and published in one’s own language
- Development of technological infrastructure at a continuous pace.
- Lead and plan the work at one of our centers, such as various complex physical works, construction, renovations, etc. at a continuous pace to improve the space, cooking full-time for all events, etc.
* You may have heard Rinpoché talk about the path of “Nooooo Choice.” Rinpoché took this from the movie Rush Hour where Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker had to jump into sewage to get away from bad people. They had “NO CHOICE” but to take the best way out even if extremely unpleasant. If you want to achieve the Golden Age for this world and eventually full enlightenment, then you work as a Śhambhala Warrior and take the path of “no choice.”
Is Dharma really a priority in your life?
Khentrul Rinpoché has noticed that one of the biggest obstacles in people’s Dharma practice is the mismatch in expected results on the path and the prioritization of Dharma in their life. Rinpoché has observed that many people believe that they will have a huge result from a small amount of practice such as reaching enlightenment in this life while practicing/studying just half an hour a day. An even bigger problem is that we are not always good at identifying how much we have truly have prioritized the Dharma in our lives. Rinpoché has put together a comprehensive information page to help everyone think through how much they have actually prioritized the Dharma in their life. Once you have established where it fits in then he encourages us to both increase it’s priority if we can and become realistic about our expected result. This way it is easier to stay motivated rather then become discouraged in our practice.
Join the Enlightened Activities Program
There are three steps required to join our program. All three are needed to ensure your Dharma service is aligned with the Enlightened Activity for your life situation — and, if a Kālachakra practitioner, the stage of your spiritual cultivation. After completing these three steps, we will contact you to enroll you in the Enlightened Activities program. We will match you with the right Dharma service opportunity as soon as one is available.
Step 1. Prioritizing the Dharma in Your Life
Evaluate your life priorities using Rinpoché’s teaching on “Prioritizing the Dharma”
- How is the Dharma prioritized in your life? Rinpoché has provided guidance to understand how you have prioritized the Dharma in your life. As we each have different karmic conditions, it is important to be honest with where you are today so you can make the right commitment that fits with your present lifestyle.
Visit “Prioritizing the Dharma in Your Life”
- Where are you on the Kālachakra path? Complete the Self-Evaluation to learn where you are on the Kālachakra path. Visit Getting Started with Practice.
Step 2. What is my Enlightened Activity?
Identify your Enlightened Activity based on your life priorities and stage of Kālachakra Path development.
Step 3. Make a commitment to Dharma Service.
Complete the new EAP Questionnaire.
You have the opportunity to indicate your preferences for two Dharma service paths depending on your primary skills and interests. We are asking everyone to complete an EAP Questionnaire even if you have completed a volunteer form recently or in the past.
Global Operations supports Rinpoché’s events, communications, learning management system, book publishing, art-related projects, video production, and much more.
Language Support provides translations of Rinpoché’s events, books, podcasts, social media posts, videos and much more.
Click here to complete the new EAP Questionnaire.