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 Paramitas of the Bodhisattva Training,
3) Offer service to the Guru and his Sanga,
4) Learn how to work with our emotions in the tantric path by practicing in the world.
Many volunteer roles seem worldly or samsaric in appearance. But the roles are for the benefit of dharma. So this gives 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.
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
The EAP provides the organization, process and support to those who aspire to devote their time and effort in service of Rinpoche’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 Rinpoche 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. Rinpoche 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 Kalachakra 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.
Activity Level
Commitment Level
Examples of Service
Activity Level
Peaceful Activities
(Skt. śānticāra; Tib. , Wyl. zhi ba)
Commitment Level
The “Worker 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.
Activity Level
Increasing Activities
(Skt. Paustika; Tib, Wyl. Rgyas pa)
Commitment Level
The “Merit Makers”
Merit Makers are focused on accumulating merit through Dharma service and want to contribute more intensively to Rinpoche’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
- Translating videos, practice texts, prayers, a book, or managing social media
- Golden Age Guide
- Graphic design work for a special communication
- Recurring simple administrative tasks
- 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.
Activity Level
Magnetizing Activities
(Skt. vaśīkaraṇa; Tib, dbang ba)
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 design 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, carrying out complex physical labor for extended periods of time several times a year etc.
Activity Level
Subjugating
(Skt. abhicāra; Tib, Wyl. drag po)
Commitment Level
“The Shambhala Warriors”
The Shambhala Warriors have made Dharma service to Rinpoche 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 Sangha, and the Kalachakra path.
They take on many Bodhisattva activities, no matter the size or difficulty, and fulfill Rinpoche’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
- Carrying 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 Rinpoche talk about the path of «Nooooo Choice.” Rinpoche 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 Shambhala 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 Rinpoche’s teaching on “Prioritizing the Dharma”
- How is the Dharma prioritized in your life?
Rinpoche 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 Kalachakra path?
Complete the Self-Evaluation to learn where you are on the Kalachakra path. Visit Getting Started with Practice.
What is my Enlightened Activity?
Identify your Enlightened Activity based on your life priorities and stage of Kalachakra Path development.
If you are just starting out on the Kalachakra path, then Pacifying and Increasing Activities are your best choice while you explore and gain experience with practice.
If you have taken a Kalachakra Empowerment, then you can work at any level of Enlightened Activity.
If you have taken or are planning to take the Four Higher Empowerments, then Rinpoche assumes you have prioritized the Kalachakra path to the extent that you can take on Magnetizing Activities and even possibly Subjugating Activities. Dharma service is an important part of your spiritual practice at this level.
If you have taken or are planning to take the Six Vajra Yogas, you have progressed in your spiritual development to the extent that you are committed to the Kalachakra Path, Rinpoche and the Jonang Lineage as the number one priority in your life. At a minimum Rinpoche expects you will be working at the Magnetizing level and progressing as much as you can toward the Subjugating level for the higher Yogas.
Step 3.
Make a commitment to Dharma Service.
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 Rinpoche’s events, communications, learning management system, book publishing, art-related projects, video production, and much more.
Language Support provides translations of Rinpoche’s events, books, podcasts, social media posts, videos and much more.
Click here to complete the new EAP Questionnaire.
