Volunteer
Our Summer Volunteer Program runs from mid-May until the end of September. This program offers room and board in exchange for helping with daily chores during our Summer Guest Season. You will join the daily life of the monks and residents. At the heart of each day and our life together is zazen, still seated meditation.
Our daily schedule includes meditation in the mornings, time for self-guided study, communal meals (traditional Oryoki meal practice as well as social table meals), a morning and an afternoon work period, and evening meditation. There are also Dharma-Talks, Question & Answer sessions, and regular training and feedback sessions to learn about the different areas of Zen monastic life.
There is the satisfaction of a practice, a Way we never reach the end of, yet a Way which always suffices. Each day, each period of zazen-meditation, each breath, each momentary appearance has its own particularity, disclosure, and engagement. There is a vitality that enfolds, holds, and unfolds each moment.
- Zentatsu Baker Roshi
Besides following the daily schedule and helping with regular household chores, a Summer Resident will receive training in one or more of three focus areas:
- Kitchen and Cooking
- Gardening
- Maintenance of Buildings and Grounds
Throughout the Summer we will open our facilities to welcome external retreat leaders and their groups. During these months, participants will get to apply their skills by helping the Crestone Mountain Zen Center residents with hosting Summer Guest Season Retreats, and maintaining the daily monastic schedule.
