New volunteers are always needed and most welcome at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, headquarters of Ligmincha International, and to serve the larger organization.

We depend on the assistance of committed volunteers to help in running many of our day-to-day operations and other functions. This could include everything from one-time assistance with a special event to gardening, fundraising, graphic design, transcribing teachings and more..

Volunteering is a way to manifest the fruits of your meditation practice and to connect with other sangha members while supporting the ongoing efforts of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Ligmincha.

New volunteer needs are always arising. Please contact the Serenity Ridge office for more information on how you can help.

“If the work you do makes a difference in your life, it can then help make a difference in hundreds—even thousands—of lives.”     —Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Entering into the Sangha of Volunteers
by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Often the only way to successfully reach a goal is to have enough people volunteering to accomplish the task. Even one small piece can be a great contribution.

In a spiritual community, or sangha, volunteering is not just about what you are trying to accomplish for the organization; it is also about what you are trying to accomplish internally for yourself. The work is real, the work is needed. But the fruit of the labor is not the work itself, it is the transformation within you because of the work that is so intimately related to the teachings, the community of practitioners and your practice. The Sangha of Volunteers can become a path to clearing your internal obstacles to your true nature.

How you enter into this activity is important. When you sweat here—through physical jobs like painting, gardening or landscaping—you know you are purifying yourself. Whether you come to paint or clean or do gardening, you are coming with a different perspective than the work of your daily life. From a dharma point of view, you are also coming with some sense of purification, meditation, focus and internal reflection.

Some people are able to help with graphic design, others help with Internet work, bookkeeping, fundraising or retreat coordination. Some stuff envelopes, clean the meditation center or help with child care. Ligmincha International is the form through which the teachings, spiritual practices and enlightened qualities are transmitted. In whatever ways you are able to help, please know that your contribution adds to this spiritual energy. If the work you do makes a difference in your life, if it helps to clear your personal obstacles, it can then help make a difference in the lives of hundreds—even thousands—of people, just as it has in yours.