2014/12/27 Lay Steward Opportunity in Perth, Ontario

LAY STEWARD OPPORTUNITY: SATI SARANIYA HERMITAGE
Sati Saraniya currently has one opening for a lay female steward / long-term guest.  This volunteer position is available to female practitioners with a long-standing commitment to their Dhamma practice, an interest in service, and a desire to experience the simplicity, beauty and challenge of monastic life.  Those staying at the hermitage follow the daily schedule of meditation and pujas, observe the Eight Precepts, and participate in daily work periods.  Lay stewards are responsible for a range of duties, centering around preparing and offering food and supporting the resident nuns in other ways (such as driving).  

To apply, please send a letter expressing your interest, sharing about your background, answering the suggested questions below. Please also provide two references.  Applications are rolling (there is no deadline).  Prospective stewards usually come for an initial stay of 1-2 weeks to meet the community.  If there is mutual agreement and interest, stewards are then invited to stay on long term, and must be able to commit for a minimum of three months.  The lay steward is a volunteer position with room and board.   For more information, please visit:http://satisaraniya.ca/  If you have questions or would like to apply, please email us at: hermitage@satisaraniya.ca

– What draws you to want to serve and stay in a women’s monastic community and, particularly, at Sati Saraniya Hermitage?
– Please review your Dhamma practice experience, mentioning your main practice and years of experience, especially in longer meditation retreats.
– In a small community like Sati Saraniya Hermitage, being able to balance self-reliance, contemplative practice, communal living and work is essential.  Please describe your experience in community, how you worked with these aspects of community life, especially the challenges that you faced and how you were able to overcome them.
– What is your experience with service work?
– Do you have any cooking experience/skills?
– Can you drive and do you have a valid Drivers License?

– Is there anything else you’d like to share? Do you have any questions?

 

Sati Saraniya Hermitage is a registered religious charity and Theravada Buddhist monastery for bhikkhunis, the first of its kind in Canada, where women can receive monastic training or come for periods of work and retreat in a rural setting near Perth, Ontario.  The presence of contemplative nuns on a life path of virtue, wisdom, and compassionate action offers women interested in fulfilling their highest potential as human beings an opportunity to take up monastic life. In the wider community, their example of training and moral commitment create a resource for educational and spiritual dialogue, meditation teachings, and pastoral support. As a spiritual sanctuary, it also serves the spiritual needs of individuals, families, and communities by transmitting the Buddha`s teachings and offering pastoral outreach through local hospice programs.