Employment and Volunteering

Working and Growing

We are first and foremost a spiritual community committed to helping retreaters and staff develop their minds. By joining our team you will

 

  • Offer your talents and skills to an organization dedicating to serving others
  • Nurture a sense of service within yourself
  • Participate in a mindful and contemplative work culture
  • Stimulate your mind by having access to our regular program

 

“I feel as if I have found a precious little oasis, where I have the opportunity to work, study and practice amidst an enchanting redwood forest. The atmosphere is one of tranquility and serenity, which I find are very good conditions to cultivate a peaceful mind. Serving a Buddhist community feels very rewarding.”

– Cristian

Our Community

Living in community in an isolated place creates long-lasting friendships and a real sense of teamwork. Co-workers feel more like family. Everyone contributes what they can above and beyond what is required. The “family feeling” Lama Yeshe spoke of still lives on and prospers at Vajrapani Institute.

 

What We Are Looking For

Ideal candidates will

 

  • Possess strong communication skills
  • Be content with rugged and rustic conditions
  • Be comfortable with prolonged relative isolation
  • Have a mature personal spiritual practice
  • Possess an attitude of altruism and generosity
  • Be proactive and organized

Being a Buddhist is not a requirement for working here. We welcome practitioners from all traditions.

Due to our remote location all staff and volunteers need to have their own vehicles.

Study the Dharma

Our staff and volunteers are welcome to attend any of our programs if it doesn’t conflict with their work schedules. Make sure to mention ahead of time what programs you are most interested in so we can try to make arrangements for you to attend. We have an extensive library with many out of print books, as well as a video library of teachings and documentaries. We have senior practitioners on the land and on staff that are available for interviews and discussions.

Volunteer Program

Employment Opportunities

Upcoming Retreats

Transforming the Mind to Cultivate Lasting Happiness

Elaine Jackson

February 23 - March 23, 2025
Buddhist Mind Science: Activating Your Potential is an FPMT introductory course.  Buddhism is considered by some to be a “science of mind” because it presents a comprehensive map describing the mind and its various aspects and functions. The Buddha’s teachings also provide methods to observe the mind directly and to discover and activate our inner potential. And it does so with one intention: to overcome suffering and its causes, and to cultivate true, lasting happiness.   The Buddhist Mind Science series is being offered in collaboration with Thubten Norbu Ling, our sister FPMT center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Elaine…

Transforming Problems Into Happiness

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal

April 3 - 6, 2025
We are excited to welcome Ven. Tenzin Tsepal of Sravasti Abbey, who will share insights and transformative tools from Lama Zopa Rinpoche's, Transforming Problems Into Happiness. This small book contains volumes of practical advice for training the mind to see problems as beneficial conditions supportive of, and even necessary for, our happiness. While mind-training texts like this are not intended to eliminate the difficulties we inevitably encounter, they teach us how not to be disturbed by them, and instead how to accept and transform such harms to make swift progress along the path to full awakening.    Ven. Tsepal taught…

Vajrapani Institute is affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition www.FPMT.org