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Volunteer Opportunities

With a Great Vow to help all beings soon realize and become one with the Awake Mind to liberate ignorance, greed and hatred, to have Awakened happiness, Awakened Zen Master Thich Dieu Thien always create opportunities for everyone to connect with the Awakened Ones through various means.

Universal Door Meditation Center always openly welcomes all students and friends to come for volunteering every Saturday, regardless of race, age, culture or religion. Depending on the level of committment, capability and time allowance from each person, the nuns will assign suitable work so that you can do volunteering work to connect with Awakened Teacher.

High school students are welcomed to apply for volunteer opportunities at Universal Door Meditation Center to connect with Awake. If their high school needs proof of volunteering, we can issue a "Volunteer Certificate" to them. Every week, we have projects to maintain and develop our meditation center, as well as preparations for ceremonies or events that you may be interested in.

Review the introduction about volunteer opportunities at Universal Door Meditation Center, so that you have a better understanding of the goal, the benefits as well as different volunteer opportunities offered.
All new volunteers must fill out the online Volunteer Registration Form. If you have trouble with registering online, please kindly call us (281) 565-9718. Volunteer registration is open throughout the year.
Volunteers need to have a phone number or an email address to allow us to have direct contact for volunteer related matters.
Volunteers under 18 years of age will need a parent or legal guardian’s permission and consent signature on the registration form.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1) What are the benefits of volunteering at Universal Door?

At Universal Door, the spiritual Awake is the goal for our practice and also the foundation for all activities of the meditation center, everything directs people towards Awake, liberating the suffering and death. Those who come to Universal Door to volunteer will have a chance to connect with Awake, connect with the Awakened Teacher, Zen Master Thich Dieu Thien. With this connection to Awake, you have an opportunity to meet the Awakened One, and the Awakened One will open the mind for you to help you realize and become one with the Awake Mind within, to break free from the root of ignorance, greed and greed.

In this lifetime, to have the Awake field of merit for us to plant meritorious deeds is not easy. The Awakened One is the priceless Awake field of merit for all people to plant. Devoting your time and effort to volunteer at Universal Door is a great investment for yourself. It is not to obtain karmic rewards for you to enjoy long life, peace, good health, and material wealth: money, love, fame, profit, or to be reborn as a wealthy and happy person in the next life. But your investment is directed towards making connection with Awake, to soon Awaken and liberate the suffering of Animal-Human.

Sow Awake seeds, reap Awake fruits

At Universal Door, Awake is always the core foundation, and the work or activities is only a tool of the Awakened Teacher to create opportunities for each person to practice Awake, to let go the ignorance and greed in the mind. Each time you work is a chance for you discover about yourself. In the Compassionate Awake energy of the Awakened Teacher, who always opens the Wisdom eye for everyone and the enthusiastic support from the nuns, who are practicing on the Awake path, will help you step by step to cultivate and nurture the Awake seed inside you.

In the open, tranquil, spacious setting of the mediation center, you come here to do volunteering will feel the harmonious and unified energy of an Awake Sangha, no distinguishing of new or old participants, everyone practicing and working together, supporting each other to fly like a flock of birds towards the Awakened Teacher with the goal to Wake Up to liberate suffering.

2) How much time will it take?

The amount of time and effort for volunteering depends on your level of commitment. There are time periods for you to choose from on the Volunteer Registration form, or if you have a different time schedule, please write in the note section at the end of the form to let us know.

In the event you cannot come to volunteer on your scheduled day, please kindly call the Center to let us know as soon as possible to help us plan out the tasks assignment.

3) What kinds of volunteer opportunities are there?

Depending on your level of commitment, capability, age and health conditions, you will be assigned a suitable task. If you have special health-related needs, let us know in detail so we can arrange the right job for you.

The daily basic tasks of the meditation center include:

Organize, clean, sweep areas such as meditation hall, dining hall, kitchen, dormitory, restrooms, etc.
Cut grass, trim grass, prune trees
Clean outdoor landscapes, take care and water plants
Repair electricity and plumbing
Support carpentry work
Tidy up outdoor areas
Maintenance of your car
Clean the storage
Daily chores
Projects to maintain and develop the Center

If you have skills or expertise that you think may be of great value, your volunteering and supports are always welcomed.

To learn more about the volunteering opportunities at the Center, please kindly contact us.

4) How do I get started?

First of all, please complete the online Volunteer Registration Form. If you are having trouble completing the form online, please call us (281) 565-9718. After we receive your registration form, we will contact you and invite you to attend the orientation for new volunteers. After that you can start coming for volunteering following your preset time schedule.