Volunteering

The nuns are especially interested in establishing a training monastery in California. Their visit to the Bay Area in January and February 2009 will create a temporary vihara (residence) there and provide an opportunity for lay people to participate in this new endeavor. Saranaloka hopes that we will be able to establish a more permanent monastery within the next few years. You can join the Saranaloka Yahoo Groups E-list to stay connected and learn about the nuns' teaching schedules, retreats and opportunities to volunteer or support Saranaloka's efforts.

Occasionally the nuns travel to various parts of the country to offer teaching. If you would like to support them by offering meals, lodging, transportation or help to set up venues for them to teach, you can contact the following Saranaloka board members who are in your area:

California:
Jill Boone (Bay Area)
Brenda Walsh (Bay Area)

Also, the Bay Area Saranaloka Supporters Group meets on a monthly (or so) basis, generally in San Francisco or the East Bay. Please join their Bay Area Yahoo Groups E-list for updates.

Pacific Northwest:
Janice Clark (Seattle)
Junko Hayashi (Portland)

Central United States:
Arpita Brown (Oklahoma)

New England:
Anne McKinsey (Vermont)

General Inquiries: see Contact Us

 

Outreach Committee

Join in the outreach efforts of Saranaloka. If you are interested in being a contact for your area to distribute materials and info or if you have specific skills you would like to offer such as transcribing, audio editing, graphics, printing or web support, please get in touch! Inasmuch as this committee is in its infancy, you can help to develop a working model with members all across the United States. The objectives of the Outreach Committee are to coordinate efforts to let people know of the existence of Saranaloka and its purpose, the upcoming Founders Fund, and the nuns’ travel and community plans in the U.S.; to develop and distribute materials to support these efforts; and to establish networks and methods of keeping people informed (such as helping to create a blog and/or email lists).

Founders Fund Committee

The Siladhara Community at Amaravati Monastery wishes to proceed with founding a nuns' training monastery in the United States. Once we have their approval for setting up a Founders Fund (most likely in late Fall 2008), it will be the vehicle for people to offer dana specifically to support the establishment of this new monastery. Right now, all contributions to Saranaloka are used to help with general expenses, i.e., bringing the nuns to America to teach and supporting their extended visits. Please stay tuned for forthcoming information regarding the Founders Fund Committee.