Resident Stewardships
In non-Buddhist countries, remote monasteries like Birken depend on the voluntary help of long-term Resident Lay Stewards. Stewards live at the monastery full-time and volunteer their services free of charge. This is an excellent opportunity for practitioners who are looking for a simple life devoted to the Buddha’s teachings, meditation and meritorious acts of service to the Sangha, to dwell in the company of like-minded individuals who are also committed to these ideals.
Suitable Resident Lay Steward candidates will possess:
– Interest in deepening their practice of the Buddha’s teachings in a supportive environment.
– Commitment to abide by the Eight Precepts while at the monastery.
– Stable personality.
– Good physical and mental health.
– Willingness to learn and adapt; to live and cooperate harmoniously in community.
– Ability to work approximately 4-5 hours per day.
– Minimum service commitment of three months (longer period required of Office Stewards).
– Valid Class 5 Canadian driver’s license (or its equivalent) before arrival.
Job Descriptions
KITCHEN STEWARD:
Kitchen Stewards are responsible for preparing meals for the resident community (set menus/recipes are provided as needed), managing kitchen facilities and supplies, attending to various household chores, driving to Kamloops for weekly shopping / errands, etc. Cooking experience would be an asset, although it is not required; on-the-job training is provided. Meal preparation duties are shared with other kitchen stewards on a rotational basis.
MAINTENANCE STEWARD:
The male Resident Maintenance Steward assists with the daily maintenance of the monastery buildings, off-grid systems and grounds maintenance (including winter duties such as the daily starting and stoking of our wood stoves, clearing snow from roofs, walkways, and paths, as well as snow plowing our 7km logging road with a tractor). Candidates must have a capacity for heavy labour when required. The ideal candidate will possess handy-man skills and experience with basic carpentry / plumbing / electrical work (although this is not mandatory). Experience with tractor driving and off-grid systems would also be helpful. Assisting in other areas of monastery duties may also be required.
OFFICE STEWARD:
The Office Stewards are responsible for coordinating the monastery’s daily email, mail and phone correspondence; managing overnight, day visit, and dana meal bookings; maintenance of the Birken website and other communications materials; attending to the administrative needs of the resident monastics; providing support to Birken’s Offsite Treasurer / Bookkeeper; fulfilling all Registered Charitable Society requirements (coordination of Annual General Meeting, filing of Annual Charity Returns, etc.); and generally attending to all administrative and communications needs of the monastery. Ideal candidates will have good organizational, communication and computer skills, as well as prior experience in an office / administrative setting.
How to Apply:
All steward positions are filled at this time; you are welcome to apply now for future consideration (please see below).
If you are interested in serving as a Steward at Birken, please read the general Steward guidelines and job descriptions shown above. To apply, please click the “Apply Now” button below or email meditate@birken.ca.
Along with your application, please provide us with an official record for the past 10 years of your driving experience. For BC, this website is available for fast online requests which will give you an idea of what we need. If you have a driving record from another province or state, please forward those records to us as well. Based on the ICBC site, please email us the following documents at the time of your application’s submission:
- Driving record (Driver’s abstract)
- Insurance and claims history record
- Driver factor report (prototype)
Many people’s perceptions of life at a monastery rarely match the realities of living in community so far away from the city life. For all new stewards, even those people who have visited us as guests in the past, the first two weeks of your service period will be treated as a trial period to assess our mutual suitability. Also all prospective stewards are expected to have visited Birken for at least one week-long Personal Retreat before applying for residency. Getting a sense of our way of being in advance of any long-term commitment may help you, and us, should you decide to join us at some point as a resident steward. Please see our Visit page for more information).
Before applying we also ask that all steward candidates read through our GUEST GUIDELINES to get a sense of daily community life here at the monastery. Long term stays are subject to the two-week probationary period mentioned above, as well as periodic approvals by the Abbot and the other members of the resident community.
Please don’t hesitate to email us if you have any questions!
Support the Monastery
Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery is a registered Canadian charitable society and is supported entirely by donations or ‘dāna’ (generosity). All teachings, accommodations, and meals are offered free of charge. It is left to the good will and discretion of visitors and well-wishers to decide how they might support the work of the monastery.
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Contact
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Mailing Address:
Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery
7000 Smith Lake Forest Srv Rd.
Knutsford, BC | V0E 2A0 | Canada