Staffing MorningSun’s Summer Programs 2021
This is an invitation to help MorningSun offer several programs during the Summer of 2021.
Staff Layouts:
There are 3 different layouts:
- A) Arrive Saturday, July 10 – Depart Sunday, July 18 (this supports the “Rest and Regenerate” retreat July 15-18)
- B) Arrive Sunday, July 25 – Depart Sunday, Aug 1 (this supports the “Rest and Regenerate” retreat July 29-Aug 1)
- C) Arrive Saturday, July 10 – Depart Sunday Aug 1 (includes one week of “down time” from July 19-23, during which staff will prepare their own meals and community work will be voluntary)
This is a wonderful opportunity to live and work alongside others, cultivating a spirit of kindness and community balanced with time for personal meditation, yoga and reflection; all while in the sanctuary and beauty of the forests and ponds of Morning Sun.
This staff program is an opportunity to be of service, and is focused on the work of preparing for and supporting the organization of the summer programs at the Mindfulness Center. Our staff are an important source of energy and support that allows MorningSun to thrive each summer so that many families and individuals are able to benefit. We truly appreciate your energy and teamwork to help our community grow!
Through a staff members dedication to daily mindfulness practice and a strong desire to grow in their spiritual life, their presence becomes part of our shared practice life at MorningSun.
Our accommodations are simple, and all staff will be camping during their time at MorningSun. So being comfortable outdoors, and flexible with changing environmental and social conditions is a must.
Thus, staffing at MorningSun is a good fit for friends who are enthusiastic about work, practice, simple living, cultivating community, (and having fun!), while at the same time have a good degree of independence and self-direction in order to take care of personal needs.
Work and Expectations:
After arriving and a day to practice and settle in, staff will have work responsibilities for 3 to 5 hours most days. Work tasks will include cooking, cleaning, landscaping, gardening, administration, housekeeping, and lots of organizing spaces for the retreats.
The work culture is relaxed, energetic and mindful, with careful consideration paid to personal capacities and interpersonal communication. We strive to be fully present with the work and with each other. Staff are expected to serve in a wholehearted and responsible way, and be flexible and adapt to changes in work responsibilities and schedule.
During retreats, work hours and responsibilities will change in order to support the schedule of the retreat.
Because staff will be in close proximity to all of our guests during retreats, we require that all staff be fully vaccinated against Covid 19.
Accommodation, Food and Stipend:
Layout A, B, and C include use of the camping facilities, and bathrooms and laundry in “The Barn.”
When a retreat is in session meals will be shared and prepared by staff and residents. At other times meals will happen in a combination of ways, including: 1) you are responsible for preparing your own meal, 2) we will share potluck style, or 3) we will create a meal rotation where we cook for each other. Thus part of the work we do is to prepare and clean meals with and for each other throughout our stay. Morning Sun will provide very simple plant based food to be cooked, such as rice, beans, vegetables, fruit, etc. EXCEPTION: During the “down time” (July 19-23 for Layout C only) there will be no community prepared meals, and staff will be responsible for meals themselves, including the cost and task of purchasing their own food to prepare.
A small stipend will be offered for Layouts A and B of $210 per person. Layout C will receive $420.
Additional Understanding:
- The staff of the Mindfulness Center operate independently from the life of the residential community at Morning Sun. Most MorningSun residents will join in program activities as their personal life and work allows.
- The Mindfulness Center’s Admin Team (made up of several community residents) will coordinate the staff program, including the daily meditation practice and work projects.
- It is ideal for MorningSun staff to have a familiarity with the Plum Village style of mindfulness practice, meditation, and the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. We are asked to bring the practice of the Five Mindfulness Trainings into our lives while at Morning Sun (a copy of the Trainings can be read below). This includes the following: No meat cooked or served in our community spaces, the Mindfulness Center kitchen is a plant-based kitchen. No consumption of alcohol, recreational drugs, or mind altering substances. We are encouraged to practice moderation in our consumption of media (phones, computers, music, tv, video, etc), recognizing that what we take into our mind will affect the energy we bring to our practice and the community. We train ourselves to cultivate non-judgment and kindness in our thinking and speech with others. When conflict arises we are committed to using the practices of beginning anew with ourselves and one another.
- In order to participate in any program at MorningSun, all adult persons must sign a personal commitment related to interpersonal conduct and caring for out sexual energy (a copy can be read below).
- While in MorningSun, we all do our best to support the collective practice energy by attending scheduled sitting meditations, and other activities and discussions that are a part of the schedule.
- Staff are responsible for their own:
- Personal medical and dental care.
- Personal living expenses (for example: clothing, toiletries, outside financial responsibilities).
- Transportation to and from the community, (local ridesharing with community members can often be arranged).
SUMMER STAFF APPLICATION 2021
Here are the Five Mindfulness Trainings for your reference
| Reverence For Life Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in my way of life. Seeing that harmful actions arise from anger, fear, greed, and intolerance, which in turn come from dualistic and discriminative thinking, I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment to views in order to transform violence, fanaticism, and dogmatism in myself and in the world. True Happiness Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to practicing generosity in my thinking, speaking, and acting. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others; and I will share my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need. I will practice looking deeply to see that the happiness and suffering of others are not separate from my own happiness and suffering; that true happiness is not possible without understanding and compassion; and that running after wealth, fame, power and sensual pleasures can bring much suffering and despair. I am aware that happiness depends on my mental attitude and not on external conditions, and that I can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that I already have more than enough conditions to be happy. I am committed to practicing Right Livelihood so that I can help reduce the suffering of living beings on Earth and reverse the process of global warming. True Love Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. Knowing that sexual desire is not love, and that sexual activity motivated by craving always harms myself as well as others, I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without true love and a deep, long-term commitment made known to my family and friends. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct. Seeing that body and mind are one, I am committed to learning appropriate ways to take care of my sexual energy and cultivating loving kindness, compassion, joy and inclusiveness – which are the four basic elements of true love – for my greater happiness and the greater happiness of others. Practicing true love, we know that we will continue beautifully into the future. Loving Speech and Deep Listening Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to speaking truthfully using words that inspire confidence, joy, and hope. When anger is manifesting in me, I am determined not to speak. I will practice mindful breathing and walking in order to recognize and to look deeply into my anger. I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person. I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to transform suffering and see the way out of difficult situations. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to utter words that can cause division or discord. I will practice Right Diligence to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy, and inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that lie deep in my consciousness. Nourishment and Healing Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will practice looking deeply into how I consume the Four Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions, volition, and consciousness. I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations. I will practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment. I am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth. |
A copy of the Personal Conduct Commitment for your reference:
| While on retreat at MorningSun we invite you to cultivate kindness and deep respect for each individual here. You are asked to be aware of attractions and sexual energies which may arise, and not to express these at the retreat, so that each person here may enjoy this retreat to take care of themselves, feel respected, safe, and not subjected to objectification. At MorningSun we are committed to creating a safe space for everyone, and do not support any act of bullying, sexual harassment or assault. If you have any concerns in these areas please come to speak to one of the Dharma teachers or a member of the Safety Committee. Sexual harassment is defined as: Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Thank you for your support in creating a healing and safe atmosphere for everyone. We ask our staff and retreat participants to support these practices and sign to make that commitment to the community. By signing here I commit to practicing these guidelines of personal conduct while on retreat or staffing at MorningSun. Signature:____________________________________ Date:__________________ |