Wonderful place with wonderful people. Come as you are and don't feel pressured to be any certain way... Everyone from hippies to CEOs were in my group.
I am leaving this post to help and protect future residents and future cooks from what could be a very non-beneficial short or long term commitment. I am expressing this from personal experience and those of other residents and cooks who have expressed this to me.
I would not encourage anyone to consider enrolling as a resident of Bhavana or taking on the cook position. Frankly, the daily work required to maintain such an enormous operation is intense, overwhelming, and daunting. A large 48 acre property really takes a lot of work--much of it being menial, sometimes dangerous, and mostly undesirable for professional, educated people. Many residents leave because of the intense and rigorous work load. Realistically, residents can average about 8 -12 hour days during retreat season.
As to the cook manager position, the cooking is very demanding, hard work and very stressful. The pay averages to minimum wage.
Futhermore, I would like to give you honest insight into the treatment of lay residents. From my perspective, the resident program is designed to provide free labor for the monastery. The entire monastic community expect lay residents to do most to the menial labor (taking trash out, cutting wood, cleaning, cooking, washing dishes, organizing the retreats, shopping for food, digging ditches, painting, feeding the cat, driving the monks to their appointments, making their green drinks, washing their clothes, clearing away leaves, mowing, do the work for spring and fall cleaning, etc. It is very deceptive in the description of the program when the website states that you can expect to work an average of four hours. When you first get into the program and as time progresses you will be working 8-12 hour days. There have been residents who have been overworked to the point of exhaustion and illness. As a resident, the accomodations are less accomodating/appealing than for monastics. The outdoor pollen is very unpleasant, living off the grid full-time is taking a step back into third world living, there are the dangers of bears, poison ivy, snakes, and ticks (lyme disease). It is best to describe the resident program as an UNPAID internship. The Abbott and the monks do not care about the concern or welfare of your spiritual, mental, or physical wellbeing. It is imperative you try to not apply for the resident program. From my personal experience, the monks are not in tune with the "real world". They have the tendency to manipulate and coerce residents to work more than the expected 4 hours per day. Don't waste your time with thinking that Bhavana Society is a haven for spiritual enrichment. Believe me when I say that these monks are like Wolves dressed in Sheeps clothing.
Great place to practice Buddha's teaching and meet his desipals and find peace by being mindful
This is a review of for the position of Vegetarian Cook at Bhavana Society. As a former cook at Bhavana society, I highly discourage anyone from taking this position. The monks are very difficult to take care of and are very needy (special diet, daily green drinks, evening meals, etc.). The best analogy to use is that it is like feeding a group of adult children. Each monk is a mouth to feed (seven) and then the continuous visitors that frequent this institution. The demands of the retreats, outside groups of 100 or more and the major Buddhist holidays (300+ people) (Vesak and the Rains Retreat are very labor intensive). The position consist of a lot of work and stress with very little pay--it is very discouraging that the pay comes to only close to a little over minimum wage (when it the cook manager position should at least be paid $30,000/yr). In addition, the monks treat the lay helpers/workers like second class citizens and they have a superiority complex. If you are looking for a better opportunity where you will be treated better and compensated better, please consider looking into IMS.
Learn Buddhism, do retreats, offer to sangha, do meditation. Well structured facility to accommodate all above. And all is free. They acceot Donations.
Bhavana Society is a US Point Of Interest based in High View, West Virginia. Bhavana Society is located at 97 Meditation Trail,, Back Creek Rd, High View, WV 26808, USA.
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