We are an intentional community of practitioners who also work together. In addition to our work duties and daily personal life activities, all staff here at Southern Dharma abide by moral and ethical precepts, offer hospitality and service to our guests and extended community, and work to create a diverse and inclusive culture that supports and protects all sentient beings.
Daily Life at Southern Dharma
Each morning, staff and residents sit in meditation for 30 minutes together on non-retreat work days. After meditation, each resident moves into a day of flexibly structured work duties, which often includes moments of conversation and community in shared spaces throughout the day. During residential retreats, we uphold the container of noble silence together with teachers and retreatants, including reducing our speech to what is functional and pertinent to the present moment. During most retreats, staff can participate in some of the scheduled retreat sessions.
Throughout our work and community living at the center, we abide by versions of the Buddhist precepts. While we recite them each Wednesday morning, we also include other trainings/opportunities for deepening our practices, such as our recent exploration of Right Speech through a six week Nonviolent Communication training with Buddhist teacher Oren J. Sofer.
We often share meals and other traditions, including special occasions around our birthdays, cultures of origin, and shared interests. We also have monthly outings for structured fun and learning together, getting to know each other, and to take some rest from the business of our work duties. And in the space between residential retreats, we sometimes invite family and friends to be our guests and visit for up to three days..
Because of the flexible nature of work here, days off can shift and duties can be met at times outside of traditional working hours. Southern Dharma could be described as “rustic” and because of this, residents and staff members who enjoy creativity, curiosity, and self-agency in working environments have a smooth time integrating into our community, and we particularly encourage applicants of diverse or marginalized identities to apply.
