by Leslie Erickson
For much of my life, I’ve not considered myself much of a volunteer. I married, raised three children into adulthood, earned a few degrees, worked full-time, and tried to find some time for myself along the way. That last bit was elusive, as my days were packed full with obligations and activities. However, as I look back, I see that volunteering was indeed a big part of what I did. From coaching my children’s sports teams to running the school’s booster club concessions, from being an officer for a women’s golf league to serving on various community boards, I had been giving my time for years.
As the years progressed and my life situations changed, my objects of altruism shifted, along with the available hours I could give. I found myself with the luxury of being able to take a few months to volunteer in Yosemite, living in a tent surrounded by massive granite walls and sleeping under whispering pines. I spent a month hauling long-distance hikers back and forth from the Pacific Crest Trail and serving their ravenous palates with fresh eggs and bacon in the mornings. But some of the most fulfilling and joyful volunteering came when I began giving my time and abilities to Open Gate Sangha.
Adyashanti’s teachings had informed and nourished my spiritual growth for many years, and I yearned for more immersion in the teachings and more focus in my spiritual journey. Having lived most of my life in the Midwest, my ability to attend live events was limited. I read all of Adya’s books, watched every live broadcast, studied the teachings in his online courses and retreats, and was eventually able to begin to attend in-person silent retreats annually. After a few years, I applied to volunteer at the retreats I attended, and I began to serve while deeply immersed in silence.
I moved west eventually, and I expanded my service to the sangha. I’ve sat at home and transcribed meeting recordings, and I’ve helped carry supplies into venues when attending live programs. I’ve spent time volunteering in the Open Gate Sangha offices, and I baked cookies for and worked in the kitchen at the Christmas Intensive. The roles I’ve filled, whether performing the simple task of arranging chairs or being able to use the skills I’ve gained as a writer and editor, have deeply enriched and filled my life in lovely and meaningful ways. Volunteering for Open Gate has immersed me in the teachings in a way I’d never imagined, and it has enabled me to experience how deeply I am a part of this sangha.
Whether contributing my time to support spiritual teachings or herding seven-year-olds on a soccer field, I’ve found there is something magical about volunteering. The satisfaction I receive when volunteering—performing tasks that are difficult or simple, mundane or exciting, brief or time-consuming—simply for the purpose to be of service, is light-years away from the feeling I get when I’m working to gain something or to further my place in this relative world. The question of “what’s in it for me?” becomes obsolete, and, paradoxically, I’ve found that the “time for myself” I’d been looking for all those years ago, when my life was so busy and full, is really this—the selfless giving of myself to realize my Self.
