Since my initial experience with Vipassana meditation, I’ve been to my local meditation center (Dhamma Pubbananda) numerous times. Each time to volunteer my time. The donated time is called dana (donation). The volunteers are called servers, even #DhammaServers! No matter what skill we offer, when on the campus, we all cook and eat together, and meditate together for an hour each time. After breakfast, after lunch, and after dinner — we sit. Actually, this is one of the main reasons people step up to serve — an opportunity to sit. 

Last March, I served a 10-day course when my partner took his first 10-day course. While 40+ people sat for most of the day, about 10 people served them. There were the male and female assistant teachers (ATs) that students to speak with about their practice. Then there were the male and female course managers who students could speak with about their physical needs at the campus. If, for instance, they needed an additional blanket, or they felt unwell. Then there were the rest of us “old students”, who mostly served in the kitchen. We all ate in the kitchen and often shared our experiences during meditation. I have quite enjoyed this, and have made friends from the experience. A fellow server made this video on the last day, when we got our phones back. So much fun! If you are an “old student”, one who has taken the 10-day course at least once, do consider signing up to be a #DhammServer. It will refresh your practice in unexpected ways. 

They say God works in mysterious ways. The five precepts (abstaining from killing, from stealing, from sexual misconduct, from wrong speech and from intoxicants) also work in mysterious ways! I know someone who, just from one ten-day course, has stopped craving meat on their plate. This is the first precept at work (abstain from killing). Another person quit their job as a bartender, feeling it wrong not just to consume alcohol, but also to serve it up daily! This is the fifth precept at work (abstain from intoxicants).

In May, my partner and I both served during the 3 days between courses. This is when #DhammaServers review and ensure that the campus is ready for the next course. We wash and put away borrowed linens and clothing. We also clean out and restock the kitchen for the next course, often finishing leftovers or composting them, since the students are never served leftovers. 

The summer flew by, and in October, we again served. This time during the Center’s biannual 10-day Dhamma Service Period (DSP). This is when servers do maintenance work on the buildings and grounds. 

We worked to clear a tarp covered bed, prep it with compost and mulch, and plant roses, mums and sunchokes. The compost was from last year’s kitchen waste; the mulch was chipped wood from the branches that fell during storms. There were loads and loads of laundry as we washed bedding. I had fun giving a fresh coat of paint to several decks, raking leaves, and organizing their maintenance building as we searched for various tools. All this while eating and meditating communally each day. What fun! 

The five precepts taken during a course develop a person’s morality (sila). There are 9 other qualities (parami) that each student aspires to. Here’s a quick list of paramis that I feel squeezing into my life: renunciation (nekkhamma), morality (sila), effort (viriya), wisdom (panna), tolerance (khanti), truth (sacca), strong determination (adhitthana), selfless love (metta), equanimity (upekkha), charity (dana). 

Many friends were made, some African Americans, one Chinese Canadian, some Cambodian Americans, some Indian Americans, a Chinese American, a Japanese American, a Cameroonian American, a Ugandan America, a Kenyan French, a Nepali American, etc. More diversity than I’ve ever come across in so few days. Very refreshing to feel the potential of Americans working together. 

The Dhamma Service Period culminated with Dhamma Pubbananda’s annual in-person trust meeting when the campus was filled with people from far and wide. For the next year, I have agreed to be a trustee of the non-profit, Mid-Atlantic Vipassana Association (MAVA), that manages this center. 

Also, my partner and I have joined the Center’s maintenance committee where we’ve already utilized our home repair skills. The center is beginning to feel like our second home! 

Returning home to follow our presidential election, I witnessed friends saddened and sobbing at the results. Thanks to Vipassana meditation, I somehow remain aware and equanamous, filled with tolerance, ready to love and wrap all people into my care. Metta (loving kindness) is beautiful. May all beings be happy.