by Heather Moors
Hello friends
I am Heather and I became a student of Buddhism in 1989 when I met my precious root guru, Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden, and have been practicing the Dharma since then.
I lived at the temple in Yuroke for about 16 years and volunteering became part of my life. Geshe-la’s teachings of the Dharma and his job, as he called it, was to create a program of activities to benefit others.
That program included various weekly teachings, fortnightly lunches offered to people at Banksia Gardens Community Centre, bi-annual festivals at the Tibetan Buddhist Society (TBS) at Yuroke and many more activities. And that has always meant and still means volunteers are needed.
There are obvious and many benefits for volunteers. We get to live the Dharma. I have found if I let myself get overwhelmed with my delusions and act only to benefit myself, then I am the one who suffers. Geshe-la taught that Dharma is the medicine to overcome our distractions and delusions.
Volunteering is also a great way to give back to the community which has supported me throughout my adult life and it’s fun. We all need a bit of fun in our lives and working alongside other people who love and live the Dharma enriches us all. Love, compassion and kindness become part of our nature.
I like to work in the garden, and the kitchen, and help to set up the bedrooms for guests who attend the many retreats that the TBS offers in its annual program. I also mind a variety of pets for people who like to travel and above is a picture of Nutmeg and me.
If you might be interested in volunteering at TBS please see our Volunteer hub