Ashram Residency
There are currently three long term residents at the Ashram; Ramloti, Premand, and Jonathan. To read each of their experiences about coming to the Ashram or meeting Shri Babaji, click on their names; Ramloti, Premanand, and Jonathan. Those that have visited the Ashram would remember them since they have been here for many years. Why do they live and serve here? Shri Babaji's strongly urged us to practice karma yoga which is selfless service offered to the Divine. To practice this at Shri Babaji's and the Divine Mother's home here in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado is extremely meaningful. Each one of them plays a part in creating and maintaining this special place that has served thousands of people who are seeking spiritual growth and refuge. What good fortune to be able to live and serve this way.
Would You Like to Serve?
With the Ashram continuing to grow, it seems to be time to have one or two more full-time residents living here. Jonathan, Premanand, and Ramloti wear several hats here and they are all willing to share some with the right person or persons. Some of these hats would be maintenance person, pujari, shop manager, administrative assistant, and web master. Before giving the job description of each of the positions, let us first consider the basic qualifications for a long-term resident at the Ashram.
First of all the person needs to have established a relationship with the Ashram. This can be accomplished by a few visits of a week or so. This gives everyone time to consider how living together would be. The qualities that make a good fit is a sincere desire to serve, a generosity of spirit, a sense of humor, a willingness to take on any task at any time that is needed, a willingness to share your feelings and take advise, and a deep faith and commitment to Shri Babaji and His teachings of truth, simplicity, love, and service to all of humankind. Excellent health and a strong body are also important here since we live in a rugged climate, work hard and the Ashram is located at an altitude of 8,500 feet. The nearest hospital is an hour away in Alamosa, as are most medical doctors.
Financial arrangements are as follows: One should expect to make the suggested donation of $324 for the first month at the Ashram. If all goes well, board and room are provided with no donation expected for the next two months. After three months, the new resident is eligible to receive a small monthly stipend along with board and room. The food served at the Ashram is all organic, vegetarian, and a raw diet is also possible if one desires. The accommodations vary with the time of the year from a private room in the beautiful straw-bale adobe dorm to shared space with other residents, perhaps even on the floor in the yurt. A married couple could also be considered.
Everyone at the Ashram does just about everything from cooking, cleaning, weeding, tending the Shop, sweeping and shoveling snow, taking care of visitors, and helping in the temple, however there is also some specialization. Job descriptions are as follows:
Maintenance Person - Handy at repairs of all kind, a general knowledge of solar, plumbing, electricity, and construction.
Pujari - A willingness to rise early and learn to awaken, bathe, dress, and decorate the Divine Mother and other murtis in the temple. Must be very sincere, devoted, and focused on the duty and have a good eye for color and balance.
Shop Manager - Some experience in running a retail store. Duties would include ordering products, pricing, display, organization, and keeping the on-line shop up to date. Basic computer knowledge (preferably Macintosh) would be helpful.
Administrative Assistant - Help with the management of the Ashram. Skills needed would be good telephone presence, organizational and management skills, typing and computer knowledge.
Web Master - Maintain and enhance the Ashram website. Must have solid computer skills (preferably Macintosh), must be careful and methodical and a good speller.
Living at the Ashram is both a great blessing with many joys and also a challenging life of service. As most of you know, the Ashram is located in one of the most beautiful places in the world on 101 acres of pristine land with a creek running through it providing our delicious water supply. If you feel you can be of service to the Ashram, please call or email us for more information at 719-256-4108 orinfo@BabajiAshram.org. The following are some excerpts from people who have stayed at the Ashram for periods of time or who visit frequently.
Isaac Tells About His Eight Weeks at the Ashram |
| Posted by Ramloti (ramloti) on Sep 01 2009 |
Isaac Heads Home to Tacoma
Hello, my name is Isaac, I’m 17, and as many of you already know, I spent a huge chunk of my summer here at the Ashram. My father, Lok Nath, once said that spending time with Babaji in Haidakhan is one of the most difficult things you will ever do but if you approach it with an open heart it will be a very rewarding experience (or something like that). Now I’m sure HUA in Crestone is a walk in the park compared to the way Baba ran His ashram, but my summer in Colorado has certainly been a trying experience. Between the millions of mosquitoes, the hot sun, the long days and early mornings, the almost too quiet atmosphere, and everything else that goes with the territory, I nearly went out of my mind; nearly. In spite of this, or maybe because of this, I learned quite a bit about myself. Through karma yoga I’ve had countless “ah-ha” moments about world events and my own beliefs. With one year left in high school, I can almost consider the trip college prep; I have a taste of what living on your own is like and picked up skills that should look good in my portfolio. I can now call myself a professional karma yogi, harmonium player, green smoothie maker, power napper, and according to Ramloti, an awesome future husband (she plans to write a letter of recommendation to my future wife).
For anyone my age planning to or thinking about coming to the ashram, I’ve created somewhat of a list for you to consider.
1. Start Small: Come a week or two to get an idea of you’re getting into. I have done family week for eight or so years so I had an inkling as to what my summer would be like. If you can do the first two weeks, you can do eight weeks; if the first two weeks are rough, the rest of the summer will only be rougher. Don’t feel that you HAVE to do it. You should want to do it. Otherwise you’re doing yourself and the Ashram a disservice.
2. Involve Yourself: One of the biggest things I regret before arriving was that I had very little involvement in the planning of my trip. My dad arranged almost everything and sent me off thinking I was staying for six weeks. One afternoon I was scanning my flight schedule and was surprised to learn that I would be staying for closer to eight weeks. I was pretty unhappy about this to say the least but it all could have been avoided had I been more involved (this isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the experience).
3. Open Up To People: Really take the time to have meaningful discussions and relationships with all who come through. Don’t think you have to be a silent pilgrim the whole summer. The Ashram is usually very quiet so the few times that you can have a lively conversation with people, don’t shy away. I found that the relationships I had with others made the trip much more enjoyable.
4. Several things I would suggest is bring lots of reading material and a reliable calling/email/texting/whatever else plan.
To wrap up I would just like to thank everyone who made this possible: Firstly, my dad for having the idea for me to come and putting it all together; Curt and Lynn at the store for allowing me to work there; Deborah and Vesper for making a vegetarian diet so delicious and being such awesome people; and lastly Ramloti, Jonathan, and Prem for showing me the ropes and putting up with me this summer. I apologize if I forgot anyone. OM NAMAH SHIVAY!
Last changed: Dec 18 2009 at 7:33 PM
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