This website is currently looking for volunteers to help energize our information gathering and offerings. This is the perfect opportunity for you to make a difference in the American Zen community, learning new skill sets and more about Zen practice in the process. This could also lead to future job opportunities and opened doors for you in the long run. We are looking for individuals with a background in Zen Buddhism who can write and/or speak well:
1. Interviews and/or public speaking
Part of your job as a volunteer, depending on your expertise and comfort levels, might involve conducting interviews with a Zen teacher or being the host of one of our podcasts. This offers a unique way for you to discourse with various teachers you might not have otherwise encountered.
2. Newsgathering
Some volunteers might enjoy gathering news relevant to the Zen community for publication at Sweeping Zen. In addition, individual sanghas are encouraged to appoint someone within their organization to submit news items relating to their activities to the website. This is a nice way to gain more exposure and to get your word out. This includes temple openings, Dharma transmission ceremonies, anniversaries, and more.
3. Acquisitions
Other volunteers might enjoy contacting teachers and/or publishers for permission to republish content at our website. These might include transcripts of talks, interviews, teishos, dharma talks, blog posts, and more. We are looking to increase our archive of Zen teachings. This volunteer slot requires a minimum amount of work.
4. Biography creation
Some of us like to flesh out biographies. Here at the website, we have several entries which are missing that you can help us fill. Obtaining biographies may include contacting the subject for an official release or the creation of one from scratch (based on reliable, third-party publications).
5. Photographs
If you’re a photographer who enjoys snapping shots of Buddhist subject matter, we are interested in collaborating. Every article posted on Sweeping Zen is published with a photograph. By allowing us to reuse your photographs you will allow us to offer more relevant subject matter and also gain a bit more exposure for yourself, as we will attribute photographs to you with your name and/or website.
If any of the above interests you, please CONTACT US and let us know who you are and what you think you’d be best at doing. Volunteers who are active will then be added to our Editorial Staff page. Please apply only if you have the time to involve yourself. I’m looking for self driven individuals with a real passion to learn.
(Photo by jeff covey via Flickr using a CC-BY-SA license.)