From the Kitchen to the Altar: A Volunteer Story

Service as Practice

When Lin Mei-Hua first walked into Lotus Light Monastery three years ago, she came looking for stillness. She found it — but not quite where she expected. "I thought stillness was in the meditation cushion," she says with a smile. "I found it chopping vegetables."

Mei-Hua is one of a core team of volunteers who prepare the communal meals served after Sunday practice. Each week, the team arrives hours before anyone else, transforming offerings of seasonal vegetables and tofu into nourishing dishes for 50 to 80 people.

The Merit of Every Chop

"Our teacher told us that cooking with the intention to nourish the sangha is a form of offering," Mei-Hua recalls. "After that teaching, I stopped seeing the kitchen as separate from the shrine room. They are both places where we practise giving."

If you are interested in joining the volunteer kitchen team or other service activities at the monastery, please reach out through the contact page. All are welcome; no prior experience required — only a willing heart.