Hi, I'm new to this forum and I'm hoping that someone out there can help me answer some questions or guide me to the right information. Has anyone out there heard of Nyingma Institute, Dharma Publishing, Yeshe De, Odiyan, and Tibetan Aid Project? These organizations are all connected to eachother. The reason why I'm asking about these places is that they have a volunteer work-study program where you work full time Monday through Saturday (volunteer, but you get a $150 stipend once every month), take classes in the evening on Buddhism, and you live at the Nyingma Institute with other volunteers (they provide you with food and housing). The person who founded this is/was Tarthang Tulku and the organization is located in Berkeley, CA. Has anyone heard anything about this place, positive or negative? Is it some kind of a cult? Basically everyone works together, eats together, lives together. I checked out the Rick Ross website, but didn't find any information under any of the names listed above. If you have any information or any websites that I can check out, I'd really appreciate it. I'm interested in doing this program in order to learn more about Buddhism, but I just want to make sure that it's legitamate. Thanks in advance and hope to hear from some folks soon.

Take care

I urge you to read Alexander Berzin's book 'Healthy Relationships with Spiritual Teachers.'

Berzin has vast experience in Tibetan Buddhism and uses the texts from different Vajrayana lineages to assist people to develop their capacity for discerning where they are at, what level of practice they need to be taught, and the different types of teachers and the different types of student-teacher relationships in Tibetan Buddhism.

I think Alexander Berzin also has a website. Google him you should find it.
You might drop him a line.