Founded by Venerable Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche in 1975, Odiyan is modeled after Tibet’s first monastery—a three-dimensional mandala.

Venerable Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche is the Founder and creator of the Copper Mountain Mandala, Odiyan Retreat Center. A celebration of the human potential that belongs to us all, a home for the Dharma in the West, the traditional temples and libraries of Odiyan restore and preserve the ancient symbols, rare sacred texts and art that connect the heart and mind to the Path of Awakening.

Founded in 1975, the Odiyan property consists of about a thousand acres of ridges and meadows located 1,400 feet above the Pacific Ocean. To heal the land, which had been overgrazed and scarred by logging, over 270,000 trees have been planted, and through the years, the splendor of the environment has been restored. One hundred and eight land stupas mark out a pilgrimage route, sanctifying every acre. The beauty of the natural world has an intrinsic sacred dimension and forms an integral part of the mandala as a living aesthetic creation.

For centuries, the acreage upon which Odiyan stands had been sacred to the Pomo Indians of the California coastal range, who called it the Crest of the Condor. Under the direction of Tarthang Rinpoche the rolling hills, forests, ponds, and meadows have been blessed and empowered by multitudinous offerings and ceremonies and by one hundred and eight land stupas marking out a pilgrimage route, as well as by the construction of temples, sacred monuments and by the addition of many hundreds of prayer flags.

The beauty of the natural world has an intrinsic sacred dimension and forms an integral part of the mandala as a living aesthetic creation.

The combination of natural and sacred Beauty makes Odiyan a unique place, inspiring people from all walks of life to engage wisdom and compassion.

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/about/

Founder

Odiyan’s powerful, invisible energy is our gift to America. It is our way of introducing the Dharma to the West—through the creation of a Mandala of sacred symbols that embody the path of transformation, through beautiful books and art, through classes and projects.

– Tarthang Tulku

Twenty-Four Years of Traditional Training in Tibet

The founder of Odiyan is Tarthang Rinpoche, commonly known as Tarthang Tulku. Rinpoche was born in in the mountains of Golok in northeast Tibet as the son of Sogpo Tulku, Pema Gawey Dorje (b 1894), a highly respected physician and holder of the Nyingma Vidyadhara lineage. Before Rinpoche was two years old, he was recognized and given the name Kunga Gellek by the Sutrayana and Mantrayana master Tragyelung Tsultrim Dargye (b. 1866), who made predictions about Rinpoche’s future mission as a servant of the Dharma, and instructed his parents in the special treatment of young tulkus.

Rinpoche’s training began at a very early age, and his first teachers were his father and private tutors. After the age of nine, he resided at Tarthang Monastery where he was initiated into the teachings of the Palyul tradition by Tarthang Choktrul and given instruction in Mahayana view, meditation, and conduct by various expert khenpos. At the age of fifteen in the iron tiger year of 1950, Rinpoche departed from Tarthang Monastery to travel to the major monasteries of Kham in eastern Tibet. There he received blessings, teachings, and initiations from the greatest masters of the 20th century: Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, Zhechen Kongtrul, Adzom Gyelsey, Bodpa Tulku, and others, altogether thirty-one teachers. For the next ten years, until the age of 24, Rinpoche was given intensive training in the three Inner Yogas of Maha, Anu, and Ati.

Nine Years of Retreat, Research, & Publishing in India

In 1958 Rinpoche departed from his homeland, traveling through Bhutan into Sikkim following in the footsteps of his root guru, Khyentse Chokyi Lodro. The next several years were devoted to pilgrimage and retreat at holy places in India. In 1963 he was appointed by Dudjom Rinpoche as the representative of the Nyingma tradition and given the position of research fellow at Sanskrit University in Benares. In that same year, he set up one of the first Tibetan printing presses in exile and began his life’s work of preserving sacred art and texts. After six years at Sanskrit University and some twenty publications, Rinpoche decided that this was not enough, and departed for America to bring Dharma to the West.

Forty-three Years of Dharma Work in the West

Arriving in America in late 1968, Rinpoche chose California as his headquarters, and established the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center in early 1969. One of the first learned Tibetan exiles to take up residence in the West, he has lived continuously in America for over forty years. With the full support and blessings of Dudjom Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Rinpoche began in the 1970s to unfold a vision of wisdom in action that would eventually encompass over twenty different organizations and make a significant impact on the transmission of Dharma to the West and the restoration of Dharma in Asia.

Rinpoche has written over 34 books that have been translated into various Western languages and adopted for class use by universities around the world. Rinpoche’s books and private teachings form the core of the Nyingma Institute’s manifold courses of study. Founded by Rinpoche in 1972, Nyingma Institute is one of the oldest schools of Tibetan Buddhism in the west. Rinpoche is also the founder of the Nyingma Monlam Chenmo World Peace Ceremony held annually at Bodh Gaya, India, where, since 1989, he has freely distributed more than five million sacred texts to lamas, monks, and nuns of the Tibetan community.

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/about/founder/

History

Odiyan Main Temple and Rim structure in 1985

Since the formation of the non-profit Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Centers in 1969 Tarthang Rinpoche always had a vision of a country center as part of the mandala of organizations working to preserve and transmit the Dharma to the West.

It took until 1974 to find the right property, which consists of about a thousand acres of ridges and meadows located 1,400 feet above the Pacific Ocean. The groundbreaking and dedication ceremony took place on August 9, 1975. The land, which was overgrazed and scarred by logging in the past, has seen tremendous transformation and improvement in the last 42 years, as has the community itself. Odiyan’s population has expanded and contracted at different times and with different projects, but its spirit of open-mindedness, hard work, and serious self-inquiry has remained constant.

Odiyan has always been much more than a country center; it is the physical manifestation of the mandala. Drawn not with ink and paper but with concrete and copper, earth and water, it is a living, breathing, three-dimensional mandala of its own. Its heart is the Copper Mountain Temple, rising eighty-five feet tall on the highest point of the property. Construction was completed on the main temple in 1983, and daily life has been centered in its rim structure since the community’s beginning.

For its first residents, Odiyan was more wilderness outpost than spiritual center, and the heavy construction and hard labor required to lay the foundations created a “cowboy energy” in a crew that had been an inexperienced counter-culture crowd just a few years before. The completion of the central temple, however, began to transform Odiyan into a realm of the sacred.

Part of this transformation came about during the construction of the Enlightenment Stupa, built in an incredible three months in 1980 in the eastern part of the mandala. Vajra Temple, a monument to Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism, occupies the western position in the Odiyan mandala; the first ceremony was held there on January 1, 1996. After several years of landscaping the greater mandala area, creating new gardens filled with plants from all parts of the world, major construction began again in 2000.

The resident volunteer population expanded with the new effort to construct Cintamani Temple, Odiyan’s most unusual architectural and engineering feat. Cintamani marks the final major temple constructed at Odiyan, and the beginning of an inward shift, away from heavy construction and toward community, sustainability, and spiritual practice.

In the years since Cintamani’s completion, Vairocana Garden has been built (2010), a haven of beauty with sacred spaces and ornamental gardens, as well as several monuments at key locations on the property. Resident volunteers have greatly expanded the vegetable gardens with an eye toward long-term sustainability, and engaged in many sacred art projects which support Odiyan’s sister Buddhist centers and Buddhist centers in Asia. Now in its 42nd year, Odiyan continues its original aim to strengthen Buddhist sacred cultures in Asia and to provide a home for the Dharma in the West.

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/about/history/

Sacred Land

The Odiyan property consists of about a thousand acres of ridges and meadows located 1,400 feet above the level of the Pacific Ocean.

To heal the land, which had been overgrazed and scarred by logging, over 250,000 trees were planted, and through the years, the splendor of the environment has been restored.

One hundred and eight land stupas mark out a pilgrimage route, sanctifying every acre. The beauty of the natural world has an intrinsic sacred dimension and forms an integral part of the mandala as a living aesthetic creation.

144 acres are landscaped with eighteen gardens, eight orchards, four man-made lakes, and four vegetable gardens. The sacred environs of each temple is ornamented with a formal garden.

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/about/sacred-land/

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Five major Temples form the Odiyan mandala which is the foundation for both creating a home for the Dharma in the West and supporting the healing Dharma lineages of Asia.

Vajra Temple

In the western direction is Vajra Temple, a symbol of the diamond light of Awakening shining in all directions.

Vajra Temple is one of the most important creations of Odiyan. Comprehensive, artistic, and historic, it manifests Guru Padma’s promise to humanity and brings his blessings alive.

In its size and complexity, and in the obstacles overcome during construction, Vajra Temple is itself a miracle that exemplifies the power of Guru Padma’s blessings.

A symbol of diamond light of Awakening shining in all directions, the Vajra Temple rises 108 ft. high in the western direction of the mandala. Its crystalline walls surround 108,000 golden Padmasambhava ten-inch high statues.

Vajra Temple and the surrounding Temple plaza and gardens were constructed between 1987 and 1994. This temple is Tarthang Tulku’s gift to the West to evoke the blessings of the Vajra Guru that will sustain the Dharma in the new land.

On the tenth lunar day of each month, Odiyan residents congregate at Vajra Temple for a puja that includes circumambulation, chanting of prayers and mantra and readings from the scriptures.

During evening ceremonies light from the temple radiates outward, streaming over the hills beyond. This light can even be seem by ships following the Pacific coast at a distance of fifty miles.

136 Leyland Cypress were planted as a windbreak on the west for Vajra Temple in 1994. Thousands of native Incense Cedars were planted on the surrounding slopes.

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/temples-of-odiyan/vajra-temple/

Vairocana Garden

A garden sanctuary encompassing a 25 ft. Reclining Buddha and the magnificent Vajra Bell.

Vairocana Garden stands at the highest and center point of the Odiyan land from which the four directions of the mandala unfold. The garden is filled with the music of birds and with beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs. It is named for Vairocana, center of the mandala of the five Dhyani Buddhas through which arise all appearances.

At the garden’s center stands the Vajra Bell. Enshrined in front of the bell is the Parinirvana Buddha, offered as a gift to the Odiyan mandala in 2007. The bell calls to mind the primordial sound of Dharma that cuts through the jumble of perceptions and stimulates our ability to respond in new ways.

Cast in a German foundry as a gesture of peace and healing for all beings who suffered the devastating events of WWII, the Vajra Bell is rung every day, transmitting the teachings of enlightenment and their blessings throughout space and time.

The reclining Parinirvarna Buddha is a powerful symbol of the Buddha’s blessings which transcend the limitations of physical form.

Bush roses, tree roses and miniature roses abound; a pure celebration of shape and form, a presentation of the energy of light.

Prayer flags, victory banners and prayer wheels grace the garden, an expression of the enlightened field of Vairocana.

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/temples-of-odiyan/vairocana-gardens-ceremonies/

Cintamani Temple

Cintamani Temple completed in 2008, stands 140 feet high in the southern direction of the mandala.

Cintamani, the wish-fulling jewel is associated with resplendent beauty, with Dhyani Buddha Ratnasambhava, and with the southern aspect of the mandala.

The south is where the Dharma, like the sun, directs its golden rays most strongly, illuminating blessings that flow outward from the mandala in all directions.

A wishfulfilling jewel constructed entirely of bronze to endure a thousand years, Cintamani Temple was completed in 2008 and stands 140 feet high in the southern direction of the mandala.

Bronze images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas ranging from 12 to 35 feet high are arrayed around the exterior, a manifestation of the selfless generosity that offers all beings Enlightenment, the greatest of gifts.

In its architecture, materials and forms, Cintamani Temple manifests a vast array of symbols and meanings. At its top a fully empowered stupa is encircled at its base with three rings of mantras in Lantsa script.

The wish-fulfilling Cintamani Temple, is one of the most beautiful and spiritually powerful creations in the world. A golden beacon rising up on a vast plaza set against the blue ocean horizon, at its center is a fully empowered 35 ft tall seated Buddha.

The movement of the prayer flags in the wind bathes the temple and its environs in the blessings of mantras, enhancing those released by the continuously turning prayer wheels that encircle the base of the temple.

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/temples-of-odiyan/cintamani-temple/

Enlightenment Stupa

Rising to 113 feet in the East, the Enlightenment Stupa is a symbol of the Heart of the Buddha.

Embodiment of the inconceivable compassion of the Buddha, the Stupa’s structure represents the eightfold path, the six perfections, the stages of Enlightenment and the luminous qualities of the Dharmakaya.

Mantras invoking the blessings of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the enlightened masters of the lineage have been turning continuously within the million-mantra prayer wheel at the Stupa’s center since 1980.

A symbol of the heart of the Buddha, the Enlightenment Stupa was completed in 1980 and rises 113 feet high in the eastern direction of the mandala.

The Enlightenment Stupa is Odiyan’s first sacred monument. It is the symbolic form of enlightened mind as demonstrated by the Buddha himself.

This sacred form, constructed in accord with precise proportions preserved in scriptures, is empowered by a ten-ton prayer wheel at its core. It transmits the compassion of the Buddha into the world for the benefit of all beings.

A covered gallery 620 feet around banked by prayers wheels, victory banners, prayer flags and thankas amplify and project the Stupa’s blessings outward over land and sea.

Landscaping the Stupa’s environs included reshaping the surroundings to accord with geomantric principles to increase the spiritual potency of the Stupa and maximize its benefits to nature and humanity.

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/temples-of-odiyan/enlightenment-stupa/

Copper Mountain Temple

The heart of the Odiyan mandala is the Copper Mountain Temple.

The Central Temple is the heart of the Odiyan Mandala. More than a building, more than a symbol, it contains in its structure and contents the seeds for comprehending the whole of the Buddhadharma.

Its three-tiered form presents to mind Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya; Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha; the inner, outer, and hidden teachings and the ground, path, and fruit of realization.

The heart of the Odiyan Center is the Copper Mountain Temple, a three-dimensional mandala rising eighty-five feet high. The construction was completed in 1983 and the interior ornamentation was finished in 1988.

Encircling the perimeter of the central mandala a formal lake sparkles in the sun. The lake with its multicoloured lanterns completes the five-fold cosmic landscape of the mandala, adding to earth, wind, and space the elements of water and fire.

Preserving ancient symbols of Tibetan Buddhist teachings, the temple is an offering to the Three Jewels to open new possibilities of understanding in the Western world.

Continuing the pattern of the mandala, the Temple is surrounded by four gateway pagodas. Each gateway rises to a height of three stories, echoing the threefold structure of the Main Temple, the three Kayas separate yet joined in a unified expression of the mandala.

The Temple rests on a square marble-covered plinth measuring 108 feet on each side. The 4 sides aligned with the 4 directions express the underlying balance and harmony of all appearance, and its 5 directions (the 4 quadrants and the center) are linked to the body, speech, heart, qualities, and the action of the Buddhas whose presence makes transmission possible.

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/temples-of-odiyan/copper-mountain-temple/

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Odiyan Gardens

Protected by a perimeter fence, 144 acres are landscaped with eighteen gardens, eight orchards, four man-made lakes, and two vegetable gardens. The sacred environs of each temple is ornamented with a formal garden. Bordering the Cherry Mall, the Mandala Garden contains an aviary and hundreds of rhododendrons and azaleas. The beautiful sanctuary of Vairocana Garden, standing at the highest point of the Odiyan land, contains a 27-foot-long statue of the Parinirvana Buddha and an enormous bronze Vajra Bell that is rung during ceremonies.

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/gardens/, http://odiyan.org/index.php/garden-photo-gallery/

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Dedicating Ceremonies, offering Butterlamps or providing support for Odiyan gardens, animals, residents or general maintenance are all ways you can make offerings.

Odiyan is not open to public visits at this time.

Dedicate Ceremonies

We invite you to sponsor prayers for the benefit of yourself, family, friends or animal companions; or for a cause, project or place you care about. You can dedicate your prayer request with a Temple Ceremony ($108-$150) or a Bell Ringing ($25).

In the Tibetan lunar calendar, there are special times when the power of prayer and the merit generated are greatly increased. The auspicious days below are celebrated monthly by the Odiyan community in the Temples. Your dedication request will be read aloud at the opening of the Ceremony.

Lunar 10th

at VAJRA TEMPLE

Dedications at Vajra Temple are usually for blessings of auspicious events, prayers for general health and longevity, successes in new ventures, anniversaries, births, and recovery from illness.

Reciting mantra, the Odiyan community circumambulates outside the Temple with incense and blowing conch shells. Inside the Temple prayers of supplication and aspiration are offered to Guru Rinpoche along with circumambulation, mantra and sacred text readings.

Full Moon

at VAIROCANA GARDEN

Dedications at Vairocana Garden are suitable for physical and mental health, balance and happiness and protection and blessing upon death. Lord Buddha Shakyamuni is invoked on the Full Moon.

The Vajra bell is rung as practitioners circumambulate the enshrined Parinirvana Buddha chanting Shakyamuni’s mantra, blowing conch shells, scattering rose petals and reciting prayers. Offerings are made in the shrine room followed by the reading of sacred texts.

Lunar 25th

at CINTAMANI TEMPLE

Cintamani in Sanskrit means wish-fulling gem. Requests for blessings and good wishes for all kinds of purposes can be dedicated at Cintamani, such as births, marriages, general concerns or to commemorate those who have passed.

During the ceremony the large Dharma Bell above the Temple plaza is rung as Odiyan residents circumambulate chanting mantra and blowing conch shells, followed by meditation and prayers in the Temple.

New Moon

at ENLIGHTENMENT STUPA

The shape and form of the Stupa communicates blessings that heal the mind and benefit all beings. Suitable dedications are health, longevity, recovery from illness, blessing upon death, birth or marriage and general concerns.

There is an offering of incense as the Stupa bell rings. The Odiyan community recite prayers and circumambulates the inner and outer walkways three times each while chanting mantra and blowing conch shells.

Calendar of Ceremonies

JANUARY

• 7th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 12th – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens
• 22nd – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 27th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa

FEBRUARY

• 6th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 10th – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 15th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa
• 25th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple

MARCH

• 1st – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens
• 11th – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 17th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa
• 26th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 31st – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens

APRIL

• 10th – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 15th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa
• 25th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 29th – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens

MAY

• 10th – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 15th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa
• 24th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 29th – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens

JUNE

• 9th – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 13th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa
• 23th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 28th – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens

JULY

• 8th – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 13th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa
• 22nd – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 27th – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens

AUGUST

• 6th – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 11th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa
• 20th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 26th – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens

SEPTEMBER

• 5th – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 9th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa
• 19th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 24th – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens

OCTOBER

• 4th – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 9th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa
• 19th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 24th – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens

NOVEMBER

• 2nd – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 7th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa
• 17th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 23rd – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens

DECEMBER

• 2nd – Lunar 25th at Cintamani Temple
• 7th – New Moon at Enlightenment Stupa
• 17th – Lunar 10th at Vajra Temple
• 31st – Full Moon at Vairochana Gardens

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/support-odiyan/dedicate-a-ceremony/

Butterlamps

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, offerings of light have great significance. Offerings of light are appropriate when one wishes to celebrate special events, say prayers for friends and family during difficult times, or in the days following someone’s death.

Symbolically, light offerings dispel the darkness of ignorance and make tangible the light of the Buddha’s teachings, wisdom, and compassion for all beings. Light is also said to represent the flame of awakened mind, which illuminates reality as it is.

There are two ways you may make butterlamp offerings at Odiyan:

1. Offer 108 Butterlamps
2. Offer Ongoing Butterlamps

Offer 108 Butterlamps

Sponsor a dedication of 108 Butterlamps on any ceremony day listed on our Ceremony Calendar.

Dedications can be for those experiencing illness, to celebrate a special occasion or for alleviating the sufferings of a particular event or ongoing adverse situation.

Your dedication will be read out loud at the time of the lighting of the butterlamps. We will dedicate your butterlamp prayer request at the closest Ceremony to the date of your submission or on a Ceremony date which you choose.

$10.00

Offer Ongoing Butterlamps

Sponsor continuously burning butterlamps for one or more weeks, one or more months or for the 49 days of the Bardo. Weekly and monthly dedications can be for any occasion, event or place.

Butterlamps for the deceased purify past negative deeds, help direct consciousness toward a favorable rebirth and reduce fear during the state of transition before rebirth.

Your dedication will be read out loud each day during the period for which you subscribe and will commence on the day following your submission.

• $25.00/week
• $100.00/month
• $154.00 for 49 Days of Bardo

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/support-odiyan/butterlamps/

Support Odiyan

Odiyan is maintained entirely through internal efforts and individual donations. Situated on almost a thousand acres of wild land close to the Pacific Coast, upholding a simple yet nourishing way of life, Odiyan guards the symbolic vehicles of a knowledge tradition on the verge of dissolution.

When you make an offering, you lend direct support to Odiyan’s projects and its people. You are making a material difference in the chances for its survival, and the survival of the irreplaceable cultural and spiritual treasures that Odiyan protects.

Land & Gardens

Over the course of four decades Odiyan has become a botanical paradise. Over a quarter million trees have been planted. Gardens range from manicured temple plantings to vegetable gardens to informal plantings that blossom on paths and between buildings.

Your contribution allows us to maintain thriving organic vegetable gardens and acres of roses, flowering, fruiting and nut bearing trees, multitudinous flowering bushes and countless spring and summer bulbs.

100% of your donation goes to plants, seeds, tools and amendments.

Animals

Odiyan is home to animal communities both domesticated and wild: a herd of Kiger mustangs; a family of miniature horses; two large aviaries; and our Great Pyrenees dogs who serve as protectors and watch dogs. There are many of species of local birds, from ravens and wild turkeys to blue herons.

Your donation helps us to provide food for the dogs, horses, and aviary birds; seed for wild birds during winter; and veterinary care as it is needed.

100% of your donation goes to food and care for animals of Odiyan.

Community

Your donation to the Community Fund holds open the possibility of Odiyan’s future, paving the way for the participation of new volunteers for our projects, new lifelong community members, and new opportunities going forward.

We need to protect the eldest practitioners with the health care their aging bodies require. We need to foster the dynamic group of younger practitioners, providing them with the fuel they need for accomplishment and the preventive care that will keep them going strong.

Donate or Choose Monthly Pledge

• $10.00 USD – monthly
• $20.00 USD – monthly
• $35.00 USD – monthly
• $50.00 USD – monthly
• $75.00 USD – monthly
• $100.00 USD – monthly
• $150.00 USD – monthly
• $200.00 USD – monthly
• $300.00 USD – monthly
• $500.00 USD – monthly

Maintenance

Odiyan is maintained almost entirely by its own community. We care for the roadways, protect and maintain temples and residential buildings, clean and service our own wells, our own septic systems, and repair our own vehicles and equipment.

Your donation towards Odiyan’s infrastructure is a direct, pragmatic injection of funding ensuring that Odiyan endures. Such support may seem less glamorous but it is Odiyan’s lifeblood, an offering that simply cannot be reduced to a dollar value.

100% of your donation goes to maintenance equipment and supplies.

Source: http://odiyan.org/index.php/support-odiyan/community-support/

Contact

For questions about offerings and donations, please email contact@odiyan.org.

Source: http://odiyan.org

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“Beyond the beliefs of any one religion, there is the truth of the human spirit. Beyond the power of nations, there is the power of the human heart. Beyond the ordinary mind, the power of wisdom, love, and healing energy are at work in the universe. When we can find peace within our hearts, we contact these universal powers. This is our only hope.”

Tarthang Tulku, Founder of Odiyan

Live: Join a community dedicated to meaningful work, wholesome living, community involvement, and the development of mind and spirit. Odiyan volunteers receive housing, vegetarian meals and classes while working to create the symbols of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in the West and serving to strengthen Buddhist cultures throughout Asia.

Work: Devote your time and energy to: landscaping, construction, foundry and metal work, organic vegetable and flower gardening, vegetarian cooking. Engage in sacred art and text projects. Work a variety of jobs. Learn valuable skills or share your own. Help manage and beautifying our gardens, temples, buildings, parks, open land and forest.

Learn: Although Odiyan has its foundations in Tibetan Buddhism, no religious affiliation is required to join our team. If you are open-minded, self-reflective and ready to engage deeply, you can share in a dynamic repository of knowledge for inner and outer accomplishment. You will embody skills at all levels from the practical and technical to the sacred and esoteric.

Meaningful Work for Body, Mind and Spirit

Odiyan Retreat Center is a spiritual and ecological sanctuary high on a ridge overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Northern California. Modeled after Tibet’s first monastery – a three-dimensional mandala – Odiyan models a way of life that integrates work with a path of self-exploration.

Please note that we cannot accommodate short-term public visits.

Make 2018 the year of Transformation. Volunteer for World Peace.

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“Uplifted by beauty and attuned to deeper purposes, consciousness transforms.”

~Tarthang Tulku, Joy of Being

Join a community dedicated to meaningful work for the benefit of oneself, others and our world. Founded in 1975 by Tibetan Lama Tarthang Tulku, Odiyan provides a stable foundation for a wholesome life of physical work, community involvement and personal development. Extraordinary natural beauty, fresh air, clean water and nutritious food foster appreciation for life and develop attitudes of true caring for ourselves, others and our planet.

You receive:

• Housing – share a comfortable room with one roommate
• Vegetarian meals – share or learn cooking skills in the large community kitchen
• Optional study, reflection and meditation

We are currently seeking volunteers in a preferred age range of 25 to 45 years old. Please be physically competent and able to handle tools, small machinery and manual labor on a daily basis. The minimum commitment is six months. We prefer nine months. $150 per month stipend included after the first six months.

Though Odiyan has its foundations in Tibetan Buddhism, absolutely no religious affiliation is required to join our team. We practice inward and outward development in the context of work along with supporting classes, suggested reading and discussions.

Source: http://volunteer.odiyan.org/live/

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“Work itself can have inner meaning and value that make it part of the spiritual path.”
Tarthang Tulku, Mastering Successful Work

At first glance, Odiyan may look like a traditional monastery, but rather than devoting the majority of our time to study and meditation, our daily practice is work.

We seek volunteers who are willing to apply energy, mindfulness, and discipline to their work, no matter the task. We expect a positive attitude, an openness to a perspective and lifestyle of work as spiritual practice, and an understanding that work will be central to your life here.

The Odiyan lifestyle does not draw a clear distinction between “work” and “life.” We try to use our time productively and to engage fully in the projects at hand. We forge our friendships through hard work, and we also make an effort to take time for appreciation of our efforts and accomplishments.

Sacred Art

For 2018-2019: The major monumental sacred art construction project is the creation of 2000 prayer wheels surrounding the Main Temple, which will also support a solar panel array on the north side of the mandala. The purpose of this year 1-to-2 year project is to reverse the negative momentum of our world, restore balance in nature, and heal the pain of so many beings who are victims of war, hatred and natural disasters.

For more information about the mission and meaning of this project, see the Prayer Wheel brochure here.

The work is heavy-duty concrete and steel fabrication for building the supporting structure. The on-site manufacture of the prayer wheels involves copper work, plating, machining parts, assembly, cutting and welding metal. We will also be installing a full solar panel array which will involve building, electrical and construction skills.

Construction work

In addition, our bronze foundry is often producing sacred art for our temples as well as for shipment to Buddhist communities abroad. We create new sacred monuments and temples, and produce sacred Buddhist texts. While you certainly do not need to be Buddhist to work here, you should be prepared to be surrounded by and engaged in the production of religious art and imagery. Much of the art and texts we create are distributed through our sister organizations worldwide, and much remains at Odiyan, and its purpose can often only be explained in religious terms.

Other Work

As a new volunteer, you will learn many new skills and be expected to participate in other work such as

• gardening
• landscaping
• cooking

You will work more familiar types of work like maintenance and gardening. We work about 80 acres of landscaped grounds, including many orchards and two acres of vegetable gardens. You’ll prune fruit trees, install and maintain drip irrigation, fix broken pipes, repair leaking roofs, assist with vehicle maintenance and repair, feed horses, plant vegetables, can fruit, and clean bathrooms. With initiative and attention, you’ll have the opportunity to learn skills such as basic construction, welding, heavy equipment operation and maintenance, small engine repair and maintenance, and ornamental and vegetable gardening.

We are currently seeking new people to become longer-term lead vegetable gardeners. You can come with some gardening skills and learn new ones!

You’ll learn to cook for 30-40 people and will typically cook one meal a week. The variety of work demands a sincere flexibility as volunteers work in different areas and find their place within the community.

We also need and appreciate people who can do IT work, web development, marketing, and writing projects. If you have these skills to offer, you must also be the type who can dig in the dirt, prune apple trees for hours or learn to mix and pour concrete. Very few people at Odiyan sit at a computer all day.

Over time, most volunteers settle into one or two work areas that they connect with; others continue to divide their time among many projects. Sometimes only a few projects are underway at any given time; you may find yourself polishing statues for many weeks at a time, or planting trees for days in a row.

Physical abilities: Due to the variety of work expected from incoming volunteers, you must be healthy and able to work physically, lift 50lbs or more, and bend and kneel for long periods of time. We work to be mindful with our bodies, to build strength, and prevent injury, but the physical work remains a key part of life here. Familiarity with this kind of work is helpful. Consider prior back or wrist/elbow injuries before applying; they will often be exacerbated here.

The work schedule runs Monday through Saturday. The work day begins at 7:10 am with work meetings and finishes at 7:00 pm, though as mentioned above, we pay more attention to an integration of life and work than we do to keeping strict hours. We take breaks in the morning and afternoon, and a lunch hour. New volunteers ease into the work schedule for the first month with shorter work hours. Sundays are dedicated to personal time for classes, reading, study, exploring the land, or a side-project of personal interest. Occasionally we will work together on a Sunday afternoon on a particular large project with a short deadline.

We ask for a lot of effort and mindfulness from volunteers. Volunteers who succeed here are able to take initiative, be reliable and responsible, follow directions, and display attentiveness and engagement with work, both by themselves and as part of a team. Come eager to learn and work, to stretch yourself, face challenges, and grow as a human being. In exchange we offer a truly unique experience and an opportunity not only to learn skills and offer your energy to a project, but to learn about yourself, to study your mind more closely, and to connect to other spiritually minded people in an active, engaged environment.

Source: http://volunteer.odiyan.org/work/

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“We discover that the more we learn, the more we grow; the more challenges we meet, the more strength and awareness we gain.”

Tarthang Tulku, Skillful Means

At Odiyan we are participating in the preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all humanity, merging this with the opportunity to develop our inner potential. The way of life focuses on dedication to meaningful work and utilizes work and daily life as a vehicle of self-knowledge.

Outer Skills

Learning at Odiyan means acquiring and sharing practical skills: flower and vegetable gardening, landscaping, all forms of construction and the trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC), use of tools and small machinery, metal and wood work, vegetarian cooking, food preservation and baking. Volunteer residents also participate in sacred art production such as stupa construction, tsa-tsa molding, fabric arts, metal statuary casting, Buddhist text production and more.

Volunteers with longer residency (over six months) become involved in resource and project management, project planning and implementation, budgeting and crew training.

Inner Skills Classes 2017

You may choose from various opportunities for study, reflection and meditation:

• Optional classes or discussion groups based on writings and guidance of Odiyan’s founder Tarthang Tulku.

See current schedule: Classes 2017

• Optional walking meditation and chant practice on Full Moon ceremony day.
• Optional Sunday afternoon silent meditation (by permission after three months residency).

Residents who continue beyond six months may request to attend daily morning meditation practice and evening Temple ceremonies held four times a month, as well as other ceremonies and practices of the Buddhist calendar year.

Source: http://odiyan.org

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Gallery

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Volunteers Speak About Their Work Experience

Gardening at Odiyan – A Short Interview

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/GardeningAtOdiyan.mp4

Picking Apples at Odiyan – A Short Interview

Or view the video on the server at:
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/PickingApplesAtOdiyan2.mp4

Source: http://volunteer.odiyan.org/video-gallery/

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Apply to Volunteer at Odiyan

The minimum commitment is six months. We prefer nine months. We cannot accept children or pets.

1. Download application and guidelines for submission. (Word doc) ODIYAN 2018 VOLUNTEER APPLICATIONOr call our office 510-981-1987 or email volunteer(at)odiyan.org to have an application emailed to you.
2. Return completed application to volunteer(at)odiyan.org
3. Applications are reviewed by the Volunteer Committee. If we are interested in pursuing your application, you will be contacted within 1 week.
4. Schedule an interview
5. Check references
6. Acceptance to program
7. Arrival to Odiyan

The application process can take up to 2-3 weeks.

To maintain age group balance within the community, at this time we are seeking applications in a preferred age range of 25-45 years old.

Guidelines for Applying

We are seeking applicants with the following attributes:

• Financial resources for travel to and from Odiyan, and to maintain personal bills (car, phone, etc.) for six months.
• Physical, mental, emotional health and stability.
• Willingness to commit to the community’s rigorous schedule, community guidelines and policies.
• Physical strength to engage manual labor for hours on a daily basis.
• Positive attitude toward taking direction and flexibility toward changing daily tasks.
• Capacity to manage the stress of living in a busy and productive environment.
• Sincere interest in inner development and being a member of an intentional community.
• Not dependent on a lot of socializing either personally or online.
• Proven history of dependability including punctuality.

Volunteering at Odiyan is challenging physically, mentally and emotionally. Applicants must be in good physical health with no major or ongoing health concerns. Please do not apply if you are coping with major unresolved emotional issues, withdrawal, diagnosed psychological disorders; or if you have recently quit smoking or using drugs, recently begun a regimen of medications, or have recently begun or have recently been released from a recovery program.

Trial Period: There is a two week trial period, which is included in the six month commitment. The purpose of trial period is to confirm to our mutual agreement that the program is a good fit for the applicant.

We welcome volunteers from around the world; however please be aware that if you do not hold a United States passport or green card we cannot by law assist you in obtaining a visa for entry, visiting or residing in the United States. We cannot issue any letters of invitation or confirmation for volunteering at Odiyan.

Interested but have some questions?

By Email: Fill out the form for more details and the application. By Phone: 510-981-1987

Source: http://volunteer.odiyan.org/contact-apply/

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Can I bring my animal companion to Odiyan?
Unfortunately we cannot allow volunteers to bring their pets.

Can I still apply if I am not from the United States?
We welcome volunteers from around the world; however please be aware that if you do not hold a USA passport or green card we cannot by law assist you in obtaining a visa for entry, visiting or residing in the United States. We cannot issue any letters of invitation or confirmation for volunteering at Odiyan.

Can we apply as a couple? Can we live together?
Couple are welcome to apply. Each person much fill out a separate application. Provided we have housing available, we will house couples together.

Can I attend online classes, work online or have a part-time job or school commitment while volunteering at Odiyan?
We do not recommend that you apply if you have online or regular school or job commitments that must be fulfilled during your time at Odiyan.

Are all meals vegetarian? What if I’m not vegetarian?
Yes, all meals served at Odiyan are vegetarian. You do not need to be a vegetarian to volunteer. Most non-vegetarian volunteers find that after a couple of months or less they are fully adjusted to the diet and are truly enjoying the food.

I have food allergies and/or special dietary needs, will I be able to eat the meals there?
We cannot accommodate special dietary needs such as a strictly vegan diet or multiple or unusual food allergies.

What is the housing situation like?
Volunteer live in comfortable rooms in the Rim structure surrounding the Main Temple. Each room accommodates two people and has running water and a sink, a closet, shelves and other simple furnishings. All rooms have French doors (crafted by fellow volunteers over thirty years ago) that lead to an outdoor deck area.

What sort of work will I do at Odiyan?
At Odiyan we all do a variety of work. Volunteers who do best are those who are flexible and willing to do whatever is needed. Generally new residents are assigned to the main crew which has a changing list of projects based on current priorities. The skills that are most consistently utilized are gardening and landscaping, construction trades, metal and wood work, foundry work such as casting and welding, use of small machinery and tools and vegetarian cooking. If you don’t have any of these skills but you are eager, strong and can handle manual work on a daily basis, please apply!

Is there a deposit when I check-in?
Yes, a $100 cash refundable security and cleaning deposit is required upon arrival. This is held and returned to you at the time of their departure if living quarters are left clean and undamaged.

Can I bring my car?
Yes, volunteers are welcome to bring their cars to Odiyan but it is not necessary. Your car must be insured by California law. Due to our remote location it is also recommended that you have some kind of towing insurance should you have car trouble. (AAA, Better Word or through your auto insurance company)

I don’t have a car, are there other ways to get to Odiyan?
Yes, most volunteers travel here without bringing their car. You are expected to pay your own travel expenses round trip. This may include a van shuttle from either the Oakland or San Francisco airport to our closest city, Santa Rosa (about $35) and a local bus fare to bring you to the closest bus stop. From there you will be picked by car by someone from Odiyan. Travel details are arranged upon acceptance to the program.

Are there any breaks/vacation time?
Generally we work most holidays except Thanksgiving Day and Fourth of July. We also have a winter break, which usually begins around Dec. 22nd until the first working day after New Year’s Day. This is the time that most volunteers visit with family and friends. If you know you need time off for family or other commitment please let us know in your application.

What about internet access and cell phones?
We have a desktop stations available for internet access. You are welcome to bring your lap top. We have a limited area of wireless connectivity near the main kitchen and limited ethernet connection in the study hall. For mobile phones, only Verizon works in our area.

Source: http://volunteer.odiyan.org/faq/

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What Volunteers Say…

Christopher, 30
Current volunteer six months
I am so involved and enjoying what I do that time flies. I’m grateful for helping to preserve the Tibetan culture and the teachings of their wise and enlightened masters. I’m able to reflect on so much in this stable environment and it’s wonderful to be in a positive and happy community of diverse people from so many countries and different backgrounds. Truly a life changing experience!!

Nick, 26
Current volunteer 2 years
At Odiyan we work, but the work is not trivial; that is a rare opportunity in this age. One of the best lessons that Odiyan can teach is that comfort is not a prerequisite for relaxation. Odiyan is a place where real value is obvious, and being truly valuable can be easy. At times I find it hard to like people, but at Odiyan liking people becomes less difficult. Odiyan is a place where the feeling of doing good is not tinted with selfishness. My life has been a search for virtue. Here at Odiyan that is not a fool’s errand.

Ricardo, 29
Current volunteer 6 years
Many of us, volunteers, come to Odiyan searching for self-improvement, to somehow become a better person. At times we even imagine and idealize something or someone that we want to be. One way or another, there is always an expectation of what can change with your coming here. And following that expectation, there is always some disappointment. Well, you don’t simply become someone else, and realizing that, is definitely an important step of to see what is truly remarkable about our experience here. Even being limited, with our weaknesses and flaws, we are still able to create something as amazing as Odiyan. And that is no small deed. It is a remarkable reminder of our capacity, if nothing else.

Matthew, 24
Former volunteer 1 year
They shared their knowledge and their way of life with me, essentially a stranger, whom they entrusted with their home and precious work. I learned of a Buddhist perspective on the mind, how one “practices” daily while mixing concrete or preparing a meal. Those who live at Odiyan live thoughtfully, with intent. In doing so, much work gets accomplished. From constructing and maintaining temple grounds, to canning fruits, to casting statues or mowing the grass, all work is meaningful. My year at Odiyan has uncovered for me a great potential I see not only in myself, but in all with whom I have worked. Odiyan is a way to learn and a way to live, applicable to all means of life.

Tim, 25
Former volunteer 3 years
I spent most of my life prior to Odiyan listening to music, playing drums, playing tennis, staring into space and not paying attention in school. (At Odiyan) my mind stream shifted from mostly thinking about myself and my life to thinking: “How can I help the earth and the people and life that coexist on it.”

Source: http://volunteer.odiyan.org/what-volunteer-say/

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Odiyan Retreat Center

Cazadero, California, United States

Status: Established (At least 4+ adults, 2+ years)
Started Planning: 1970
Start Living Together: 1975
Visitors accepted: Yes, rarely
Open to new Members: Yes

Please read the details in Membership below before contacting this community.

Website address: http://www.volunteer.odiyan.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OdiyanBuddhistRetreatCenter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/odiyanvolunteer
Other social: http://www.odiyan.org
Contact Name: Leigh Deering
Phone: 510-981-1987

Mission Statement

The mission of the Odiyan Retreat Center is twofold: 1) To assist in the protection, preservation and flourishing of all Buddhist cultures in Asia; and 2) To model as a living experiment the integration of Buddhist principles and Western thought through a live/work lifestyle dedicated to the benefit of our planet and all humanity.

The focus is on using work as an effective spiritual exercise, a practice in mindfulness and the means of perfecting six spiritual qualities, from generosity to discipline and patience, foundation of vigor, concentration, and wisdom. This basic training is called Skillful Means and is based on a book of the same name written by Odiyan founder Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche. Rinpoche introduced Skillful Means as a way to help readers find greater satisfaction in work and life.

Classes and study opportunities available for all residents in Tibetan yoga, Skilfull Means, classical Tibetan language and other aspects of spiritual community life.

Resident volunteers who stay on beyond six months also have optional opportunities for engaging in community activities such as daily early morning meditation and other practices of the Buddhist tradition.

Skillful Means points out how the discipline of work develops awareness, strengthens concentration, and stimulates energy.

Community Description

Odiyan is an all-volunteer non-profit Retreat Center dedicated to meaningful work, wholesome living and the inner development of mind and spirit.

The Odiyan way of life integrates creative and challenging work with a path of self-exploration that opens up your inner potential. Odiyan’s dual mission is preserving the Buddhist cultures of Asia and modeling a living experiment integrating Buddhist principles and Western thought for the benefit of our planet and all of humanity.

Odiyan was founded in 1975 by Tibetan Buddhist Lama Tarthang Tulku. For over 40 years, volunteers from all over the world have been coming to Odiyan for six months or more to develop their own potential and contribute to the unique and holistic vision of enlightened knowledge for the benefit of all.

Odiyan Retreat Center sits on 1,000 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean in northern California about 100 miles north of San Francisco. About 150 acres are managed landscape including seven orchards, four vegetable gardens, ornamental gardens surrounding the Temples, ponds, forests and open land.

As a resident at Odiyan, you will learn new skills, engage your mind and replenish your spirit in a wholesome, beautiful environment where accomplishment and learning about yourself go hand-in-hand.

Living and working at Odiyan includes classes about Buddhism, a wide variety of work and sacred arts, vegetarian meals and a living allowance ($150 per month).

The minimum commitment to volunteer is six months.

About

Type(s): Commune (organized around sharing almost everything), Cohousing (individual homes within group owned property), Shared Housing, Cohouseholding, or Coliving (multiple individuals sharing a dwelling), Spiritual or Religious Community
Programs & Activities: School, Educational Institute or Experience, Volunteer, Internship, or Apprenticeship, Organization, Resource, or Network
Location: Rural

Membership

Adult Members: 40
Percent Women: 31-40%
Percent Men: 61-70%
Percent Transgender: 0%
Visitors accepted: Yes, rarely
Open to new Members: Yes

Membership Process:
Submit an application through our website, http://www.volunteer.odiyan.org.
Or email our volunteer office for application and details at volunteer@odiyan.org.
Applications are reviewed weekly. If it seems you may be a good match for Odiyan, we will be in touch within a few days to complete the application process.

Sustainability Practices

Energy Infrastructure: We use both systems.
Current renewable energy generation: 26-49%
Energy sources: Solar
Planned renewable energy generation: 50-75%
Current food produced: Between 26-49%
Planned food produced: Almost All, around 90%
Food produced locally: Up to 25%

Housing

Status: We have land we have developed on
Area: 1000 acres
Current Residence Types: Room(s) in a house or building
Current Number of Residences: 40
Housing Provided: Work-exchange
Land owned by: Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Centers

Additional Comments:
All resident volunteers live in comfortable rooms within the Main Temple complex. Rooms are usually shared with one other person or residents may have their own room, depending on the number of residents at any given time.
We tend to have more people in the summer and fall than in winter and spring.

Government

Decision Making: By a board, council, group of elders, or leadership group
Identified Leader: Yes
Leadership Core Group: Yes

Economics

Dues, Fees, or Shared Expenses: No
Shared Income: None
Required Labor Contribution per Week: 45
Open to members with existing debt: Yes (some debt)

Additional Comments:
Applicants to volunteer for six months need to have some savings ($500-800) for emergency purposes.

Lifestyle

Common Facilities: Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Internet
Internet Available: Yes, community provides it
Cell Phone Service: Good for some people.
Shared meals: Approximately all dinners
Dietary Practice: Vegetarian Only (no animal meat; dairy and eggs okay) – Please check this only if you are 100% Vegetarian
Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Yes – we all share a common diet.
Special Diets OK: Sometimes
Alcohol Use: Yes, used seldomly, or ceremoniously.
Tobacco Use: No, this community does not permit tobacco use.
Common Spiritual Practice(s): Buddhist
Spiritual Practice Expected?: No
Healthcare Options: Up to each family or individual

Additional Comments

Odiyan Retreat Center is a long-standing all-volunteer non-profit center focused on work for the benefit of the Buddhist teachings and all living beings. Resident volunteers devote their time and energy to developing, beautifying and maintaining the Temples, gardens, land, housing and animals of Odiyan, as well as contributing to projects aimed at supporting Buddhist cultures and practices in Asia.

Source: https://www.ic.org/directory/odiyan-retreat-center/

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Odiyan is an all volunteer non-profit Retreat Center dedicated to meaningful work, wholesome living and the inner development of mind and spirit.

Odiyan Retreat Center’s mission is establishing a home for the Dharma in the West and to support Buddhist centers and practitioners in Asia. The way of life that supports this purpose integrates creative and challenging work with a path of self-exploration that opens up your inner potential. Living at Odiyan is an opportunity to work for preserving enlightened knowledge in our world, and fostering harmony for oneself, our planet and all beings.

Odiyan was founded in 1975 by Tibetan Buddhist Lama Tarthang Tulku. For over 40 years, volunteers from all over the world have been coming to Odiyan for six months or more to develop their own potential and contribute to the unique and holistic vision of enlightened knowledge for the benefit of all.

What You’ll Be Doing

Join a historic project creating Prayer Wheels for World Peace!

The major project of 2018 is to create 2,000 prayer wheels around the main Temple of Odiyan. Learn construction skills and work with all types of tools. Work outdoors on the construction site and in the Odiyan shop fabricating the detailed parts of the prayer wheels. Help build the solar panel installation to be incorporated into the mile-long prayer wheel structure.

Tarthang Rinpoche, the founder of Odiyan, has commissioned this prayer wheel project to reverse the negative momentum of our world, restore balance in nature and heal the pain of so many beings who are victims of war, hatred and natural disasters. By participating in the building of these prayer wheels, we align ourselves with positive action, transforming negative energy into positive thoughts and intentions, and encouraging virtue and goodness in ourselves and others.

Your time at Odiyan will also include maintenance and repair, work in the extensive vegetable and Temple gardens, landscaping, caring for animals and working in the kitchen. At Odiyan everyone does everything!

Odiyan is also seeking two people (a couple or individuals) with experience in growing food to maintain and develop 2-acres of mixed vegetables. Applicants with a strong background in gardening and farming will spend more of their work time in the vegetable gardens, depending on the season.

I learned skills past the scope of my education, but rewarding and enriching all the same. Most important was how much I learned about me. I had some experience testing my physical limits with college athletics, but Odiyan pushed my body, mind and soul in ways I never had to before. From this I gained deeper understanding about my motivations, inspirations and development leading up to my time here. –Ben, 24

Location

Odiyan sits on 1,000 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean in northern California (about 100 miles north of San Francisco). There are five large Temples forming an empowered three-dimensional mandala surrounded by gardens, sacred art forms and hundreds of prayer wheels and prayer flags. About 150 acres are managed landscape including seven orchards, four vegetable gardens, ornamental gardens surrounding the Temples, plus ponds, forests and open land. The land is a sanctuary for native animals as well as managed areas for rescued horses and birds.

I spent most of my life prior to Odiyan listening to music, playing drums, playing tennis, staring into space and not paying attention in school. At Odiyan my mind stream shifted from mostly thinking about myself and my life to thinking: “How can I help the earth and the people and life that coexist on it.” – Tim, 25

Your time at Odiyan will also include maintenance and repair, work in the extensive vegetable and Temple gardens, landscaping, caring for animals and working in the kitchen. At Odiyan everyone does everything!

The Perks

At Odiyan you will follow the Path of Action and enjoy:

• Home-cooked vegetarian meals and beverages
• Housing in large room with balcony
• WI-FI and domestic phone calls
• Skill training in a wide range of trades and traditional arts
• Access to healthy setting of nature, hiking trails, swimming, wide-open spaces, sacred beauty, fresh air, clean water, and nutritious food
• Classes on the development of mind and spirit: Tibetan yoga, Skillful Means, meditation and more
• Opportunity to engage in a wholesome lifestyle of self-sufficiency, meaningful work, inner development and taking responsibility
• A living allowance of $75/month stipend for the first 6 months; $150/month thereafter

Mostly organic vegetarian meals are served every day for all residents. Everyone takes turns in meal preparation and clean-up. Residential rooms are designed for two people per room although you may also have a room to yourself for some part of your time, depending on the number of volunteers in residence. Longer term residents (9 months to one year or more) usually have their own room.

I learned of a Buddhist perspective on the mind, how one “practices” daily while mixing concrete or preparing a meal. My year at Odiyan has uncovered for me a great potential I not only see in myself, but in all with whom I have worked. Odiyan is a way to learn and a way to live, applicable to all means of life. – Matthew, 24

The Essentials

The minimum commitment is six months with preference given for commitments of 9 months to one year. For those who find the Odiyan way of life a good match, long-term residency is a future option. To maintain a balance of age groups within the community, individuals aged 24 to 45 are encouraged to apply. You must be physically competent, able to handle tools and small machinery and able engage manual labor for hours on a daily basis.

Although Odiyan has its foundations in Tibetan Buddhism, no religious affiliation is required to join the team. The ideal volunteer is mature, steady in work, open-minded, self-reflective and ready to engage deeply in what Odiyan has to offer as a community and as a spiritual path. Couples are welcome (although Odiyan cannot accept children or animal companions).

I’m grateful for helping to preserve the Tibetan culture and the teachings of their wise and enlightened masters. I’m able to reflect on so much in this stable environment and it’s wonderful to be in a positive and happy community of diverse people from so many countries and different backgrounds. Truly a life changing experience! – Chris, 30

The Inside Scoop

What do volunteers talk about after being at Odiyan for a few weeks?

The Place

Photographs and words cannot convey the vast and expansive sacred beauty of Odiyan: the infinite sight lines in every direction, the overarching skies of day and night, the grandeur of the Temples and the varied landscapes of hills, ponds, gardens and forests. Thousands of flowers, flowering bushes and trees have been planted over the past forty years making every day is a feast for the senses.

The Food

Everyone has their time in the kitchen to cook mostly home-grown and organic meals for the community. You can learn how to bake your own bread, make your own miso and tempeh, freeze, can and preserve a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs, both cultivated and wild grown.

The Work

New volunteers often wonder at how the community can possibly accomplish the challenging goals, immense projects and multiple maintenance and development demands. Unlike a job that concludes at 5 pm, living and working at Odiyan is a lifestyle which includes everything it takes to live and be successful in the world: taking care of yourself, your home and your natural environment, learning and sharing practical job skills and developing a larger vision of purpose.

Odiyan is seeking people who seriously like to work and are also interested in developing a spiritual path. Living and working at Odiyan is challenging both in the work schedule and living and working with the same group of people day-to-day. The successful Odiyan resident needs to be independent socially and at work, and at the same time able to cooperate and engage in the concerns of the community.

Being at Odiyan is like going to school and taking a class in “How to do everything.” The variety of projects done here and the breadth of technical experience available make Odiyan incomparable to most other work situations. Where else can you learn every type of construction, from foundation to roofing, electrical to structural steel, all types landscaping from ornamentals to vegetables, drainage to large scale waterworks, all types of machine and engine repair, solar energy, fine woodwork, bronze casting, electroplating, and much, much more, all in one place? The fact that all this knowledge is offered for free, including three meals a day and a room to stay, is astonishing. People have come to Odiyan with no training whatsoever, and after working hard for some years, they gained enough skills to make a living for themselves for the rest of their lives. If this all happened in a downtown warehouse, it would be a good deal, but it is happening on a gorgeous ridge overlooking the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by Buddhist sacred art, with a community of people who are working towards an understanding of mind and human potential. It is far above and beyond a ‘good deal’. – James, 25

Your First Move & Connections

Experience the Extraordinary @ Odiyan

Make 2018 the year of transformation—volunteer for world peace. Now seeking Residential Volunteers to work on the Prayer Wheel project, which includes construction, metal work and masonry.

Two experienced Vegetable Gardeners (couple preferred) are also needed for the 2018 growing season. Apply early, space is limited!

To get started on the application process, download and fill out an application or email volunteer@odiyan.org and all the details and an application can be sent to you. If you have any questions or just want to chat about living and working at Odiyan, don’t hesitate to call! Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Volunteer Office

Odiyan Retreat Center
(510) 981-1987
volunteer@odiyan.org
Volunteer.Odiyan.org
Odiyan.org

Beyond the beliefs of any one religion, there is the truth of the human spirit. Beyond the power of nations, there is the power of the human heart. Beyond the ordinary mind, the power of wisdom, love, and healing energy are at work in the universe. When we can find peace within our hearts, we contact these universal powers. This is our only hope.
— Tarthang Tulku, Founder of Odiyan

Source: http://www.backdoorjobs.com/odiyanvolunteer.html

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Buddhist Retreat Needs Volunteers to Sow Vegetables, Reap Free Living Costs

CARSON KOHLER

I finally watched “Into the Wild” this weekend, and I’m feeling inspired to go “find myself.” (I put this in quotes because at this point, I think it might be impossible.)

Granted, I’m not burning my money and hitchhiking to Alaska to live in an abandoned bus. But I would consider something a little more structured — that’s just my Type A personality — like living at and volunteering for a Tibetan Buddhist retreat in Northern California.

The Odiyan Retreat Center, which isn’t open to the public, is looking for a vegetable gardener/farmer to join its community of 40 people for six months.

You don’t need to practice Buddhism to join; you just need to be open to “a wholesome lifestyle of self-sufficiency, meaningful work and inner development,” according to the CoolWorks listing.

You down?

This Gig Has Real Growth Opportunities

Located on 1,000 acres in Cazadero, California, the retreat center describes itself as a “spiritual and ecological preserve… perched on a ridge overlooking rolling hills and the Pacific Ocean.”

As its gardener/farmer, you’ll be in charge of taking care of a 2-acre vegetable garden. The goal is to feed the entire community.

The center prefers applicants with some gardening, farming, agricultural or horticultural experience.

You also need to be at least 23 years old and able to commit at least six months to the retreat.

You should be OK lifting heavy things and using tools and small machines. Couples are more than welcome to apply together, though kids and pets aren’t allowed.

The Perks of Joining the Odiyan Retreat Center

This is a volunteer gig, but you will reap some sweet perks.

• Free housing (a large room with a balcony)
• Free home-cooked vegetarian meals
• An allowance of $150 per month
• Free Wi-Fi and domestic phone calls
• Free development classes (think: Tibetan yoga, skillful means, Buddhist study)
• Access to nature, hiking trails and swimming areas, plus an unlimited supply of fresh air

If you’re interested in getting away for a while and learning more about this unique experience, check out the listing on CoolWorks.

You can also visit the Odiyan Retreat Center’s website for more information on how to apply.

If you’re more like “namaste right where I am,” we have additional opportunities over on our Facebook jobs page.

Your Turn: Would you bail on your current life and become a gardener at a Buddhist retreat?

Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. After watching “Into the Wild,” she cried for approximately an hour — which is why she hates watching movies.

Source: https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/make-money/odiyan-retreat-center-volunteer/

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