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Odiyan Retreat Center

Website
Telephone
510-981-1987
Location
33755 Tin Barn Road
Cazadero
CA
95421
United States

Odiyan is an all-volunteer non-profit Buddhist center dedicated to meaningful work, wholesome living and the development of mind and spirit. Odiyan’s mission is to provide a home for Buddhism in the West and to support Buddhist cultures in Asia. The Odiyan way of life integrates creative and challenging work with a path of self-exploration that opens up your inner potential.

Founded in 1975 by Venerable Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche, Odiyan Retreat Center is located on a 1000-acre spiritual and ecological preserve in rural Northern California, north of San Francisco. Unlike most Buddhist centers, Odiyan is only open to people who want to live and work with us for at least six months.

Odiyan is seeking individuals interested in work with a meaningful purpose and lots of variety. Do you love variety in your work, being outdoors, learning practical skills and big projects that challenge you? Your work at Odiyan will include beautifying and maintaining extensive formal gardens and vegetable gardens, huge Temples and multitudinous varieties of sacred art. You will work out on the land and in the shop. You will assist making Buddhist statues in the foundry, help develop the sacred architecture, care for animals, cook vegetarian food and help with food preservation in our gigantic kitchen. At Odiyan everyone does everything!

We are also interested in people who love have skills in graphic design, marketing and social media, programming and general IT.

Although Odiyan has its foundations in Tibetan Buddhism, no religious affiliation is required to join the team. The ideal volunteer is open-minded, self-reflective and ready to engage deeply on both internally and with the work. Couples are welcome (although Odiyan cannot accept children or animal companions).

All residents receive vegetarian meals, housing, a living allowance $150 per month, classes on Tibetan yoga, Buddhism, mindfulness, as well as training in a wide variety of practical skills and trades.

Applicants need to be in good physical shape and able to engage manual work for hours at a time (includes lifting, bending, being on your knees, extended standing, a lot of walking and use of small machinery).

Join our historic 2018 project creating Prayer Wheels for World Peace. You will learn many new skills as you help create over 2,000 large Prayers Wheels to surround the Main Temple of Odiyan. The purpose of this year-long 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.

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