WHAT IS ODIYAN?
Odiyan is a dynamic community of 30 to 40 volunteers who range in age, background, nationalities and commitments. The residents work in service of peace and harmony for all life, through the creation, preservation, and activation of ancient wisdom symbols and teachings.
The Odiyan activities are created by the vision of the Tibetan Lama Tarthang Tulku. Since 1975, under his guidance an ever-changing group of volunteers has built Odiyan from scratch – the infrastructure, living spaces, temples, gardens, and even this website – as a manifestation of their connection to eternal and universal truths.
Odiyan was named after Oddiyana, a small country in medieval India and the birthplace of Padmasambhava, who is also known as the Second Buddha. As a site, is a living mandala, a sacred symbol found in Tibetan Buddhist culture. The mandala contains five temples and thousands of other sacred symbols. Every day, year after year, the community members work to cultivate and maintain the Odiyan mandala so that the benefits of this ancient stream of teachings remain alive.
Odiyan is situated on about 1,000 acres of ridges and meadows, perched 1,400 ft above the Pacific Ocean in northern Sonoma County. The property is host to a diversity of plant life and animal friends, including a herd of Kiger mustangs, peacocks, dogs, and cats, among others.
As a center for work as an awareness practice, Odiyan provides countless invitations to integrate mindfulness and meditation into everyday experience.
