Manzanita Village

An Introduction to Manzanita Village Retreats at Manzanita Village are open to all. They weave together the teachings and practices of the Buddhist Traditions with the timeless themes of Peace-Making and Non-Violence, Social-Justice, Personal Integration and Creativity. Typical Retreat Days include Meditation, Dharma talks, Discussion, and Movement. Interactive exercises and dialog; with some unstructured time for hiking, reading, and resting. We also offer Workshops with specific themes —creativity, creative-writing, martial-arts, deep-ecology, as well as queer-specific themes and retreats for people of color, and mixed-race. All of our work is informed by the traditions of Socially Engaged Spiritual Practice, and in 2005 we started our first two-year Dharma training for Social and political Activists— Sanctuary. The next program is scheduled to begin in 2007. Although we are a Buddhist inspired center and offer traditional Dharma practice, we are ecumenical in spirit, inquisitive by nature, and averse to those who espouse a singular point of view. We hold to the basic Buddhist Precepts and also recognize that "the understanding we presently posses is not changeless, absolute truth". Go to Main Menu for this Page The style of practice we use on retreats and in the meditation-hall is derived from the Tien (Vietnamese Zen) Tradition. We also draw from the deep wells of Theravada~Vipassana teachings and practices, the Vajrayana tradition, as well as elements of non-Buddhist practices and teachings that are helpful in the process of personal and transformation. The teachings given here are flexible and practical. The style in which they are presented is non-coercive, non-hierarchical, and creative, and always honors the wisdom that we understand to be inherent in every person. As a result of our open approach there is a natural sense of community that is felt on every retreat, no matter how long or short it is. Return To Top Page Menu An Introduction to Manzanita Village Manzanita Village: Some Background and History Photographs of the New Zendo About The Land Topography, History, Flora, and Fauna Visiting Ongoing Weekly Schedule Personal Retreats Long and Medium Term Stays Contact Us Calendar of Retreats The main gate. Straw bales and stucco. Return To Page Menu Manzanita Village Background and History Manzanita Village at Warner Springs, in Southern California, is the country retreat center of Ordinary Dharma. Retreats are led by resident teachers Caitríona Reed and Michele Benzamin-Miki as well as visiting teachers. Our work here is based on the understanding that facing and addressing injustice and violence in the world is not in any way separate from formal Spiritual Practice. Perspectives on, and practices relating to, issues of Social and Economic Justice, Nonviolence, and the urgent Environmental issues of our times, are naturally, passionately, and creatively, interwoven with classical Teachings and Practices. Caitríona writes, "Retreats here reflect our appreciation for diversity and inclusiveness; our passionate affiliation with movements for social, economic and environmental justice. In addition to formal Meditation practice we use interactive exercises, dialog, process-work, spontaneity and laughter as catalysts for deepening spiritual practice. We understand that the best kinds of spiritual practice allows us to both celebrate the beauty of life, as well as to remain truly present to all that is most difficult within our own hearts and in the world." Entrance to Meditation Hall Prior to coming to Manzanita Village in February 1993, Caitríona and Michele led retreats at Dhamma Dena, Ruth Denison's retreat center in Joshua Tree, and at Zen Mountain Center in Idylwild. They had been looking for a piece of land which would itself become a teacher; somewhere off the beaten track, surrounded by wild land, yet accessible to the urban centers of Southern California. Manzanita Village consists of 19 secluded acres in the chaparral country of northeastern San Diego County. It is surrounded by several tens of thousands of acres of National forest and public land. In 1993 the buildings were extremely dilapidated. Through the hard work of the extended Ordinary Dharma community, they now comfortably house around thirty-five retreat participants (more with camping). Return To Page Menu The Land Manzanita Village is situated near the head of the Upper San Luis Rey, at the mouth of a little canyon on the northeastern edge of the Henshaw Basin, known in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as the Valle de San José, at an elevation of 3,000 feet, in the hills to the west of the Anza Borrego desert. The original human occupants of this land are the Cupeño people, named after the village of Kupa, which stood at what is now Warner Springs, about four miles away. The Cupeño people were forcibly removed to Pala in 1903. Spring Wildflowers at Manzanita Village We live where chaparral forest of oak, manzanita, and ribbonwood trees meets rolling grassland. There are trails that climb a thousand feet to the ridges behind us. We have panoramic views of Mt. Palomar and the Aqua Tibia hills and Mesa Grande. The silence, openness, and unspoiled nature of the landscape and the purity of the air support a practice of mindfulness, ease, and natural awareness. Your time here, far from the noise of the city and the freeways, will be accompanied by the sounds of those with whom we share this land-raven, coyote, red-tailed hawk, owl . . . We are about two-and-a-half hours drive from Los Angeles, and one-and-a-half hours drive from San Diego. Directions Return To Page Menu Topography, History, Flora, and Fauna Topography. When you see a topographical map of Southern California you can imagine the Coastal Ranges, not as hills, but as waves breaking on the land mass of Turtle Island (North America). This is not entirely imaginary. The action of tectonic plates colliding with each other creates a movement similar to the movement of waves. What once lay deep beneath the ocean floor are now mountains and hills. The particular mountain wave that we are surfing at Manzanita Village is about ten million years old. Even though it has been above ground for a geologically short time its substance is ancient rock, decomposed granite and clay, almost as ancient as life on the planet. Once, not too many centuries ago, vast areas of this continent were forested. In a much more ancient time, around a hundred and twenty million years ago, before the existence of oaks and pines as we know them, the forests began their journey westward from the East Coast, acorn by acorn, drip line by drip line, to become what they still were a couple of centuries ago. Zen Master Dogen, the great teacher and innovator who revived Zen practice in Japan in the thirteenth century said, “Do not doubt the walking of mountains even though it does not look the same as human walking.” See Mountains and Waters Sutra in Moon in a Dewdrop. Kaz Tanahashi Birds. During one week of a winter retreat a few years ago, someone compiled this list of the birds they had spotted: Coopers Hawk, Red Tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, California Quail, Morning Dove, Anna’s Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Black Phoebe, Say’s Phoebe, Scrub Jay, American Crow, Raven, Plain Titmouse, Rock Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, California Gnatcatcher, Western Bluebird, Loggerhead Shrike, California Thrasher, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Lark Sparrow, Dark Eyed Juncoe, White Crowned Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Goldfinch, Wrentit, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Great-horned Owl, Brewer’s Blackbird, Short-eared Owl, Canada Goose Human Populations. The European-American story is that human beings have been in these parts for between sixteen and eight thousand years. People around here say that their anxestors have been on this land from the beginning. The original human occupants of this land are the Cupeño people, named after the village of Kupa, which stood at what is now Warner Springs, about four miles away. The Cupeño people were forcibly removed to Pala in 1903. The Missions. The first Europeans arrived from Mexico in 1795. The Mission at Santa Ysabel, a few miles south of Warner Springs was establishedin the 1830s. John Warner. In the 1840s Jonathan Warner (Juan Warner) took Mexican citizenship and became a rancher in the place that is now named after him, After the war in which Mexico lost California to the U.S. Juan Warner was elected to the California State Senate where he took the considerable risk of standing up for native rights. From California: Land of New Beginnings by David Lavender: (John Warner) the lone dissenter on the committee, retorted angrily, "Will it be said that ... while our doors are open to the stranger from the uttermost parts of the earth, we have not spare room for the residence of the once sole inhabitants of our magnificent empire? ... Has the love of gold blotted from our minds all feelings of compassion or justice?" It is well to recall that voices such as Warner's were always raised against the more flagrant injustices-but there were seldom enough of them; the cost in unpopularity was too great. Cowed by the howls of the white settlers and angered by the excessive expenditures of the Commission (for Indian Affairs), (the State Senate) rejected all eighteen treaties (made with the Indian Nations). The Butterfield Stage. For a few years in the 1850s, before the completion of the railway across North America, the Butterfield Stage was, for a time, the preferred way of getting to the West Coast. It took twenty-four bone-shaking and dangerous days, in a coach without suspension, from St Louis to San Francisco. The Butterfield route ran west to Warner Springs on what is now local route S2 and continued north on what is now Highway 79. Stories still circulate of highway robbery and buried gold, Dispossession. In 1903 the Cupeños were dispossessed of their land. The reason, in part, was a personal feud between Harvey Downey and Teddy Roosevelt. The following is taken from a speech by Cecilio Blacktooth, elder in the community, to a federal investigation committee: We thank you for coming here to talk to us in a way we can understand. It is the first time anyone has done so. You ask us to think what place we like next best to this place where we always live. You see that graveyard over there? There are our fathers and grandfathers. You see that Eagle Nest mountain and that Rabbit-Hole mountain? When God made them He gave us this place. We have always been here. We do not care for any other place. It may be good, but it is not ours. We have always lived here. We would rather die here. Our fathers did. We cannot leave them. Our children were born here - how can we go away? If you give us the best place in the world, it is not so good for us as this. My people cannot go anywhere else; they cannot live anywhere else. Here they always live; their people always live here. There is no other place. We ask you to get it for us. If Harvey Downey say he own the place, that is wrong. The Indians always here. We do not go on his land. We stay on ours. Everybody knows this Indian land. These Hot Springs always Indian. We cannot live anywhere else. We were born here and our fathers are buried here. We do not think of any place after this. We want this place and not any other place. There is no other place for us. If you do not buy this place we will go into the mountains like quail and die there, the old people and the women and children. Let the Government be glad and proud. It can kill us. We do not fight. We do what it says. If we cannot live here, we want to go into those mountains and die. We do not want any other home. The Four Directions Institute — to Preserve the Cultural Continuum of Native Americans Original Voices — "before you celebrate the gold rush, read the horrible truth" Return To Page Menu Visiting If you live nearby, or if you are visiting the area, you are welcome to visit Manzanita Village. However, we regret that Drop-in visits are NOT possible. Please phone or email a day or two ahead, and we will make sure that someone is available to show you around. If you have been to Manzanita Village before, you are welcome to come by anytime when there is no scheduled event going on. But please let us know in advance. We are a private retreat facility and we are unable to accommodate unannounced visitors. Though, please know that the zendo is always open for you to sit, and you are always welcome to walk on the land. Just please let us know when you're coming. Personal Retreats Phone: 760-782-9223 E-mail: manzanita@ordinarydharma.org Mailing Address: P.O. Box 67, Warner Springs, CA 92086 Return To Page Menu Long Term Stays, Staff Openings, Permanent Residency Long-term stay It is possible to stay for periods of up to several months. Unless you have already attended retreats at Manzanita Village we recommend that the beginning of your stay coincides with a scheduled retreat. Staff. We currently have no paid staff openings. We are open to the possibility of your coming for an extended stay as an intern, or in exchange for work. As we develop new programs here we anticipate that our needs may change. Please feel free to inquire, especially if you have practical skills such as carpentry, painting, plumbing etc. Permanent Residence. If you have never been to Manzanita Village, then please come here first for a retreat. If you then decide that Manzanita Village is somewhere you might like to live for a while, we can discuss the possibility of your staying for a trial period of a month. At Times when there is no scheduled retreat there is no regular ongoing daily schedule. There are some communal meals and some group sittings, depending on the schedules of current Manzanita Village residents. When there are no scheduled meals the communal kitchen is available for you to prepare your own food. Staying at Manzanita at non-retreat times is ideal for people who are comfortable structuring their own schedule, and who like spending time on their own. We ask that you maintain an ongoing daily meditation practice, and contribute between two and four hours of samu (work practice). The work practice is a way both to help with the maintenance of Manzanita Village and also to help you balance and integrate your meditation Caitríona and Michele (the resident teachers) are available to meet with you for instruction and guidance at the times when they are here. Silent intensive personal retreats. You are welcome to come to Manzanita for a formal silent personal meditation retreat; you are also welcome to practice less formally-and to spend unstructured time relaxing in this rugged, spacious, open landscape. You are also most welcome to come to write or study. Personal Retreats Please call well in advance to discuss the possibility of a visit. Forty Day Winter Retreat Every year we have an informal forty day winter retreat, which also includes the Winter Retreat December 24-January 2. THe forty day retreat goes from Thanksgiving to the New Year. see Retreats page Know that we are approximately thirty-five miles from a town of any size. (Temecula to the north. Ramona and Julian to the south) Return To Page Menu Ongoing Weekly Schedule Aikido and Iaido Monday 5:30-7:30 Please call Michele for details 760-782-9223 Meditation Visitors are welcome on Saturday Mornings when there is no scheduled retreat for formal meditation, meditation instruction (when necessary) and Dharma discussion and discourse. Return To Page Menu Contact Us Contact information for Ordinary Dharma and Manzanita Village Retreat Center Ordinary Dharma, PO Box 67, Warner Springs, CA 92086 760-782-9223 Manzanita Village 760-782-0655 Fax manzanita@ordinarydharma.org Drawing of the entrance gate at Manzanita Village. Michele Benzamin-Miki