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Introduction | Accommodation and Food | What to Bring, | Arrival and Departure Times
Typical Daily Schedule | Scholarships and Work Exchange | What People Say about Manzanita Village | Personal Retreats
Directions to Manzanita Village | SANCTUARY. A Two Year Training Program. | Emergency Contact | Contact Us
October
* October 3-5 Circles
* October 31- November 2 Retreat for People of ColorDecember
* December 26 - January 3
Winter Retreat~Advance
Fourteenth Annual Holiday Retreat
- Expanded Awareness and
Accelerated Personal Transformation
based on Buddhist teachings and Practice
Affiliated Retreats:
Email Tender Shoots of Joy Milwaukee for Schedule
Join Our List to Receive Retreat Announcements
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Personal change or social change?
Meditation is more than just sitting
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The Pressing Questions for only $1
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Advance Registration for all Retreats at least two weeks in advance helps us plan and allows you to reserve you place.
Retreats at Manzanita Village are an opportunity to learn, or to deepen, your Meditation Practice. The land is beautiful. In every season it offers the gift of continual transformation, mirroring your own process. At night the only lights visible in the surrounding landscape comes from the moon and stars. The facilities are modest but comfortable. The air is clean, and we draw good water from our own well. There are plenty of trails for walking. We serve vegetarian, mostly organic, food. Meditation Retreats are silent, blending traditional aspects of Vipassana practice, and Zen, as well as appropriate interactive processes. Teachers give meditation instruction, Dharma talks, and on longer retreats are available for private interviews. Unless otherwise stated, all Retreats are suitable for both Newcomers and Experienced Meditators. We keep prices to the minimum. Prices include only the cost of food and lodging!
Similar work/workshops are offered elsewhere at many times the cost. Our intention is that everyone can attend.
Every great teacher and tradition has spoken of how generosity, giving freely, is a practice of immense value to the giver.
In addition to the registration fee, you are invited to offer a donation.
People sometimes ask what an appropriate amount might be. There is no single answer. You might match the registration fee. Many people donate several times more than that, while others who cannot afford to, donate less.
The practice is to give what you feel is appropriate to your circumstance.
You receive in proportion to what you give
A closed container cannot be replenishedWhen you give from your heart
you free yourself from anxiety and loneliness
and remember your connection to the web of living beings No one can take away what is already given
Your giving remains forever pure and
the power of your generosity remains forever intact
How you place yourself in the world?
Activism means: knowing that the consequences of your actions move out in wider circles than you can ever truly know,
taking risks, being fluid and adaptable, always learning.
To register by mail send a check to
Ordinary Dharma
PO Box 67, Warner Springs, CA
To Register by Credit Card or Paypal
Friday 6:00 PM - Sunday 3:00 PM
Safe Space for trans women and men and allies
Facilitated by Elise Turen, Michele Benzamin-Miki,
and Caitríona Reed.
For information about Elise go to Visiting Teachers.
For information about Michele and Caitríona go to Resident Teachers
$250 + dana includes food and accommodation
Partial scholarships available. . . for all women, men, g/q ,and others questioning gender binaries and stereotypical identity-iesConference highlights include:
* Workshops and discussion groups co-created by participants,
* Accommodation and fine vegetarian, mostly organic meals
* An atmosphere of safety, confidentiality, and ease
* Time for relaxation, sauna, naps, walks in the surrounding hills
* Exploration of issues such as:
- Internalized oppression, internalized transphobia
- Identity beyond binary paradigms (female/male straight/gay etc etc)
- The Wisdom of Insecurity, trusting our Power
- Class, Race, and Gender
- Strategies for facilitating change: personal, communal, and societal
- Trans issues and the law
- Coming Out to Our Family and Children
- The place for genderqueer, trans, and 'two-spirit' people in traditional societies
- Buddhism, Christianity, Spiritual Practice and Trans Issues
- Transition issues
- Relationships
- Transgender Liberation Movement '
- Descansos' reflections on and the landmarks of our life's journey
Dance and body-image
or discussion-group
Please note: this is not just for trans people 'in transition.' We are all always, all of us, in transition of one sort or another - whether we are gay, straight, trans or otherwise. And if you think you have got you life together, please come along anyway to support those who do not! We look forward to sharing some time with you.
I have come back to life!
The ease and the freedom
I feel at Manzanita
lets me let go and feel free….
free of all fears and the sense of abandonment
I sometimes feel in my everyday life.
What is more beautiful than a human being
who has just realized that she is actually alive….?
–Sara Carmichael, participant at Circles
To register by mail send a check to
Ordinary Dharma
PO Box 67, Warner Springs, CA
Celebrating Life Honoring Ancestry
October 31 - November 2, 2008
Friday 6:00 PM - Monday 3:00 PM
Michele Benzamin-Miki, Mushim Ikeda-Nash
$250 + dana includes food and accommodationWe celebrate Halloween on the 31st October,
and in Mexico,the Day of the Dead on November 1st and 2nd.
You are invited to bring photos and other items for an altar that
special celebration on Saturday, honoring our ancestors, with
stories, poetry, songs, dance, and music
Manzanita Village is only two-and-half hours from Los Angeles but it borders some of the wildest mountain country in Southern California. What I am learning is that, even in these times - especially in these times! - I am nourished and regenerated by living on this land, and by the beings I share it with. My roots are growing deep here. We established Manzanita Village 14 years ago because we understood that the land itself could be a teacher, and that if we cared for it, and trusted it, it would help heal everyone who came here. I invite you to come and listen to the coyotes’ song, and the ravens’ song, and the wind’s song, and the silence, and join us for this retreat.
Michele Benzamin-Miki
Michele Benzamin-Miki
Mushim Ikeda-Nash
As I walked to the meditation hall at Manzanita Village, I saw a large coyote trotting along the property line in clear morning sunlight, moving purposefully and without haste. At such moments my life settles and my priorities fall into place. Over that retreat, my work became clear to me: I would return to Oakland and teach literature to teenagers.
Mushim Ikeda-Nash
for information about Mushim go to Visiting Teachers
This is a silent meditation retreat for People of Color.
It includes: Meditation Instruction, Dharma Talks, and Council.
Newcomers Welcome.Registration: $250. Please send a $100 deposit.
at manzanita@ordinarydharma.org or call 760-782-9223Space is limited. Register early!
To register by mail send a check to
Ordinary Dharma
PO Box 67, Warner Springs, CAor pay online
December 26, 2007- January 3, 2009
4:00 PM December 26th - 10:00 AM January 3
Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe
that I do not want it. Now I understand
why the old poets of China went so far and high
into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
Mary Oliver
Year's End Silent Meditation Retreat
with Michele Benzamin-Miki
and Caitríona Reed
Eight days~ December 26 - January 3
$600 + dana
Full attendance required
Weaving together the teachings and practices of the Buddhist Traditions with the timeless themes of Peace-Making and Non-Violence, Social Justice, Personal Development, Integration and Creativity. Days include Teachings, Meditation, Dharma talks, discussion, and movement, interactive exercises, and dialog; with some unstructured time for hiking, reading, writing, resting.
Retreats Elsewhere
Retreats and Seminars with Caitríona and Michele
Ongoing teachings and Retreats with Rodney Sanchez
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
at Tender Shoots of Joy Zendo
Rodney and Bethany Sanchez
Contact them for their teaching schedule as well as
retreats with Caitríona Reed and Michele Benzamin-Miki
414-372-9785 bethanyrodney@hotmail.com
Aikido and Iaido
Guiding teachers at these dojos are students of Michele Sensei
and invite her to teach from time to time (once or twice a year)
Please contact them for details.
Long Island, New York
Iaido Seminar with Sensei Michele Benzamin-Miki at Suigetsu Dojo
Contact Sensei Dara Masi (631) 261-4229 for dates
Suigetsu New York
Minneapolis, Minnesota
FEMA Dojo,
Iaido and Aikido and Meditation with Sensei Michele Benzamin-Miki
Contact: Sifu Koré Grate (612) 729-7223 for dates
Feminist Eclectic Martial Arts (F.E.M.A.)
Ukiah, California
Ukiah Aikido Dojo
Iaido and Aikido and Meditation with Sensei Michele Benzamin-Miki
Contact: Sensei Gail Fillman (707) 462-5141
fillman@pacific.ne
Accommodations: we provide shared rooms, with a few single and double rooms.
On Retreats rooms are usually shared between up to five other people.
You may also camp in your own tent.
Note that winter can be very cold, summer can be hot.
Note that even in the summer the nights can be cool.
We have hot showers and indoor bathrooms.
The buildings are heated in winter with wood burning stoves.
Single rooms are available on a first come basis.
For a single occupancy room add 20%
So on a retreat costing $250 a single occupancy room will cost $300.
For a Shared Double room add 15% to registration.
On a retreat costing $250 a double occupancy room will cost $285 per person.
The hermitage is also available on scheduled retreats for single or double occupancy.On Personal Retreats it is usually possible for you to have your own private room.We also have a hermitage, of straw-bale construction, which is available for personal retreats.
Click here for information on Personal Retreats
Food
We serve vegetarian food. We make occasional use of dairy, but can easily accommodate vegans, as well as others with special food needs
.
Special Food Needs If you have special food needs please let us know when you send your registration deposit. Please do not wait until you arrive here to tell us.We use organic, non genetically-modified, food as much as possible. We pump clean water from our own well.
For Retreats and Workshops Please Bring:
* Bedding: a sleeping bag + sheet (to cover mattress), or sheets and blankets
* Sleeping pillow
* Towel
* Flashlight
* Shoes that slip on and off easily
* Hiking shoes or boots
* Loose comfortable clothing
* Blanket or shawl for early morning meditation
* Hat for strong summer sun
* Sun-block
* Warm clothes for winter and early morning and nights. (Please note: shorts and tank tops are not appropriate during formal meditation retreats)
* No pets
For Circles™ Weekends Please Bring:
Circles is an informal weekend workshop/conference and you can disregard the dress code as it is described elsewhere on this page.
You are also invited to facilitate a workshop or discussion group on a subject of you choice. This is entirely optional, though we encourage you to do so. We recommend that you facilitate something on a subject you are passionate about, rather than an expert in.
For more information about Circles Click Here
On Longer Retreats Please Bring:
* Something comfortably elegant to wear for tea meditation
* A poem (preferably your own, preferably memorized), song, instrument, for tea meditation or council
What NOT To Bring Things To Leave At Home:
* No need to bring bottled water. We have water from our own well
* Dress casually. (We ask that people not to wear shorts or tank-tops in the Meditation Hall).
* Jewelry and things you might lose
(though we don't discourage the wearing of jewelry, we just don't want you to lose it)
* Restrictive clothing
* No meat, alcohol, or nonprescription drugs please
* Smoking is okay in designated area
* Candles, incense, fire
* No pets
Arrival: If you are coming to a scheduled retreat, unless otherwise stated, retreats begin at 6:00 PM with supper.
Registration begins at 4:00 PM.
Please arrive no later that 5:00 PM if possible. You are free to arrive earlier in the day if you wish, or even the day before. (Please let us know in advance)
We strongly recommend leaving the Los Angeles area by 1:00 PM at the latest to avoid rush hour traffic.
If possible arrive early in the day (bring your own lunch) and spend a few hours relaxing, walking, and enjoying the country.Departure: Unless otherwise stated retreats end at 3:00 PM after lunch, a closing circle and/or some time for cleanup.
We request that you stay through to the end of the retreat. Although retreats are often conducted in silence, there is a group dynamic, of which each participant is a part. If this you need to leave early please let us know when you register.You are re welcome to stay on through the evening, or even overnight (we charge $45 extra for an overnight stay).
Please let us know in advance if you wish to stay on. Personal RetreatContacting You
Do not plan to make or receive phone calls.
We are out of range for most cell phones.
Below is a typical schedule for a day on a Meditation Retreat.
Please note
The schedule for Workshops like
Warrior Heart Path,
Five Changes Workshops including Sanctuary and Circles™
can vary significantly from this schedule.There are also seasonal variations, and you should also note that the schedule as outlined here does not convey the texture of spontaneity and spontaneous teachings that arise in the course of a typical day.
Typical Schedule for a Day on Retreat
6:00 Wake-up
6:30-7:45 Morning Meditation
8:00 Breakfast
8:45 Sammu (work practice)
10:30 Elm Dance
10:50-1:00 Morning Practice. Meditation Instruction. Dharma talk.
1:00 Lunch ~ Open Time
3:30 Afternoon Practice. Interviews with teachers
6:00 Dinner
7:15 Walking Meditation or Council
8:00-9:30 Evening Meditation
First Day of a Typical Retreat
1:00-5:00 Arrival, Registration, and Orientation.
6:00 Dinner
7:15-9:00 Retreat Begins. Introduction to Meditation.
Please allow for traffic so that you can arrive before dinner.
If you are coming from the Los Angeles area this means leaving town by 1:00 PM
to avoid rush hour traffic and spending 2-3 hours on the road rather 4-6!!
Last Day of a Typical Retreat
6:00 Wake-up
6:30-7:45 Morning Meditation (Precepts recitation/transmission)
8:00 Breakfast
8:45 Sammu (work practice-cleanup)
10:30 Elm Dance.
10:50-1:00 Morning Practice. Close
1:00 Lunch
2:00-3:00 Formal Closing or Cleanup period
3:00 Departure
You are welcome to stay on through the evening, or even overnight (we charge $45 extra for an overnight stay).
Please let us know in advance if you wish to stay on.
Registering for a Retreat. All retreats require pre-registration.
Either a deposit of $100 or if you choose you can pay the full registration
To register by mail send a check to
Ordinary Dharma, PO Box 67, Warner Springs, CA 92086
To Register by Credit Card or Paypal
Confirmation: We will mail, or e-mail, confirmation.
Directions: How to get here and what to bring
Car Pooling. If you are coming from the Los Angeles area, San Diego, or the San Francisco Bay Area we will do our best to arrange car-pooling for you. Please call us two weeks before the retreat to let us know that you would like to share a ride.
Dana. Please know that we rely on voluntary donations in order to keep our rates this low.
Registration includes food and lodging.
It does not include general upkeep of Manzanita Village We rely for that on your Dana.In the Buddhist traditions Dana is the practice of generosity, by which you can help to support the teachings, the teachers, and the retreat center. You are welcome to offer dana in the form of a cash donation to support the work of the teachers and the center.
There is no obligation this, though something will be said during retreats to explain this time-honored practice.
The Practice of Generosity
The universe is infinitely abundant.
You receive in proportion to how you give.Generosity strengthens the integrity of your spirit.
It accumulates, and informs you forever.By giving with Gratitude you give to yourself
priceless gifts of joy, confidence, energy, and freedom.
You affirm your connection to the web of life,
and regenerate, renew, and strengthen yourself.By practicing generosity you make
the ultimate investment in yourself,
and define how you walk through this life.The measure is not how much you get.
— it is always what you give.
Read more: A short piece by Kathleen Hoag on Dana
Scholarships and Reduced Rates. We keep rates for retreats, especially longer retreats, low. Registration covers no more than our basic costs. We have not raised our rates in ten years! However if you are a students or on low income we can usually offer reduced rates in order for you to attend a retreat. We never turn people away for lack of money. In order that this can be a reciprocal arrangement we also offer work-exchange~partial scholarships.
Work-exchange means coming to a retreat a day or two before a retreat begins and/or staying on after it is over, to help clean, prepare food, and to help with other projects. This will mean that you do not have to work during the retreat, and will be able to fully participate in it.
Cooking. We can always use help in the kitchen. For anyone who has cooked at retreats before, or has been to a retreat at Manzanita Village before, and would like to help by cooking, with supervision from the teachers or staff please let us know. We would welcome your help.
We can also offer to exchange your cooking for an entire retreat for attendance on another retreat. For this exchange, you will have already attended at least one retreat at Manzanita Village.
Ordinary Dharma,
PO Box 67,
Warner Springs,
CA 92086
760-782-9223 Manzanita Village
760-782-0655 Fax
manzanita@ordinarydharma.org
