Staying at the Monastery

Redwood Vihara is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the middle of a redwood forest. We are a monastery devoted to training monks and laity in the lineage of Master Hua while drawing from the experience of the Forest Tradition of Theravada Buddhism.

Everything at the monastery comes from generosity and there is no charge for any of our activities. Redwood Vihara is is supported entirely by voluntary donations in the form of food and other material requisites, money, and work. While there is no obligatory charge to stay, participants can consider how they might contribute to the needs of maintaining the monastery, developing the virtues of generosity, gratitude and kindness, important qualities supporting the practice of spiritual cultivation.

Cancellation Policy

We ask that reservations not be made until one can commit to those dates without the likelihood of changing or canceling. If you do need to cancel, please let us know at least two weeks before your visit.

Arranging for Transport

Unfortunately, due to limited resources, we do not arrange transport for participants and request that they organize their own transportation both to and from the monastery before arriving.

Directions to Redwood Vihara

• Cell phone service is spotty, so please have your GPS on your phone setup before you drive in.

• Drive to 16925 CA-9 Boulder Creek, CA 95006 (link), then turn into a small road.

• If you are coming from the north, we are after Teilh Road.

• If you are coming from the south, we will be after "Seeds of Knowledge Preschool."

• Entrance to the property from Google Street View.

• Drive on that small road for about half a mile (after crossing a small bridge) to arrive at the house with green trimming at the end of the road. 

Outside Communication and Coming and Going while Staying at the Monastery

A monastery is a sanctuary from the usual worldly concerns for those who have dedicated themselves to spiritual practice. As participants are sharing in community life, it is not appropriate to come and go without notice or engage in external business during their stay. We ask participants to take care of all business before arrival and agree to stay in the monastery for the duration of their visit.

To help make the monastery a haven of quiet, simplicity and solitude, participants are asked to refrain from using their cell phones (or smart phones) for calls, texts, or email while staying here and to leave their tablets and laptop computers at home.

If it is absolutely necessary for a monastery telephone or computer to be used for a departure arrangement or an emergency, please ask the resident monastics for permission to do so.

Special Diets and Times of Eating at Redwood Vihara

Please note that we are generally unable to host overnight participants who require a special diet (any type of food outside of what is offered to everyone on a daily basis) or participants who need to eat outside of the two meal times (breakfast and lunch). If you have medical issues (e.g. diabetes) or exceptional circumstances, please explain your situation to the resident monastics.

Lodging Description for Men and Women

One of the monastery lodging traditions derived from the practices in the time of the Buddha is to accept whatever lodging one is offered. Men and women stay in separate areas of the monastery and live in separate dwelling spaces. 

Women generally stay at Karuna House, a 2000 square foot, two story house with six separate rooms and four bathrooms. Each room has a bed with mattress and a desk. Reaching the house requires walking up a steep hill. The women's accommodation is located about a ten minute walk (2/3 of a mile) from the Buddha Hall along an asphalt road.

The men's accommodations are generally located a few minutes uphill or downhill walk from the Buddha Hall. Men stay in separate cabins or rooms, some of which have beds and others have thin air mattresses. Each cabin has several windows, a wood laminate floor and has an electric or propane heater.

Additional Items to Bring

• ** bedding (bedsheets, pillow case, sleeping bag or blankets)
  If bringing these items is inconvenient, please let us know so that we can prepare them for you

• easy on/off sandals

• towel

• toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.)

• flashlight or headlamp

• alarm clock

• sturdy shoes

• work clothes (recommended: work gloves)

• warm clothing (including hat and scarf)

• rain gear (umbrella, rain jacket)

• thermos

The Eight Precepts

All program participants at Redwood Vihara abide by the Eight Precepts, examples of these include not eating after the main meal (which ends between noon and 1:00 pm) until breakfast the next day, avoiding physical contact between men and women, and not killing any living creature including an insect. The Eight Precepts are:

1. To undertake the precept to refrain from killing or harming any living being.

2. To undertake the precept to refrain from taking what is not given.

3. To undertake the precept to refrain from sexual activity.

4. To undertake the precept to refrain from false and harmful speech (which includes harsh, divisive, and frivolous speech).

5. To undertake the precept to refrain from consuming drugs, alcohol or tobacco.

6. To undertake the precept to refrain from entertainment, beautification and adornment.

7. To undertake the precept to refrain from lying on a high or luxurious sleeping place.

8. To undertake the precept to refrain from eating at inappropriate times (i.e. refraining from eating after mid-day).

In addition:

• We follow a vegetarian, egg-free diet. We also do not eat garlic, onion, chives, leeks or green onions (plants from the allium family). Please refrain from bringing these items to the monastery.

• To support the monastic setting, please do not wear suggestive clothing. Loose clothes that fully cover the legs, shoulders and chest are best.

Monastic Daily Schedule

Participants join in the daily schedule, including the morning recitation and group meditation which begins at 5:00am and the evening recitation which begins at 6:30pm. Depending on the day, there may be a Dharma talk after lunch, a Dharma Q&A in the late afternoon, and/or an activity in the evening.

A Guide to Monastic Etiquette at Redwood Vihara

This is intended as a guide to laypeople staying at Redwood Vihara. People from non-Buddhist backgrounds may find the discipline and customs somewhat unfamiliar. It is hoped that the following information will help in giving greater understanding and sensitivity to the various conventions of monastic life.

Monastic Code

The Vinaya, the code of monastic discipline, establishes a relationship with laypeople without whose daily support the sangha could not continue.

Respectfulness

In monasteries, emphasis is placed on establishing harmony by mindfulness and consideration for others. Participants are invited to share in these observances of beautiful behavior and sensitivity.

Before entering the Buddha Hall or living space it is necessary to remove the shoes and put on sandals (the floor can be cold). Although visitors are not obliged to, there is the custom of bowing to the shrine or teacher. The triple bow, to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, is usually done upon entering or leaving the Buddha hall. When in the meditation hall concern need be taken in moving with as little noise as possible. When sitting one should avoid lolling and lounging and sitting with one's back against the wall, especially during a Dharma talk. Care should be taken not to point the feet at the shrine or at other people generally, as this can be considered impolite.

When offering something to a monk or nun or talking with them, one should not stand over them but rather approach them at the same level at which they are sitting.

Relationships

In our tradition monks and nuns lead lives of total celibacy. This includes refraining from suggestive speech or physical contact with lustful intent, both of which are serious offenses against the Vinaya discipline. To avoid this and to prevent gossip or misunderstanding from arising, a monk has to be accompanied by another male whenever he is engaging in a long conversation with a woman. A similar rule applies for nuns.

Participants are asked to be sensitive to the proper mode of conduct for men and women within a monastic setting. In terms of lodging, men and women stay in separate areas of the monastery and no men should enter the women's lodgings/public restrooms, or vice versa, without permission from one of the senior monks.

Terms of Address

Monastics may be addressed as "Venerable" or by adding “Shr” after their name. For instance, Jin Chuan Shr or Jin Wei Shr. Any monk may be referred to as "Dharma Master” or adding “Fa-Shr” after their name (although in general practice this is used for those over 10 years in robes). Also some monastics have specific ways they are usually addressed, for instance, Reverend Heng Sure.

Palms Together and Bowing

Placing our palms together is a gesture of respect. The hands are held together in front of the chest. 

To bow appropriately, begin with your palms together, and as you bend down, put your right hand in the center of the cushion (or directly in front of you on the ground), and then as your body rocks forward, you ease both knees down on the bench or floor as you bring your left hand to the cushion. With your weight now primarily on your knees, you adjust your hands so that to provide space for your head, which you lower to the cushion or floor between your two hands. As your head touches the cushion, you turn your hands palm up. Coming up from the bow is the same process in reverse. You turn your hands palm down, while lifting your head from the cushion, then place your right hand in the center of the cushion. If needed, place your left hand on your left knee for support as you rise. Push firmly to bring yourself back into a standing position with your palms together again. You have completed a full bow. When three bows are made, a final half-bow from the waist usually follows.