1524 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, California 93101, United States
About Our Projects
Our Clinic
The Odiyana Health Project has built a clinic with the support of the Tibetan Aid Foundation and other donors. We are able to offer free health services for the local community here. We offer both Indigenous and Western medicine and are grateful to our team of medical volunteers.
Our Residency
The Odiyana Institute is currently constructing a residency that will house up to 25 young monks as well as resident caretakers and educators for our students. The monks keep clean quarters and each have a fresh bed and storage for their personal belongings. They share rooms and live as a happy and peaceful community.
Our Kitchen
The Odiyana Institute has built a traditional style open air kitchen. The residents eat communal meals in this kitchen three times a day. Their food is local, very nutritious, and they all have excellent appetites! Our Kitchen is run by a main chef and she has two support staff members who also upkeep the residence.
OUR School
The Odiyana Education Project has designed a school building for local children. Currently we house and educate 20 resident monks in our provisional school structure. We look forward to opening the doors of a new school to many children in the local community once fundraising and construction are completed. We will also house 25 total resident monks once our residency is completed.
Our STudies
The Odiyana Education Project has daily activities and educational programming for our resident monks. From the more traditional academic areas of language, math and science to lessons which focus on cultural preservation and Tibetan Buddhist studies, our students are receiving a well rounded exposure to many fields of study.
Our Teachers
The Odiyana School has three full time teachers and other visiting guest teachers throughout the year. We welcome volunteers to come and share in joy of teaching these young monks! We are fortunate to have resident teachers who hold the highest of qualifications from Namdroling Monastery and are able to offer our students an education of excellent standard.
Education for Future Generations
Odiyana Charitable Foundation is dedicated to benefiting all sentient beings. We are raising funds to construct a larger and more permanent school building that can accommodate the educational needs for children in the local village, opening the doors of opportunity to many girl day students in this area as well as our resident students.
Meet the founder: Tulku Orgyen P'huntsok
Tulku Orgyen P'huntsok's connection to Ruskin:
Tulku Orgyen is a Buddhist practitioner and teacher at the Odiyana Institute in Santa Barbara, California. Tulku Orgyen was born in Pemaköd, Northeastern India. Tulku’s parents, escaped Tibet in 1959 and moved to Ruksin. Tulku’s previous incarnation founded and lead the area of Pemaköd, a temple in the mountains above Ruksin. Inheriting the temple and the respect of his past life, Tulku continues to be a leader in the communities of both Pemaköd and Ruksin. Ruksin is the location for the Odiyana Health and Education Project.
How the project began:
In 2019, Tulku was given the Odiyana Health and Education Project site by the community in Ruksin. They asked him to do what he thought would be best for the community. In 2020, Dorjee Tsewnag and Dolkar Tso, founders of the Tibetan Aid Foundation, approached Tulku with a plan to use the land to build a clinic and a school to serve the local community and preserve Tibetan Cultural Heritage. Tulku agreed and, soon after, plans for the project began.
Aspirations for the Odiyana Health and Education Project :
As a Buddhist practitioner, Tulku is dedicated to benefiting all sentient beings. Tulku hopes that this project will bring temporary and long term benefit to the community. The clinic and the school will provide benefit to those in need, addressing health and education issues. Following the principles of loving kindness and compassion in the school, clinic, and temple, Tulku Orgyen hopes to help the community members find true happiness.
Through the Lens of Giving: Odiyana Health and Education
Any donation amount is welcome.
To sponsor any items, please email odiyanasb@gmail.com
$55/month will sponsor a resident child's food, clothing and education for one month.
$70/month per child will support our total monthly program operations.