Retreat Center Embodies Vision of Harmony & Healing

By Jack Petranker

Founder of the Center for Creative Inquiry and past dean of the Nyingma Institute, Jack Petranker is fascinated by all forms of knowledge.

Suppose you were a Tibetan lama who has already built one of the world's most beautiful temple complexes, given away close to two million Tibetan books, founded an Institute and publishing company, and written more than a dozen books that have been translated into sixteen languages. Where would you turn your energies next? Well, if you were Tarthang Tulku, you might decide to found a retreat center open to anyone to explore new ways of integrating Buddhist teachings and the Tibetan healing arts with Western forms of knowledge and practice.
That's the story behind Ratna Ling ("Jewel Crest"), a new retreat center tucked away in the coastal ridges of northwest Sonoma County, within sight of world-famous Odiyan Monastery. Located on a site previously under development as a luxury resort, Ratna Ling started operations this spring.

It has plans for a meditation hall, conference center, and state-of-the-art healing center, but even now there is plenty to draw attention, starting with the dramatic lodge and spectacular new cottages that retreatants will enjoy.

A unique feature of Ratna Ling is its affiliation with a variety of non-profits, each inspired in some way by the teachings of Tarthang Tulku. The Nyingma Institute draws on the beauty of Ratna Ling to support traditional Buddhist workshops and retreats. The Center for Creative Inquiry explores alternative forms of experiential knowing across a wide range of disciplines, including education and business. The Center for Skillful Means presents a radically new approach to work as a spiritual discipline, and Dharma Publishing offers programs based on its publications.

In the future, Ratna Ling will have a strong focus on the healing arts. A healing center nestled among the redwoods, scheduled for completion in 2007-8, will bring together alternative approaches grounded in Ayurveda, Tibetan medicine, and a wide range of therapies. There are plans to research the use of Tibetan herbs and to integrate disciplines centered on the subtle energies of the body.

Ratna Ling is also a working Buddhist community, focused on the production of texts in Tibetan sent to India each year for distribution to Tibetans in exile and in Tibet. Work-study students drawn to the remote beauty and quiet lifestyle of Ratna Ling are welcome to join in these efforts.
Buddhism has become widely known over the past few decades as a wisdom tradition with much to offer the West. Ratna Ling represents an experiment in bringing its traditional ways into contact with the modern world. Open to a wide range of approaches, it draws its inspiration from a heritage in which spiritual knowledge was humanity's most precious resource. Whether efforts like this one succeed will have a lot to do with what our society looks like in generations to come.