Pine Mountain Buddhist Temple is located in rural Ventura County, California, on 45 acres in the Ozena Valley. The Ozena Valley is north of Pine Mountain (see map in How to get here), and west of the Lockwood Valley. The temple is both a monastic residence and a meditation retreat center for lay practice, following the Soto Zen tradition. It is a temple of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, founded by the late Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett (1924-1996), a female Zen Master who taught and trained monks primarily at Shasta Abbey in Northern California.

The temple comprises three houses, including a meditation and ceremony hall, residential and guest accommodations for men and women, a small library and common room. There is also a large workshop for projects and maintenance, as working meditation is an important part of our daily practice. We offer and encourage residential lay training at the temple (see below).

At the moment the monastic community has three members: the abbess, Rev. Phoebe Van Woerden, Rev. Seikai Luebke and Rev. Leon Kackman. The three monks are senior members of the OBC and are qualified Teachers of Buddhism. Rev. Master Phoebe and Rev. Master Seikai were disciples of Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett, and trained for many years at Shasta Abbey. Rev. Phoebe also trained at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in England. Following her death in 1996, they were both qualified as Zen Masters by Rev. Daizui MacPhillamy, who succeeded Rev. Master Jiyu as Head of the OBC. Rev. Leon is the disciple of Rev. Master Eko Little, abbot of Shasta Abbey.

Pine Mountain Buddhist Temple is one of many temple of the OBC in North America and Europe. The temple is visited regularly by other monks of the OBC and is supported by our guests and congregation members who live throughout Southern California.