Retreats at Manzanita Village are open to all. They weave together the teachings and practices of the Buddhist Traditions with the timeless themes of Peace-Making and Non-Violence, Social-Justice, Personal Integration and Creativity. Retreats follow the traditional forms of monastic practice, blending Theravada (Vipassana) practice with Thien (Zen).

Typical Retreat Days include meditation, Dharma talks, discussion, and movement; with some unstructured time for hiking, reading, and resting. In addition to traditional retreats we also offer workshops with specific themes —creativity, creative-writing, martial-arts, deep-ecology, as well as queer-specific themes and retreats for transgendered people, as well as for people of color and of mixed-race.

Although we are a Buddhist inspired center and offer traditional Dharma practice, we are ecumenical in spirit, inquisitive by nature, and averse to those who espouse a singular point of view. We hold to the basic Buddhist Precepts and also recognize that "the understanding we presently posses is not changeless, absolute truth".

The teachings given here are flexible and practical. The style in which they are presented is non-coercive, non-hierarchical, and creative, and always honors the wisdom that we understand to be inherent in every person. As a result of our open approach there is a natural sense of community that is felt on every retreat, no matter how long or short it is.

All of our work is informed by the traditions of Socially Engaged Spiritual Practice. We have conclude 2 two-year programs for social activists, and next year we will be initiating our SANCTUARY II program.