# Krishnamurti Retreat ## Definition The **Krishnamurti Retreat** is a residential retreat run by the Krishnamurti Foundation of America at 1130 McAndrew Road, in the East End of the [[wiki/Ojai|Ojai Valley]], California. It was formerly known as the Pepper Tree Retreat. Its grounds include **Arya Vihara**, which the Foundation describes as the former house of [[wiki/Jiddu Krishnamurti|Jiddu Krishnamurti]], "who lived here from 1922 to 1986." The Foundation describes the retreat as "an oasis for the mind amidst 11 acres of nature, where one may retreat, inquire, and establish a new relationship with life." ## History Krishnamurti first came to Ojai in 1922 with his brother Nityananda, who had tuberculosis and needed a warm, dry climate. Arya Vihara, a rambling ranch house on McAndrew Road, became his home, and in 1975 it housed the newly founded Oak Grove School. Krishnamurti and a group of trustees formed the Krishnamurti Foundation of America in 1969. He returned to Ojai from Madras in January 1986 and died on February 17, 1986, at the age of ninety. The neighbouring **Pine Cottage**, at 1098 McAndrew Road, is now the Krishnamurti Center and its Study Center & Library. The library opened in 1984 at Krishnamurti's urging, and a 1978 addition to the cottage serves as its meeting hall. The Foundation's two pages each name a different building, Arya Vihara and Pine Cottage, as the home where he lived from 1922 to 1986; the two houses stand on the same campus. ## Bryant McGill at the Krishnamurti Retreat Bryant McGill spent time at Krishnamurti's former home on McAndrew Road in August 2012. A [[photo journey/2012-08-31 - Bryant at Krishnamurti's Former Home in Ojai|Photo Journey]] photograph from Friday, August 31, 2012, shows him there; his description of it in Google Photos reads "Former home of philosopher J. Krishnamurti. 1130 McAndrew Rd, Ojai, CA 93023." He later wrote in [[journal/2023-06-12 - Silence and Non-Observation|Silence and Non-Observation]] that time at the home made Krishnamurti's inquiry "feel less abstract." ## Relationships - **located in:** [[wiki/Ojai|Ojai, California]]. - **former home of:** [[wiki/Jiddu Krishnamurti|Jiddu Krishnamurti]] (1922–1986, per the Krishnamurti Foundation of America). - **personal history:** [[photo journey/2012-08-31 - Bryant at Krishnamurti's Former Home in Ojai|2012-08-31 - Bryant at Krishnamurti's Former Home in Ojai]]. - **journal:** [[journal/2023-06-12 - Silence and Non-Observation|Silence and Non-Observation]]. ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “I think it is essential sometimes to go to retreat, to stop everything that you have been doing, to stop your beliefs and experiences completely, and look at them anew, not keep on repeating like machines whether you believe or do not believe. You would then let in fresh air into your minds.” > **— Jiddu Krishnamurti**, *Madras, first public talk, January 5, 1952* [[reminders/Renewal/A Retreat Lets Fresh Air Into the Mind by Jiddu Krishnamurti|A Retreat Lets Fresh Air Into the Mind by Jiddu Krishnamurti]] ## Sources / Provenance - [Krishnamurti Retreat | Krishnamurti Foundation of America](https://www.kfa.org/krishnamurti-retreat/), consulted 2026-10-23: address, former name (Pepper Tree Retreat), Arya Vihara as Krishnamurti's former house, 1922–1986. - [Krishnamurti Foundation of America home page](https://kfa.org/), consulted 2026-10-23: "an oasis for the mind amidst 11 acres of nature." - [Krishnamurti Educational Center | Krishnamurti Foundation of America](https://kfa.org/krishnamurti-educational-center/), consulted 2026-10-23: Pine Cottage at 1098 McAndrew Road, residence 1922–1986, 1978 addition, library opened 1984. - [Krishnamurti and the Ojai Valley | Ojai Valley Museum](https://www.ojaivalleymuseum.org/ojai-history-blog/krishnamurti-and-the-ojai-valley), consulted 2026-10-23: 1922 arrival with Nityananda, Arya Vihara as his home, Oak Grove School (1975), Krishnamurti Foundation of America (1969), return in January 1986 and death on February 17, 1986. - Google Photos metadata and description for the Photo Journey photograph (coordinates 34.4594829, −119.1831819), for Bryant's visit.