Our Location

Our Location

Vajrapani Institute for Wisdom Culture is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Boulder Creek, CA at the end of a five-mile dirt road on the border of Castle Rock State Park. While secluded, we are relatively close to the San Jose and San Francisco airports.

 

If you are using a navigation system in your car or on your phone we recommend inputting the address of one of our local businesses, The Mountain Store at 125 Pool Drive in Boulder Creek CA 95006. Once your navigation system takes you there, you will drive less than a quarter of a mile on Pool Drive, turn left on Kings Creek Road, and follow Kings Creek Road for 5 miles. You should see occasional signs that let you know the distance left to travel and some prayer flags hanging over the road to let you know you are on the right path!

 

Please note this is our physical address and is not a mailing address. To reach us by mail, please contact us at PO Box 2130, Boulder Creek, CA 95006.

You can also download this PDF that provides detailed directions to our center.

Transportation Options

There are many public transit systems in the Bay Area. However, no public service is offered on the last five miles of the dirt road leading to Vajrapani Institute. You will need to arrange a car or taxi, or be prepared to walk the final length of the journey. See either of the options below for taxi information.

Taxi Services

The following taxi services offer transportation options from both San Jose and San Francisco.

 

Dave’s Cab: 831-818-4099

 

Ruben’s Airport Shuttle: 831-325-5836

 

Gary at SLV Taxis: 831-419-8636

Public Transportation

San Francisco

 

  1. From the airport take the Sam Trans #292 and get off at the Hillsdale Shopping Center. The Caltrain Station is across the street from the Shopping Center. http://www.samtrans.com/schedules.html
  2. Take the Southbound San Jose/Gilroy train from Hillsdale to San Jose Caltrain (also known as the ‘Diridon’ station). http://www.caltrain.com/timetable.html
  3. Take the Highway 17 Express bus (from ‘Diridon’ station) to the Scotts Valley (Caravallo) Transit Center.
    831 425-8600 (TTY 800-894-9908 FREE)
  4. Take the local bus (#35A) to Boulder Creek. Ask the driver if it goes to the Mountain Store. If not, ask if the driver can drop you off at Johnnie’s Super Market in Boulder Creek.
  5. No public service is offered on the last five miles of dirt road to get to us. You will need to pre-arrange a car or taxi, or be prepared to walk the final length of the journey.
    You may use a local taxi company such as Gary at SLV Taxis: 831-419-8636

 

San Jose

 

  1. From the airport catch #10 VTA bus to Santa Clara Train Station. http://www.vta.org/
  2. Take the Southbound San Jose/Gilroy train just 1 or 2 stops to San Jose Caltrain Station (also known as the ‘Diridon’ station.)
    http://www.caltrain.com/timetable.html
  3. Take the Highway 17 Express bus (from ‘Diridon’ station) to the Scotts Valley (Caravallo) Transit Center.
    831 425-8600 (TTY 800-894-9908 FREE)
  4. Take the local bus (#35A) to Boulder Creek. Ask the driver if it goes to the Mountain Store (ideal). If not, ask if the driver can drop you off at Johnnie’s Super Market in Boulder Creek.
  5. No public service is offered on the last five miles of dirt road to get to us. You will need to pre-arrange a car or taxi, or be prepared to walk the final length of the journey.
    You may use a local taxi company such as Gary at SLV Taxis: 831-419-8636

Upcoming Retreats

Online Book Club – Vol 1: Approaching the Buddhist Path

Venerable Gyalten Chimé

August 30 - October 18, 2023
When On Zoom Every Wednesday for 8 weeks (Aug 30 to Oct 18) 6:30 - 8:00pm Pacific Time   ABOUT This weekly online book gathering will feature facilitated conversation, discussion and meditation sessions with Buddhist monastic Venerable Chimé.  The text we will explore over the course of these 8 weekly Zoom gatherings is Wisdom Publications’ Approaching the Buddhist Path by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chödrön. This recently published book is the first in an amazing series containing the traditional Buddhist Sanskrit tradition teachings, together with comparisons from the Buddhist Pali tradition, as well as rich parallels with modern…

Four Views of Reality

Scott Snibbe

October 6 - 8, 2023
In-person Only Indo-Tibetan Buddhism posits four progressively subtler understandings of reality, in particular, exploring what “self” and “objects” may or may not be. Monks, nuns, and serious students of Buddhism study these different views, called “tenets” that were developed 1500-2000 years ago. The topics can be tricky to understand and it’s hard to remember the schools’ specific Sanskrit names of Vaibhashika (Great Exposition), Sautantrika (Sutra), Cittamatra (Mind Only), and Madhyamaka (Middle Way). Simplified, these four views posit the “ultimate” nature of reality progressively from a view that believes in indivisible atoms and moments of consciousness to a reality where living…

Our Blog

  • Spring has officially arrived and with it a sense of renewal, a spark of hope. Trees are leafing and blossoming. So many wildflowers dot the hillsides. Bees are buzzing and early morning birds chatter like townsfolk exclaiming the beauty of this valley.  Living a quiet......

Vajrapani Institute is affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition www.FPMT.org