Pepper Tree Retreat

In the Chaplin Room, one guest wrote, the many windows open onto the garden and let in the early morning sunshine. The whole place works that way: a 1910 farmhouse and a 1950 cottage, set among 10 acres of orange and olive orchards, gardens and open space on the East End of Ojai.

Pepper Tree Retreat, also called the Krishnamurti Retreat, is part of the Krishnamurti Center in Ojai. It is built around a simple proposition: that people need somewhere to explore the teachings of J. Krishnamurti, reconnect with nature and establish a new relationship with life. The idea comes from Krishnamurti himself, who said, "It is essential sometimes to go into retreat, to stop everything that you have been doing, to stop your experiences completely and look at them anew."

The days are deliberately plain. A continental breakfast is served each morning in the retreat dining room. The property is alcohol-free, smoke-free and vegetarian. Children aged 12 and older are welcome, and service dogs are welcome with advance notice. Marked paths wind through the grounds, and a herbal garden is part of the walk. For study and stillness there is a library, a quiet room and a video room.

The Midweek Personal Study Retreat is the clearest expression of the place: a discounted four-night stay from Monday to Friday, spent in self-guided exploration of Krishnamurti's teachings during a quieter part of the week. Guests can also join the weekly dialogue on Wednesday night. One visitor, who had come alone from Los Angeles to meditate on deep thoughts, wrote that "the silence was beautiful."