Zen and mindfulness have long been buzzwords in the West. After the Buddhist teachings of Japanese philosopher D.T. Suzuki and the late-Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh infiltrated American culture in the 20th century, everyone from the Beatniks and The Beatles to Steve Jobs and innumerable corporate CEOs seemed to be searching for pathways to an ego-free existence and a new interpretation of what gives life meaning. Western comprehension of these teachings is often divorced from the Eastern original — Buddhism and materialism famously don’t go hand in hand, for example — but many have argued that the adoption of Zen practices has made the West a better place.
Zen, at the end of the day, literally means “meditation” in Japanese, and the evidence of its effects on the individual is overwhelmingly positive. According to Angela Lumba-Brown, co-director of the Stanford Brain Performance Center, it increases neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and GABA (which is responsible for calmness). As she told Stanford Magazine, “There are overall changes in these combinations of neurotransmitters that reflect a more positive, relaxed, and even contented direction.”
So it’s unsurprising that Zen retreats, and even Zen retirement communities, are now all the rage. One such retirement community is Enso Village, located in Healdsburg in Northern California, which officially opened in summer 2024 (though residents had been living there since late the year before). The village, whose name comes from a Japanese word for a Zen circle painting, was established by a not-for-profit catering to older adults in collaboration with the San Francisco Zen Center. Meditation is practiced by many residents, and elements of Japanese Buddhist culture, including a tearoom and Zen gardens, are incorporated into the design. But this does not exclude the faithless or proponents of other religions. Enso Village is open to all, marketing itself as a secular community.
The path to Nirvana at Enso Village
There are myriad ways to practice the art of Zen and mindfulness techniques at Enso Village, which is open to adults aged 60 and over. Take a walk in the gentle Healdsburg hiking trails or find a place of quiet repose in the Sonoma Botanical Garden and listen to the sound of chorusing birds. Spend an hour in the zendo meditation hall, then go for a massage or sip matcha in the tearoom. Attend a dharma talk or a yoga class. Start your morning with tai chi. A day in Enso Village could hold a candle to the world’s best destinations for stress-free wellness vacations…