Odiyan was named after Oddiyana, a small country in medieval India and the birthplace of Padmasambhava, who is also known as the Second Buddha. As a site, is a living mandala, a sacred symbol found in Tibetan Buddhist culture. The mandala contains five temples and thousands of other sacred symbols. Every day, year after year, the community members work to cultivate and maintain the Odiyan mandala so that the benefits of this ancient stream of teachings remain alive.