Yesterday we drove from KTC up past Albany, New York to a small town named Grafton. In the country outside the town is the Grafton Peace Pagoda, built by a Japanese Buddhist Nun from the Nipponzan Myohoji order named Jun Yasuda. It took her 8 years to complete it, beginning in 1985 and dedicated in 1993. I was sorry to miss Jun Yasuda yesterday as I admire her work for peace.

You can read more about her and the pagoda itself on www.graftonpeacepagoda.org and I hope you will. There are only two Peace Pagodas in the US, the other one in Massachusetts (where, unfortunately, I will not be able to go this trip.)

Here are some photos from yesterday.

The Peace Pagoda has beautiful grounds where I found the statue in this last shot. Around the pagoda there are 12 friezes depicting the 12 Deeds of the Buddha -- here you can see him teaching. There are also many reliefs around the lower level where you find what might be Native American animal symbols, each in the center of a lotus flower. A lovely temple is the first structure you see with the pagoda in the background.

The second Peace Pagoda is in Leverett, MA at 100 Cave Hill Road, 01054 413-367-2202, for anyone who's nearby and would like to circumambulate one of these beautiful and graceful expressions of the Buddha's enlightened mind. Daily devotional demonstrations include circumambulating 3 times while chanting, drumming and praying.

On the road in Dharma,
LKC