“Just as cucumbers grow from cucumber seeds and eggplants from eggplant seeds, the outcome and the cause is preached to be of the same nature according to the law of causation. Consequently (for a nation to renounce war thus) choosing to avert evil and do good will bring the desired result of protecting the true security of the land and the people. “ ~Most Venerable Nichidatsu Fujii Guruji
The New England Peace Pagoda in Leverette MA is a special place. The first time I visited this beautiful site was when Meadow was a baby. We hiked up with Meadow in the backpack, toddler Caleb walking up the pine tree lined dirt path beside me. I loved it so much, that I then organized a weekly homeschool hike to the Peace Pagoda. We would meet other families in the parking lot and hike up the earthen path to the beautiful golden sculptures. At that time all of the little ones loved the small reflecting pool best. There is a stone bridge and a covered pavilion, all with a roof of tree branches with hundreds of strands of colorful peace flags gently swaying in the breeze. This took up the whole morning, until we would all pack up and head home for cozy lunch and nap time!
We had not been here in years and years, but decided it was time to visit again. The hike went by much more quickly than with toddlers. But the walk up was crisp, quite and beautiful. The only sounds the crunch of snow below our feet as we strolled up the path. The sight of the Peace Pagoda shining in the winter sun, and the beautiful prayer flags still took my breath away. It is such a sacred and healing space. We spent some time walking around the Pagoda, pausing at each side, we visited the Tree Of Peace and the pond covered in flags. It’s a moving experience to visit, I will put the link to find out more about this special place at the bottom of this post. If you are in the area, I highly recommend stopping by! (Of course I brought my camera, all images created with the Lens Baby Velvet 56 and lots of love)
This is a fantastic stop with and without kids. The hike is short, but brings a sense of peace to all who walk the path up to this beautiful place. Find out more here, and if you go, let me know! It is a sacred space indeed, you can feel peace all around as you breath the clean air and listen to the gentle flap of the flags!
