Lumbini Peace Pagoda

Behind me in this photo is the Peace Pagoda in Lumbini, Nepal the birthplace of Buddha. In Grafton, NY, two towns north of where I grew up, there is another Peace Pagoda built by the same monastic order. The Grafton Peace Pagoda and Jun-san, the amazing nun who maintains it, introduced me to Buddhism. The rituals and aesthetics of her order are the most comfortable for me. I was thrilled to see something familiar in Lumbini, a small town filled with Buddhist monasteries and temples from all over the world, each with their own style.