This imposing Buddha keeps watch over the remains of the deceased in the Memorial Shrine at the Land of Medicine Buddha, set deep amongst the redwoods in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains of California. A small group of friends and I had gone there for an overnight retreat and found tremendous refreshment in the peace and tranquility of this center for Mahayana Buddhism. The centerpiece of our stay was a walk along the 8 Verses Pilgrimage Trail. At each stop, we read the verse and corresponding commentary aloud, spent a few minutes in silent contemplation, then shared the meaning we had found. Some of the messages were hard to take, calling for transformation on our parts, but the journey was made easier by our companionship. Perhaps that's the overarching lesson I learned, for the thousandth time, that day: I need not walk through life's struggles alone, nor will I ever lack a friend with whom to share life's many joys.
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