Saturday, December 22, 2012

Peace Memorials: New England Peace Pagoda - Leverett, MA


Interesting Places I've Photographed
New England Peace Pagoda
Leverett, MA
Topic: Peace Memorials


GPS: N42° 29.922; W072° 29.471

Quick Description: 

The New England Peace Pagoda is the first Nipponzan-Myohoji Peace Pagoda to be built in the United States and was completed in 1986.


Long Description:

The New England Peace Pagoda is the fhe first Peace Pagoda in the United States. It sits on top of Cave Hill in Leverett. According to their website "The Pagoda is dedicated to the realization of universal peace on earth. It is a symbol of light in the darkness of the present day world, a visible prayer to awaken humankind to peace." The round stupa has four equidistant niches each of which has Buddhist shrine and a walkway leading up the the shrine.

A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa designed help focus and unite people in their search for world peace. Most have been built under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii (1885–1985), a Buddhist monk from Japan and founder of the Nipponzan-Myohoji Buddhist Order. Fujii was devoted his life to promoting non-violence. In 1947, he began constructing Peace Pagodas as shrines to World peace.

Nipponzan-Myohoji Peace Pagodas were first built in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Now, more than eighty Peace Pagodas had been built around the world in Europe, Asia, and the United States.

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