At the Land of the Medicine Buddha retreat center, above Soquel CA (near Santa Cruz), there is a mile plus trail with eight little areas for contemplating the 8 Verses for Training the Mind. It is quite beautiful really. There are tall pine trees throughout the LMB land, and their land abuts the Enchanted Forest of Nisene Marks state park, so there are large trees and vast peaceful meadows. Being above the city, only the sounds of birds can be heard. Here are some pictures from the 8 verse trail. The 8 Verses are by Geshe Langri Tangpa (1054 – 1123).
I received a teaching on the 8 Verses from HH the Dalai Lama in Hawaii. For some reason, I liked the wording from that interpretation better. But the FPMT version (pictured here) does just fine.
I really appreciated how the benches for contemplation were typically overshadowed by the massive trees as you will see in the picture below. Almost as if the 8 verses were an appetizer for the natural space around you… Don’t tell any lamas I said so 🙂
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