So now that we have this awesome “find quirky roadside attractions” app in our back pocket, literally and figuratively, it stands to reason that if we are out and about, we will routinely check it to see if there is anything of interest in the area. A few weeks ago, we headed down to Princeton for a Firefly Festival at a beautiful farm (more on that coming soon), and found out that the tallest and largest Buddha statue (one of the main objects of worship for Buddhists) in the entire United States was actually in Princeton too … well, how could we not stop?
I mean, really.
Although the address was pretty straightforward, it almost looked like we weren’t going to find it. In fact, the GPS thought we had already reached our destination and passed it, in that annoying way she does, when, well, the Buddha wasn’t there. And, you know, being the largest and tallest Buddha statue, it’d be pretty hard to miss. So if you go searching for it, and are just about to give up hope, drive a little further down Route 27 and there it is.
The Buddha statue was originally in someone’s private backyard, and even though the property (all 10 acres of it) is actually now an official Buddhist meditation center, it definitely felt like we were in someone’s backyard. But anything for a meditative moment and a photo opp.
But don’t worry, it is public property.
We pulled into the gravel driveway and parked our cars. Once you get out and approach the statue, which is carved of stone, there is a small sign directing you to take off your shoes to walk on the tile, which we did. There is also a small area where you can leave a donation (for the upkeep and the meditative center presumably), and an area where visitors have left flowers.
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