FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) 鈥� Just off a state highway in New Jersey, one of the largest statues of the Buddha in the United States appears unexpectedly in the middle of a backyard.
It rises 30 feet high from the woods in Franklin Township, near Princeton, where it was built a decade ago under the leadership of a Sri Lankan monk ordained in Theravada, one of the oldest forms of Buddhism. His dream? Uniting people of all faiths.
Today, the statue in the has become a hub for interfaith efforts and a spiritual home for practicing Buddhists, and Christians, reflecting .
Among them: a Princeton University professor who grew up in a Korean Christian church and who follows Tibetan Buddhism; a leader of the local Nepali community who organizes interfaith gatherings and tends to a peace garden at the premises; and a woman who 鈥� after living near the statue for years 鈥� became a practicing .
鈥淚t just seems to be a nexus where a lot of people connect,鈥� said Daniel Choi, who teaches writing at Princeton and has been meditating in front of the Buddha statue since 2015.
鈥淚t definitely feels like a public shrine,鈥� he said, adding that it鈥檚 hard to find such places. Most Buddhist centers in the U.S. are run by private organizations, 鈥渨here you wouldn鈥檛 be able to go in for open practice," he said. "So that鈥檚 what鈥檚 unique.鈥�
It鈥檚 also uniquely New Jersey, he said.
鈥淵ou hear traffic; you hear cars rushing by; you hear airplanes flying above 鈥� You hear the construction work going on," he said. 鈥淓ven though there are signs that say, 鈥楶lease observe noble silence,鈥� you have people laughing, chatting, as they 鈥檙e coming out to give their offerings.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 on Route 27!鈥� he added, laughing at the untraditional location of such a shrine.
鈥淎nd then, the mix of people: you have Sri Lankans鈥ou have Koreans, such as myself, or you have Chinese Mahayanas," he said. "You have people who are Indian practicing, you have new Japanese Buddhists coming in, you have Nepalese Buddhists. 鈥� it鈥檚 open, and that鈥檚 very New Jersey.鈥�
The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara, a monastery, follows Theravada, the predominant form practiced in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. But it鈥檚 welcoming of and other faiths.
When Choi first visited, he was pleasantly surprised to find a statue of Kuan Yin, the Buddhist goddess of compassion who is a prominent figure in Mahayana Buddhism commonly practiced in Tibet, China and Korea. After growing up in a Korean church, he had practiced Zen and Tibetan Buddhism.
鈥淔or me that was very welcoming because I thought: 鈥橭K, so there鈥檚 something for me as well,'鈥� said Choi, holding mala beads in his hand and with a maroon meditation shawl draped over his shoulders as he prepared to chant in front of the statue.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen Buddhists of different stripes practicing,鈥� he said, adding that the statue also draws in
鈥淭hey just sit in front of the statue on the benches, take in the moment, and just drink in the vibe.鈥�
The center鈥檚 trees are covered in colorful Tibetan prayer flags that flutter in the wind near an interfaith peace mural painted by local students. It鈥檚 decorated with symbols representing different world religions 鈥� from Baha鈥檌 and Christianity to Sikhism and Zoroastrianism 鈥� all practiced in the Garden State.
鈥淥ur Somerset County has become a microcosm of the world,鈥� said Tulsi Majarjan. As a director of the Friends of Nepal-NJ organization, he has led interfaith projects, including the mural and a peace garden.
鈥淲hen I first came here to New Jersey 35 years ago, I used to drive all the way to Long Island to go to the Buddhist temple,鈥� he said of the almost the three-hour drive.
鈥淣ow, within ten minutes鈥rom my home, I can go to the Buddhist temple. But there are so many others,鈥� he said listing nearby Jain, Sikh and Hindu temples that make him proud of the religious diversity in central New Jersey.
鈥淎nd obviously, the statue of the Buddha in this temple,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nybody who comes to that temple, feels so calm and collected once they see that big Buddha. There鈥檚 no magic to it. But you have to be there to feel it.鈥�
Carol Kuehn knows that feeling: 鈥淚t鈥檚 the first thing I look at in the morning,鈥� said the 76-year-old retired high school teacher.
From the windows of her home next to the monastery, she awakes to a sight of the impeccably white brick and mortar Buddha sitting on a pink concrete lotus flower.
Raised as a Presbyterian, she became interested in Buddhism after reading Herman Hesse鈥檚 novel, 鈥淪iddhartha.鈥� She also began practicing yoga.
But she only became a practicing Buddhist after her saffron-robed neighbors arrived in 2002. Buddhism, she said, helped her deal with grief after the death of her husband.
鈥淭he whole point of Buddhism is to live in the moment,鈥� she said. "That鈥檚 been a major change in my life, dealing with grief. Meditation gave me a way to focus on the positive.鈥�
On a recent chilly evening, she walked a few steps from her house into the monastery home of the center鈥檚 abbot, the Venerable Hungampola Sirirathana Nakaya Thero. Surrounded by framed posters of Sri Lanka, they chanted sutras in P膩li language in front of a flowered-decorated altar overlooking the Buddha in the yard.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something I can look at and think about the qualities that the Buddha stood for,鈥� Kuehn said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 peace, understanding, compassion, respect for all and living in the moment.鈥�
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Luis Andres Henao, The Associated Press
