SOQUEL >> There was a traffic jam on the one-way road winding up the mountain to Land of Medicine Buddha on Saturday, when the sacred hillside hosted its annual multicultural festival.

Inside a temple atop the hill, a golden Buddha statue sat in a stoic pose as a woman knelt to pray on a red carpet. Outside the shrine, hundreds watched a Buddhist perform the Deer Dance, an offering to Buddha and to the suffering of sentient beings, said Tsering Gurung, who was born in Nepal and grew up practicing Tibetan Buddhism.

Gurung said happiness is a difficult sensation to attain without achieving peace of mind. He said the teachings of Buddhism provide a guide to pursuing such peace.

Whatever we do in Buddhism is to serve sentient beings, Gurung said. They all want to be happy. They dont want to suffer. We, as human beings, have the ability to do that. The animals do not.

As backdrop to the annual Medicine Buddha Festival, a 25-foot medicine Buddha in deep blue known as lapis lazuli adorned the large painting known as a thangka. At booths, food and spiritual goods were sold. Healing services also were offered.

Land of Medicine Buddha Executive Director Denice Macy said the large table below the painting held many water bowls signifying sublime nectar.

All of these water bowls are offerings, Macy said. This is really offered as a cultural fair. It provides a place for the Tibetans to keep their culture alive.

Two busloads of people of Vietnamese heritage attended the event.

A Chinese and Burmese woman who declined to be named, gazed up at the golden Buddha inside the shrine. In her third year at the event. She said she is mesmerized by the sacred mountain near Santa Cruz. She said there is nothing else like it in California.

Lamas Dagri Rinpoche and Geshe Ngawang Dakpa watched the dances and renditions as the events guests of honor.

The Land of Medicine Buddha, at 5800 Prescott Road, is open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The enclave is a active Buddhist community.

Down the hill from the festival, the large Mahabodhi Stupa a large replica of the monument marking the site where Shakyamuni Buddha reached enlightenment under the bodhi tree in northeastern India remains under construction.

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The community welcomes donations and involvement.

To gain happiness, we have so many methods to learn, Gurung said.

For information, visit landofmedicinebuddha.org/.

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Annual Land of Medicine Buddha Festival welcomes all cultures - Santa Cruz Sentinel