Land of Medicine Buddha

Keep going up the hill! Serenely peaceful spot, far up a single-lane 2-way drive, deep inside a redwood ravine & up into the treetops. Quietly welcoming at atmosphere, one immediately recognizes the meditative air, & you just know to keep your voice down. Several beautiful examples of Tibetan art, architecture & culture, all open & interactive. Spin the prayer wheels, add to the goodness in the world! Ring the bell, & remember yourself! Beyond the primary parking lot near the entrance at the foot of the property, there is additional parking space further up & along the road. A lovely secret waiting to be discovered.

What a gem I found in the middle of a dense redwood forest !

I had heard about this place before and seen pictures, so finally clubbed it with my Santa Cruz day trip. This is an incredibly quiet and serene place to visit during the day. Reminded me of my Bhutan visit.

You can take your car up till the temples. It was steep for us to walk. I saw various statues of Buddhas on trees, in the gardens, etc. decorated with beautiful flowers and succulents. You can easily spend a couple of hours in this serene place.

For the temples, there is a one way up from the school. They have signboards to guide you. Exit is from another road.

Do check out the pictures.

Unbelievable! What an incredible stunning and peaceful redwood forest tucked away in a slice of paradise. Beautiful hikes amongst the 🌳 trees. They have a lovely bookstore and a Buddhist meditation 🧘‍♀ retreat .There are many prayer flags and stupa along with funeral urns. Respect the peace and quiet.

There are so many great things to say about Land of Medicine Buddha! It is open to all including day hikers offering many trails sorrounded by medicinal plants. Highly charged with positive energy tucked in a beautiful serene redwood forest in Santa Cruz County. Prayer wheel welcomes visitors at the main level with Gompa for meditation, Gift store for books / trinkets, and a Cafetaria serving delicious vegetarian/vegan food.

Visitors can climb to next level to the Bell and another level to view the Golden Buddha statue. There is a beautiful temple under construction. Parking is at the lower (main) level entrance. Weekends, they have events and more visitors, parking can go beyond the entrance gate to the other side of the bridge. People with special needs may be allowed to drive all the way up with permission. Staff is very friendly and extremely helpful.

Visited multiple times earlier, however, last visit was very special. There was a tree fall with live electric cables blocking the roadway. Many visitors got stuck due to road closure for several hours. Staff was on top of things, quickly reached out to everyone, opened up the cafetaria, served snacks and hot cooked delicious vegan dinner to more than 50 quickly. They were so organized and served with beautiful smile and providing status updates every 30mins. Just as they prepared rooms for everyone to sleep overnight, PG&E cleared the live wire after 10pm enabling visitors drive out. It was a very special day for those who went through this memorable day filled with knowledgeable conversations, connecting with divine souls.

Highly recommend spending a day or a weekend Land of Medicine Buddha.

Never been to a place in US which is as peaceful as this. Loved the time there. Peaceful and serene. The sound of wind chimes and the belles made it a different place in the world.

Few notes - Gift shop was closed, Limited parking available inside the temple premise, street parking available. Bring your hike/trail shoes with you.

Came to hike the 6 Mile Loop that starts at the Retreat Center. Left a donation at the gift shop which had lots of cool trinkets, books, and other items. Outside the gift center there were some prayer wheels you could spin. The hike was nice and quiet. A few shrines along the loop along with the plenty of prayer flags along the route. It's a lush hike with plenty of banana slugs! Also saw a snail, centipede and plenty of small spiders. Great place to hike if you want to get away!

Firstly as a place for hiking, this quiet and beautiful place is ideal for a gentle hike across dense redwoods forests. It has a few miles of well-maintained trails, and marked by prayer flags so visitors will know they are not straying off the park limit. Parking spaces are a little limited, but because of this, trails are not crowded.

Visitors get a real feel of Tibetan Buddhism at this location, which is a rare sight in this country. So whether you are a believer or not, it’s great place for visitors to understand the culture and way of life of people from Tibet.

This is always our go to place for a relaxing time, weather its a day trip here or we stay in

This is a Buddhist retreat center in the mountain foothills and is so peaceful to hike in the woods as we soak in all the natures goodness here

I came here for a really short visit but I felt very peaceful here and definitely a great experience. Ever since I came to the US as a child from China, I haven't been able to find a Buddhist Temple close to home. This was a great place to visit even though it is a little bit far. I've also never seen a Tibetan style temple in real life before so this was a first for me.

Nice quiet (really quiet) getaway amongst the fresh smelling redwoods. Great food in a cozy dining area that has wifi. Pool, sauna, yoga rooms and hiking trails. Only 1.5 hr drive from downtown Oakland without traffic.

If you love and appreciate the quiet serenity of the redwood forest this is a place where others do as well. It's private land but welcoming to those who come respectfully. And the Buddhist shrines and plaques are interesting and beautiful. Parking is by the roadside near the gate and very limited, so come early on weekends.

It's a peaceful place and request any hikers to maintain the peace. You can do a 6 mile trail, going count counter clockwise will seem intuitive, its steep upfront and you'll see some of the artifacts upfront. Going other way is an easy ascend and a steep descend and you'll still see all the artifacts. There is also a 2 mile loop lined with prayer flags along the way. The 8 verses trail is totally worth it. As you hike through the trail you will have an opportunity to learn about the 8 thought transformation verses of Buddhism. Any trail you choose, it is shaded. LMB also has options to stay for anyone who wishes to relax in the quiet and peaceful environment.

So very nice. We were greater personally and invited to enjoy the pristine and insightful Buddha playground. Actually it is an Active place of worship, and we were guest in this incredible place of beauty. The trail was well shaded making a warm day even nicer.

What a peaceful way to explore and the a day! I've been all around this area many times yet didn't know this little surprise was here.

The prayer wheel is right when you enter

Parking may be hard to come by, I was lucky to find a spot at the base and walk up

Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you for a beautiful quiet Tuesday afternoon with the redwoods. All by ourselves without a single sound but nature in the enchanted forrest. That doesn't happen often enough. Mind is clear, heart is calm, and can't wait to return to another hike but only on a quiet sunny Tuesday.

A gem find and a serene experience overall. Learning the 8 verses of Buddhism along a 1.75 mile loop hike, wishing temple, the place offers retreats, group meditation sessions and more than anything is located deep in the woods and the trails are mostly shaded. Would be visiting again to cover the rest.

Great place to be! Love the Buddhist events.

Its such a beautiful and peaceful place. I am glad that I visited Land of Medicine Buddha. There are multiple hiking trails and it feels so calm, serene and meditative walking through the forest. Great place to spend a weekend and connect with nature.

Beautiful, developing place that heals your soul. Brings you a peace of mind and calmness, away from this daily routines.
Come to enjoy Buddha spirit, learnings along with walking this healthy trails.

Land of Medicine Buddha is a non-profit Tibetan Buddhist retreat center located in the beautiful Santa Cruz Redwood Mountains. There are different hiking trails to explore. We completed a 6 mile hike in the woods around Land of medicine Buddha. It was serene and we got to enjoy swing by the water stream on the way, which was a pleasure during our hike. The trail was full of shade so it was nice during hot summer. There are beautiful temples to visit which will give you a meditative state.

HIGHLIGHTS OF ACTIVITIES in the LMB:

~ regular Tibetan Buddhist classes, retreats, special events, and annual festivals.

~ Rent facilities out to private groups for their workshops and retreats.

~ Rent guest accommodations rooms for visitors to stay for personal / private retreats or simple overnight visits.

~ A unique yurt village campsite nestled in the redwoods.

~ Tibetan Buddhist Shrines, art, architecture, and shrines including an elaborately decorated meditation hall, a temple with impressive hand painted frescoes, meditation nature trails, prayer wheels.
It’s affiliated with the FPMT (Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition) and follow the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Gelugpa tradition of Lama Tsongkhapa.

Some of the regular ongoing activities include:

~ Daily practice of the Medicine Buddha Puja

~ Qi Gong classes on Saturday mornings via Zoom

~ Guided Meditation on Sunday mornings via Facebook Live

~ It have a rich active curriculum of classes, and retreats throughout the year.