Here's a shot of River Road getting near the temple. Though I travel this road often, I shot this photo as a contrast to the previous ones of the traffic on the beltway. It is interesting what we take for granted. Those things we have at our disposal, those things we have within easy reach, are pretty easy to forget about.

It may look like some asphalt cutting through some grass and trees, but this is the link between the temple, an utterly complete place of refuge, endowed with every possible support for the noble beings who gather the courage to look beyond the mad scramble of our western life, and the stress and chaos of life in the USA. Kunzang Palyul Choling is a Refuge, it contains the complete path to enlightenment. This is the real deal. A pure lineage, brought to the west by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, rooted here by the blessings of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. You can see on these pages that we may not look Tibetan, or Buddhist, but we are practitioners of this sacred tradition. We are taught that the Buddha is in the palm of our hands, and all the practices, disciplines and activities we are given to carry out are directed towards teaching us to recognize what is right here, at our disposal, within our reach, which we so casually forget.

Even if you have no interest in study or practice, or think Buddhists are weird, all the supports here at KPC are still open to you! No need to become a "Buddhist" or any of that. That's the beauty of the Stupas, and the temple. It is here for anyone, any being human or non, looking for relief. So it is my hope that some day you too will make this drive (we're too far from anything for any other mode of transport to the temple) and enjoy the peace and blessings offered here!