History

The property that has become Land of Medicine Buddha has been in use since the 1800’s when the area was cleared for a logging camp. The owner of that logging camp gave his name to Bates Creek which runs along the east edge of our property and then down along Prescott Road. In the early 1900’s, the property became a family-owned country inn, changing hands several times with buildings beings added and replaced throughout the 20th century. One of those families was named Prescott; thus the name of our entrance road.

In 1982, Lama Thubten Yeshe discovered this property which was then called Greenwood Lodge. Students of Lama Yeshe purchased and operated Greenwood Lodge as a conference center from 1982 to 1984. In 1984, Lama Yeshe passed away, and the energy for keeping the lodge open dwindled. Instead of letting the property be repossessed by the bank, Mr. and Mrs. Cayton, parents of some of Lama Yeshe’s students, took ownership.

In 1989, shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake, The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), founded by Lama Yeshe, purchased the land from the Cayton family and named it ‘Land of Medicine Buddha’.

Land of Medicine Buddha has always been home for inspiring teachings from some of the great Mahayana Buddhist masters and teachers of today, including Khensur Jampa Tegchok, Ribur Rinpoche, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, Choden Rinpoche, Denma Locho Rinpoche, Venerable Sangye Khadro, Venerable Robina Courtin and Jon Landaw.

In May of 2001, Land of Medicine Buddha hosted His Holiness the XIV^th Dalai Lama at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California.

Our current Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, keeps us moving forward as we host annual festivals including the Ksitigarbha Festival in the fall and the Medicine Buddha Festival in summer which attracts hundreds of people.

See historical photo gallery here.