Name: Peace, Love and Buddha Day Trip
Start: 2024-11-23T08:45:00-05:00
End: 2024-11-23T15:00:00-05:00

Let's take a chill day trip to go visit a Buddhist monastery in Carmel, NY...reachable on Metro-North to COLD SPRING then Uber over. At the monastery you can find **[THE LARGEST INDOOR BUDDHA STATUE IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE](https://www.baus.org/en/)**[.](https://www.baus.org/en/) In addition we'll do a quickie hike at **[West Point Foundry Preserve](https://www.scenichudson.org/explore-the-valley/scenic-hudson-parks/west-point-foundry-preserve/)** in Cold Spring. If there's still time, there's this **AHMAZING** ice cream shop in town called **Moo Moo Creamery** that we can visit. Plus there's a "secret spot" in Cold Spring where you can take a photo with the 3 mountains that surround Cold Spring in the background - Storm King, Breakneck Ridge and Mount Taurus

**About Chuang Yen Monastery: [https://www.baus.org/en/visit-us/chuang-yen-monastery/](https://www.baus.org/en/visit-us/chuang-yen-monastery/)**

* Just 50 miles north of New York City, a Buddhist Monastery can be found on a remote hillside of Putnam County. With the name Chuang Yen translating to “Majestically Adorned,” this somewhat out-of-place monastery is a sanctuary of peace and meditation a short drive from New York City.
* Chuang Yen monastery houses the largest Buddha Vairocana statue in the Western hemisphere. The statue—appropriately found in the Great Buddha Hall—measures 37-feet in height and is surrounded by 10,000 smaller Buddhas all sitting in a lotus terrace semi-circle.
* The monastery also features temple buildings across 125 acres of land, designed in the traditional architectural style of China’s Tang Dynasty. Originally designed by architect Edward A Valeri, the monastery opened the doors of its first building—Kuan Yin Hall—in 1981, adding subsequent buildings over time.
* For the opening of the Great Buddha Hall, the present Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, attended the opening ceremony. Today, the monastery is a lovely respite from the bustling city, and an oasis of serenity and beautiful gardens.

**WHILE AT THE MONASTERY**, Visitors should keep in mind that this is an operational monastery and that people come here for peace and quiet. The monks are friendly and welcoming to visitors, but visitors are advised to be respectful, follow posted rules, and not to enter the restricted areas on the grounds where the monks live.

**Please be respectful and mindful of the [GROUND RULES](https://www.baus.org/en/visit-us/faq/plan-a-visit/), mainly:**

* Please bring only vegetarian food products to the monastery. This means no meat, fish or eggs.
* Please wear proper attire: No shorts, costumes, tank tops, or mini skirts.
* No filming or video allowed. Please be respectful.

**LUNCH**: The monastery serves a **vegetarian lunch** between the hours of noon to 1pm on weekends. The lunch service in the monastery is provided by volunteers who use their weekends to come to cook and serve lunch for everyone. Everything we have at the monastery is made possible by donations from the public. Please cherish the food we serve, and take only the amount that you will actually consume. **The Monastery suggests a donation of $6 per person (CASH ONLY) to show gratitude.**

**GETTING THERE**: We'll meet at Grand Central to take the 8:50AM Metro-North to COLD SPRING station -- ROUND TRIP OFF-PEAK ticket from GC to Cold Spring is $30.50

**AGENDA:**

* Once we arrive at Cold Spring station at 10:12AM, we'll share an Uber to the monastery. Or if we have some kind drivers willing to give us a lift to the monastery, that works too.
* At the Monastery we'll explore the monastery grounds for photo ops and have lunch in their cafeteria **(VEGETARIAN LUNCH ONLY!!!)**
* After lunch we'll head back to Cold Spring. If anyone wants to do a quickie hike at **[West Point Foundry Preserve](https://www.scenichudson.org/explore-the-valley/scenic-hudson-parks/west-point-foundry-preserve/)** we can do that
* If there's still time, you scream, I scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM at **Moo Moo Creamery**

* Plus if you want to do a jump shot and show it off on your social media feed ... there's a "secret spot" in Cold Spring where you can take a photo with the 3 mountains that surround Cold Spring in the background - Storm King, Breakneck Ridge and Mount Taurus

**DURATION**: We will be out for the entire day. But you can leave ON YOUR OWN at any time you wish.

**AT THE END OF THE DAY:** how's about we grab dinner and drinks in Cold Spring before heading home?

**RETURN TRAIN** leaves Cold Spring every hour.

**WEATHER**: Rain cancels

***LIABILITY WAIVER: Come prepared. Participate at your own risks. Hold no one liable, etc, etc.***

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Peace, Love and Buddha Day Trip

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