Peace, be still

Silence your cell phones and clear a space on your calendar. It’s time to pay a visit to the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace. The 11-foot-tall Buddha, carved from a single piece of gem-quality jade, truly is an international achievement. The 4.5-ton jade boulder was unearthed in Canada, brought to Asia, and sculpted by a team of Australian and Thai artists. The resplendent figure—seated on a lotus and crowned by a halo of gold—has traveled across Vietnam, Australia and much of America. Consecrated by the Dalai Lama in 2009, the Jade Buddha has conferred a message of goodwill to more than 4.5 million people during his journey. The Buddha rests in Sacramento for two weeks before continuing to the Southern United States and Europe, on the way to a permanent home at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Australia.