The town of Kushinagar, India, is where Gautama Buddha is said to have achieved Parinirvana after his death. It is also the intended home for a 500-foot bronze statue of the Maitreya Buddha. Inside the statue will be a shrine that will hold a collection of more than 1,000 Buddhist sacred relics. Before coming to rest in the Maitreya Buddha, the artifacts — “pearl-like crystals that were found among the cremation ashes of the Buddhist masters,” according to the website maitreyaproject.org — will be traveling the world. The tour will make a several-day stop in Santa Barbara: Opening ceremony, Friday, June 22, 6-8 p.m.; Saturday, June 23, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, June 24, noon-6 p.m. at Center of the Heart (487 N. Turnpike Rd., centeroftheheart.com). For more information, call (805) 964-4861 or visit maitreyaproject.org. Free.
Buddha Relics
Maitreya Project Tour Stops in S.B. June 22-24