The Incredibly Diverse Churches Found In One Tiny Town In Massachusetts Will Surprise You

A Quaker man from the Meetinghouse was instrumental in gaining approval for the Nipponzan-Myōhōji Japanese Buddhist Order to build a monastery and pagoda on a hilltop on Cave Hill Road. John Foster, a town board member, met with citizens petitioning against the construction of the Peace Pagoda, and was able to convince them to drop the petition and support the monks. In 1984, the 32-acre property was purchased and construction began with volunteer help guided by the nuns and monks.

Nichidatsu Fuji, the founder of this order, was deeply affected by the bombing of Hiroshima, and led teachings grounded in the Nichiren tradition of Buddhism, which dates back to the 13th century. Called Fujii Guruji by Gandhi, with whom he lived in the mid-1930's, Fujii devoted the last four decades of his life to world peace by building pagodas and taking political action in the form of well-publicized walks, some thousands of miles long. He died the year the Pagoda was finished.

Next door to the Japanese monastery and Peace Pagoda there is also a Cambodian Buddhist monastery and peace meditation center, named Wat Kiryvongsa Bopharam. In addition to the main building, where monthly ten-day-long Vipassana meditation retreats take place, there are two enclosed structures housing large statues of a seated Buddha and a reclining Buddha.

First Congregational Church of Leverett was built in 1838 on the site of the original Town Meeting House. The structure was built using Greek and Gothic Revival style architecture. The church features original Cabotville bells made by Nathan Ames, founder of the Ames Manufacturing Company. This company was a famous supplier of cannons, swords, church bells, and bronze statuary. The bell at First Congregational Church of Leverett rings out twice a day.

4 Montague Rd, Leverett, MA 01054

This Sikh Ashram no longer exists in Leverett; however, we felt that its inclusion here is a respectful nod to the large Sikh population that still lives in the Leverett area. The Ashram, founded by followers of Yogi Bhajan, was a 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization). Yogi Bhajan was a Kundalini Yoga master, and he came to America in the 1960’s and 1970’s amidst the cultural turmoil. Yogi Bhajan’s teachings were unique, in that they combined elements of traditional Sikh teachings with Kundalini concepts in a novel way.

Though the Ashram no longer stands, a nearby trail at Mt. Toby passes by a magnificent waterfall, still identified by some as Guru’s Waterfall. Many members of the vibrant Sikh community in Leverett still offer Yoga lessons at their home on Montague Road.

If you are interested in checking out Guru’s Waterfall, it is only a short hike – less than a mile long – on a flat trail. The trail will take you across some railroad tracks and along a small brook to the waterfall. The trailhead can be found in Mt. Toby State Forest; drive roughly five miles north of Leverett on Route 63 and turn left at the sign for "Guru Ramdas Ashram"