The interior of British Columbia is a rugged, mountainous region where the geography limits habitation to the relatively few riverside benchlands. Much of the B.C. interior has rarely had a human foot set upon it since the Confederation of the Canadian nation in 1867. It is a land of spectacular beauty, majestic mountain ridges, awesome waterfalls, and endless pine forests that stretch unbroken for over a thousand miles to the north.

The B.C. Interior is a haven for hikers, campers, quadders, hunters, gold panners and various explorers and adventurers. However, it also holds a very different and unexpected feature: It is the Center Of The Universe.

Almost a decade ago a Tibetan monk arrived at the remote Vidette Resort Lodge located about an hour northwest of the B.C. interior city of Kamloops on a dead end mountain road. The monk was following his master’s instructions to find the core of human existence, or what the Buddhist faithful call the Center Of The Universe. Staying at the lodge, the monk explored the area and soon discovered a plateau above the road which overlooked the Vidette River.

The monk began to perform his traditional Buddhist rituals to investigate all eight directions of the compass as well as the supernatural elements which exist in the eight realms beyond. After a performing his comprehensive series of rituals, the monk received the revelation that his quest had been completed. He had indeed, so he excitedly informed the lodge owner, found the Center Of The Universe!

The Buddhist monk was not alone in the recognition of this area’s unique status. Soon more monks arrived from all over the world. Some were ascetics who had made the long trek to the location and others arrived in limousines which had chauffeured them to this remote location from their arrival at Vancouver International Airport four hours away. The Buddhist pilgrimage continues year after year, with monks from every geographical and spiritual corner of Buddhism travelling to experience the unique confluence of leylines to be found only in British Columbia's own Center Of The Universe.

The owner of the land was offered a huge amount of money for the site on which the Center was located. The owner never disclosed why he refused the offer, however, he did speak of an incredible phenomena that he claimed to have experienced at the Center Of The Universe. “On various nights” he claimed, “when I camped on the precise spot were the monks had congregated, I clearly heard the sound of heavenly voices singing - like the Mormon choir, but without words. Somewhat eerie, but also very beautiful”.

Ever since that time, the monks gather an annual basis to perform their Tibetan Buddhist chants on the hill overlooking the triangulated valleys that meet in the Vidette River and where compass needles rotate wildly. There are tales of crystals buried in the earth which become absorbed into the soil itself and disappear in a matter of months. There are many extravagant claims made for the area, but it is clear that there is something there that keeps the monks pilgrimage going year after year.