Holy Objects

Namche Stupa and grounds, during inauguration in May. Photo by Frances Klatzel.

In 2016, the Holy Objects Fund offered a substantial grant to the Namche Stupa and Mani Park, a project in Namche Bazaar, Nepal, located in the Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone (SNPBZ). The grant was used for five prayer wheels filled with mantras, which are turned by flowing water, thus blessing all of the water used throughout the entire park. This project also includes a restored stupa that was damaged in the 2015 earthquake. In May, the park was completed and an auspicious inauguration was attended by many. 

Namche Bazaar, locally known as “Nauje” is the gateway to Khumbu (Mt. Everest region). This small town is a tourist and trading hub and a popular resting stop, especially for altitude acclimatization. It is also a junction from where different Everest region trekking routes diverge.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrote a letter explaining the benefits of this new park:

“This is an incredible great gift to make the prayer wheel that purifies the “digpa” negative karma of so many beings so that they get a higher rebirth. For a prayer wheel turned by water… The Tsogshin, the life tree inside, should go underneath to have a connection to the wheel. The water that turns the wheel gets blessed, by the how many million or hundred thousand mantras in the prayer wheel. So that blessed water goes down and joins the river, and gets bigger and bigger, and finally goes to the ocean.

“That blessed water spreads in all the waters that go to the ocean, so suffering, obscurations, and negative karma “Digpa” are purified for numberless sentient beings and all kinds of fish, mammals, and insects. When they die they may get a higher rebirth and hopefully meet the Dharma. So rejoice, now the prayer wheel is not one, but five. This brings unbelievable benefit.”

You can read Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s full letter here.

Please rejoice in the inauguration of this beautiful new park which will bring so much benefit to residents of Namche Bazaar and tourists alike due to the incredible power of the prayer wheels and stupa. 

You can read more about the architecture of this park in Spaces Nepal. 

Prayer wheels turned by water which bless the entire area. Photo by Frances Klatzel.

Lotus fountain and mantra, Namche Stup and Mani Park. Photo by Frances Klatzel.

The grounds of Namche Stupa and Water Park. Photo by Frances Klatzel.

If you would like to contribute to the building of holy objects around the world, you are welcome to offer any amount to the Holy Objects Fund which contributes to the creation of stupas, prayer wheels, and statues.  

“Building stupas helps develop so much peace and happiness for numberless sentient beings. As a result, wars, disease, and desire will all be pacified. Instead of feeling hopeless, people will gain courage. This is about peace – for the beings who see it, for the whole country, for the entire world, for all sentient beings.”   –Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with project manager, Denice Macy at the stupa.

Land of Medicine Buddha is building a 39-foot-tall Mahabodhi Stupa in California on the advice of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. This stupa will be the main attraction in a beautiful offering garden featuring an area to meditate, thousands of memorial stupas, places to perform prostrations, and ponds with spots for reflection.

Buddha statue which will live in the Mahabodhi stupa’s alcove.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche through the FPMT Stupa Fund has offered over US$100,000 toward this stupa project to date including a grant toward the creation of a life-size Buddha statue that will live in the alcove of the stupa. This statue, which took two years to complete, was made in Nepal by an extremely talented statue maker. About this statue, project manager Denice Macy said, “The engraving and detail on the statue is phenomenal. There are auspicious symbols on the arms and knees and finely detailed designs on the robes. When I wrote Ven. Roger after it came, I said, ‘Our minds are blown.’ That’s the closest I could come in my limited vocabulary to expressing my feeling. We are profoundly honored by how, since the very beginning, Rinpoche has been right there, engaged in every way, in bringing an inspiring holy object to our land. When people walk up the hill, they will first see the stupa, and then they will look into the alcove and see the statue in there and will be blown away.”

Construction site at the base of the stupa.

After installing a new entrance to the stupa project received a final approval from the County of Santa Cruz. This was a major milestone.

Grading around the stupa, which refines the site for beginning the garden layout has been completed and a deer fence was installed so that the garden would be protected from the deer which share Land of Medicine Buddha’s 108 acres.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche visited the stupa site in August 2018 and provided more advice on the layout of the grounds and decoration of the Mahabodhi stupa. Rinpoche stressed to Denice the importance of keeping the project moving along at a good pace. “We need to finish this because we might die, then the project might not be finished.” Rinpoche also met with Gelek, Land of Medicine Buddha’s resident artist and gave advice and instruction.

In April the team broke ground on the first of the walls of a dharmakaya mandala that will surround the stupa. Several sizes of smaller stupas will be placed in niches and on top of the mandala walls once the mandala walls are completed. These stupas will fulfill the center’s 100,000 Stupa Project which will be sponsored and/or dedicated by individuals around the world.

On May 19th Land of Medicine Buddha will begin accepting sponsorship of the gardens. A total of 23 trees will be planted at the site including: Weeping Cherry, Japanese Maple, Mimosa, Black Pine, Dogwood, Redbud, Flowering Plum, Hinoki Cypress, and Cryptomeria Japonica.

Please rejoice in the progress of this incredible stupa which helps fulfill Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Vision for the FPMT organization to build 100,000 large stupas around the world.

The Holy Objects Fund offers grants to the creation of holy objects around the world. All are welcome to donate to this fund to ensure grants like this continue long into the future. 

Large Guru Rinpoche thangka displayed at Khachoe Ghakyil Ling every year.

For the forth year a very large thangka of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) was displayed and an auspicious 100,000 tsog offering event (Guru bumtsog) took place at Khachoe Ghakyil Ling, Nepal, also known as Kopan Nunnery. The thangka, which is 75 feet (23 meters) high and 87 feet (27 meters) wide depicts in stitched appliqué the Padmasambhava merit field in the center. The incredible weight of the thangka and raising it safely up large scaffolding to display requires tremendous skill and effort. All Sangha present (approximately 1,000) received offerings for their participation. The Holy Objects Fund sponsors this ceremony, the cost in 2018 was US$11,850. Tremendous thanks for the kindness of Khachoe Ghakyil Ling for hosting this incredible event and catering lunch for all involved. The entire set up for this requires a solid week to execute. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has encouraged, as part of the Vast Visions for FPMT, to support, create, and display very large thangkas, and to host thangka festival days where many people can gather to enjoy their beauty and power, participate in making offerings, and other virtuous activities.  Rinpoche explained, “My wish is for the big centers in FPMT to have these large thangkas. This is a way to leave imprints for all these people [who see them], for enlightenment.”  

Sangha participating in Guru bumtsog at Khachoe Ghakyil Ling during the display of the giant Guru Rinpoche thangka.

“These holy objects help other sentient beings easily purify inconceivable negative karma and create the causes of happiness, merit, and extensive happiness, which definitely brings them to enlightenment quickly. Because it makes them create extensive merit, allowing them quickly to realize the path, it also helps them to improve their life very soon; from a very difficult life with many problems—business problems, relationship problems, and many other things—to an easy life having perfect enjoyments, external and inner prosperity at the same time, realizations of the path and a very happy, peaceful, inspiring death.” — Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Please rejoice in this annual event which is fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions and has profound effects on clearing obstacles of all types in Nepal and the world. 

The Holy Objects Fund offers grants to the creation of holy objects around the world. All are welcome to donate to this fund to ensure grants like this continue long into the future. 

Beautiful wall of eight stupas at Centro Muni Gyana, Italy.

We invite you to rejoice that eight new stupas have entered the FPMT mandala at Centro Muni Gyana, Palermo, Italy. The Holy Objects Fund was pleased to offer a grant to sponsor the creation of these stupas which will benefit all who come in contact with them, as well as the entire area.

As Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained, rejoicing in the creation of holy objects brings one closer to enlightenment. Even rejoicing one time in the completion of these supas, so much merit is generated for oneself. According to Rinpoche, “among the virtues, rejoicing is the best, because it is the easiest one to practice. It simply involves our mind thinking, and the merit we accumulate is infinite.”

Please enjoy these photos of the new stupas with tremendous thanks to Stupa Onlus for making these stupas and arranging their arrival. 

Geshe-la blessing stupas made by Stupa Onlus.

View of Palermo, from the side of the stupas.

Arrival of the stupas to to Centro Muni Gyana.

Recent FPMT regional meeting participants with the stupas.

“Rejoicing increases merit, like investing $100 and then constantly receiving interest until we have thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and then millions of dollars. When we rejoice, the merit increases greatly.”  — Lama Zopa Rinpoche

If you would like to contribute to the building of holy objects around the world, you are welcome to offer any amount to the Holy Objects Fund which contributes to the creation of stupas, prayer wheels and statues. 

Completed magnificent stupa in Thame, Nepal.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche was born in the Mount Everest region of Thame, located close to Lawudo which was the home of his previous incarnation known as the Lawudo Lama. Many Kopan monks are also from Thame.

During the earthquake of 2015, the Thame region was seriously affected. Almost all the homes in the area were damaged or completely destroyed and several people died. Only a few houses remained standing. Amidst the destruction, a large stupa was destroyed. The new stupa, which stands nearly 46 feet tall with a base measuring 54 feet across, is larger than the one which previously stood and is utilizing much of the materials from the original stupa. This magnificent stupa also features a large prayer wheel inside, pilgrims and locals can enter the stupa to spin it and create even more merit.  

Rebuilding this stupa was a tremendous undertaking with many obstacles and hardships along the way to completion including the utilization of helicopters  to deliver supplies and mantras. Please join us in rejoicing in the effort of every person who worked on the stupa in any way, and specifically Ven. Tenpa Choden who managed the entire project. 

The previous Thame stupa was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, through the Stupa Fund, has offered over US$300,000 for the rebuilding of the stupa which took two years to complete. Please take a minute to enjoy these videos which show various aspects of this incredible holy object project.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche translated Padmasambhava’s Instructions on Offering to Stupas which explains numerous benefits of prostrating to, circumambulating, making offerings to, and offering service to, stupas. 

“All those who rejoice in the stupa will generate every single quality of a buddha in their mental continuum.” — Padmasambhava’s Instruction on Offerings to Stupas

If you would like to contribute to the building of holy objects around the world, you are welcome to offer any amount to the Holy Objects Fund which contributes to the creation of stupas, prayer wheels and statues. 

Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa blessing the prayer wheel site at Vajrapani Institute.

Vajrapani Insititute, an FPMT retreat center in Northern California, is now well on its way to building the Prayer Wheel of Compassion which was announced in December 2016. The 10 ft x 7 ft prayer wheel will contain 5 trillion (5,000,000,000,000) copies of OM MANI PADME HUM, the mantra of Chenrezig, the Buddhist deity who embodies universal compassion—a request that came from Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The first phase of this ambitious project reached completion over the Summer months in California including all of the planning, completion of initial designs, and securing required permits. 

The prayer wheel foundation with concrete finish work and steel structure.

The second phase of the project, slated to begin in January 2019, includes framing out the rest of the structure, installing copper roofing and bearings, structurally rebuilding the frame, and the erection of the prayer wheel which will be filled with 250 billion mani mantras to start. At this point the traditional ornate wood-carved artwork that will adorn the structure will also be made.

To reach the 5 trillion mantras, Vajrapani Institute will gradually raise all of the funds required and build the structure in a way that will be able to hold the weight (estimated at 18,000 lbs) and spin easily.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, through the Holy Objects Fund, joined other generous donors and offered US$20,000 and has pledged an additional US$20,000 toward the construction of this incredible holy object. 

“Each time you rejoice you collect skies of merit, making it such an easy way to achieve enlightenment.”  – Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Rinpoche has explained that every time you rejoice in an offering, the construction of the prayer wheel, and in the effort of all those who are working to actualize it, the merit doubles. When you rejoice the second time, the merit is multiplied by four. The third time, it is multiplied by eight. It is  amazing! Lama Tsongkhapa said that to collect merit, the best way is through rejoicing. 

You can watch a short video on this project which outlines some of the many benefits of the completed prayer wheel.

Watch “5 Trillion Mantra Prayer Wheel Project” on YouTube:

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has taught, “This practice of turning the prayer wheel is a result of the unbearable compassion of all the Buddhas for us sentient beings—whose minds are so obscured and filled with disturbing thoughts, like an ocean covering a whole city, and who are extremely lazy and ignorant—to guide us to enlightenment as quickly as possible. It helps us to complete the accumulation of extensive merit and purify obscurations so as to achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible.”

Supporting the creation of prayer wheels and other holy objects is part of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT: 
https://fpmt.org/fpmt/vast-vision/#pw

Find out more and give your support to the 5 Trillion Mantra Prayer Wheel Project:
http://www.vajrapani.org/prayerwheel/pw/index.php

To help ensure grants like this continue toward holy objects, all are welcome to offer a donation of any amount to the Holy Object Fund. 

Jangchup Stupa project in progress at Shalu Monastery.

Shalu Monastery was founded by Chetsun Shetsun Jugney in 1027 A.D at Shalu Village near Shigatse town in Tibet and was consecrated by Atisha. The number of the monks studying there reached 7,700 at the peak of its opulence. During the Chinese invasion of 1959, this precious monastery was destroyed. It was re-established at Tibetan Cholsum Settlement, Bhuppur, India, and was consecrated by Sakya Trichen Rinpoche in March 2005. Currently there are 30 monks practicing and studying at this monastery. 

The Holy Objects Fund recently issued a grant for the building of a 15 ft x 11 ft Jangchub Stupa which will be surrounded by prayer wheels that the resident monks and visitors can utilize for circumambulation. 

Stupa work in progress.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained, “Building stupas helps develop so much peace and happiness for numberless sentient beings. As a result, wars, disease, and desire will all be pacified. Instead of feeling hopeless, people will gain courage. This is about peace – for the beings who see it, for the whole country, for the entire world, for all sentient beings.”

If you would like to contribute to the building of holy objects around the world, you are welcome to offer any amount to the Holy Objects Fund which contributes to the creation of stupas, prayer wheels and statues. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche arriving at Trulshik Rinpoche’s monastery, Thubten Choling, March 2018.

Altar for Trulshik Rinpoche at Thubten Choling monastery.

Thubten Chöling is a large monastery built by the late Trulshik Rinpoche in the 1960s in Solu Khumbu near Chailsa, Nepal. One of the greatest living masters of the Nyingma and rime traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, Trulshik Rinpoche, who passed away in 2011, was one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s gurus. Trulshik Rinpoche was the closest and most realized disciple of the late master, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. It was prophesied in Khyentse Rinpoche’s visionary teachings (terma) that Trulshik Rinpoche would be the spiritual heir to his teachings, and in his absence, Khyentse Rinpoche referred all important matters to Trulshik Rinpoche. Upon Khyentse Rinpoche’s passing in 1991, Trulshik Rinpoche was entrusted to find his reincarnation. He also visited the west several times to give teachings to students.

Rinpoche with Thubten Rigsel Rinpoche and the incarnation of Trulshik Rinpoche during Guru Rinpoche bumtsog.

In December of 2017, Khachoe Ghakyil Ling in Nepal hosted a 100,000 tsog offerings for Guru Rinpoche in front of the gigantic Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) thangka. Lama Zopa Rinpoche attended the special puja, known as a “Guru Rinpoche bumtsog,” along with the young incarnation of Trulshik Rinpoche.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche offering a khata to the holy body of Trulshik Rinpoche at Thubten Choling Monastery, March 2017.

In March 2017 Rinpoche visited Thubten Chöling to pay his respects to Trulshik Rinpoche’s holy body which was in a mandala house above the altar at the monastery. While there Rinpoche offered to sponsor half the costs of a stupa being constructed there which will ultimately house the body of Trulshik Rinpoche. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has taught extensively on the benefits of stupas: “The benefits you receive from building a stupa equal the number of atoms of the stupa and these benefits exist as long as the stupa exists. Sentient beings accumulate extensive merit by making offerings to holy objects, and from this merit happiness comes. As soon as a thangka or statue of the Buddha or stupa is completed, in that very second it becomes an object with which beings can create the cause of happiness. Having one more holy object gives sentient beings one more opportunity to create merit.” 

Please rejoice that this most precious stupa is being built contributing directly to more peace and merit for sentient beings on earth. 

If you would like to contribute to the building of holy objects around the world, you are welcome to offer any amount to the Holy Objects Fund which contributes to the creation of stupas, prayer wheels and statues. 

100,000 Tsog Offering to the giant Padmasambhava thangka at Kopan Nunnery.

Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) is perhaps the most universally cherished realized being in all of Tibetan Buddhism. Padmasambhava came to Tibet from India in the 8th century and helped establish a pure lineage which is still practiced today by all four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism around the world. “Due to Padmasambhava’s great compassion, Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism flourished in Tibet and now has spread throughout the entire world,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained. “Because of that, so many people have experienced the path to enlightenment and achieved enlightenment. Due to his great compassion, the lives of infinite number of sentient beings have become meaningful.”

Further, Rinpoche has advised that “Building Guru Rinpoche statues will bring immeasurable benefit, peace, happiness and freedom to the world. They will have immeasurable impact.” 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and other Sangha offering 100,000 tsog offerings to the giant Padmasambhava thangka at Kopan Nunnery.

In addition to statues, the Padmasambhava Peace Project sponsors 100,000 tsog offerings to Padmasambhava. In 2017 sponsorship was provided for two 100,000 tsog offerings at Kopan Nunnery, Nepal. The incredible 75 feet high x 87 feet wide thangka of Padmasambhava which resides at the nunnery was raised for the occasion. Lama Zopa Rinpoche and over 1,000 Sangha came to each puja to offer these prayers and offerings were made to all who participated. 

One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT is for centers to have large thangkas and organize festival days around their display.

Offering to Padmasambhava in this way is a powerful way to create the causes for world peace. 

You can learn more about all the holy object projects for world peace supported by FPMT Charitable Projects and donate any amount so that offerings such as this can continue. 

The whole community has come together to rebuild the large stupa in Thame.

Recently, a grant was offered toward a large stupa being built in Thame in the Solo Khumbu district of Nepal to replace one that was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. The new stupa, which will stand nearly 44 feet tall with a base measuring 56 feet across, will be larger than the one which previously stood on the site and is utilizing all the materials from the original stupa. Many villagers helped over a two day period to move the stones of the destroyed stupa to the new one. A wonderful collaborative effort. 

All of the materials from the destroyed Thame stupa were utilized in the rebuilding of the new one.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche was born in the Mount Everest region of Thame, located very close to Lawudo which was the home of his previous incarnation known as the Lawudo Lama. Many Kopan monks are from Thame including one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s attendants, Ven. Tendar.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche translated Padmasambhava’s Instructions on Offering to Stupas which explains numerous benefits of prostrating to, circumambulating, making offerings to, and offering service to, stupas. 

“All those who rejoice in the stupa will generate every single quality of a buddha in their mental continuum.” — Padmasambhava’s Instruction on Offerings to Stupas

The Stupa Fund has thus far offered a total of US$249,071 toward the completion of this stupa and another disbursement of funds will occur as the project progresses. Progress on this stupa is due in large part to the kindness and effort of Ven. Tenpa Choden, Kopan Monastery’s manager, who is overseeing this entire project with such enthusiasm in order to actualize the stupa which is expected to be completed at the end of 2018. 

If you would like to contribute to the building of holy objects around the world, you are welcome to offer any amount to the Holy Objects Fund which contributes to the creation of stupas, prayer wheels and statues. 

Scaffolding level 6 of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion. Photo provided by Ian Green.

The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion is an FPMT project near Bendigo, Australia which, once completed, will be the largest stupa in the Western world. The Great Stupa is the final home for the largest gem quality Jade Buddha in existence.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has advised on the benefits of building stupas: 

“We can build stupas to inspire people without even teaching Dharma. However many hundreds and billions of years the holy object lasts, it continues to liberate many sentient beings every day, freeing them from the lower realms, causing them to actualize the path, liberating them from samsara and bringing them to enlightenment. After we die, even if we are in another universe, in the hell realms or a pure land, wherever we are, the stupa that we built or helped to build, is continually benefiting sentient beings. It is incredible how we can continually benefit sentient beings by building a stupa.”

Ven. Lobsang painting the arch inside the north end of the gompa within The Great Stupa. Photo provided by Ian Green.

The Great Stupa will serve as a major domestic and international tourist attraction and is designed to last over a thousand years. Due to the kindness of others, the Holy Objects Fund recently issued a grant to this impressive stupa project for the 28 ft x 6.5 ft umbrella which will contain embossed mantras advised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The umbrella will be handmade in Nepal out of copper and gold plated. This grant is also for the finalization of the first phase of construction which is projected to be completed in April 2019. According to chairman Ian Green there is still decades of work to be done before the stupa is entirely finished. After the first phase completion decorations will be added to each level and then work on the main gompa and eighty (approximate) shrine rooms will commence.

Please rejoice in the progress of this truly inspiring holy object project. You can keep up on The Great Stupa’s progress and support its completion. 

If you would like to contribute to the building of holy objects around the world, you are welcome to offer any amount to the Holy Objects Fund which contributes to the creation of stupas, prayer wheels and statues. 

“My wish is for FPMT to build many holy objects everywhere, as many as possible. Making it so easy for sentient beings to purify their heavy negative karma and making it so easy for sentient beings to create extensive merit. Which makes it so easy to achieve the realizations of the path and so easy to achieve liberation and enlightenment.” — Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Large and smaller prayer wheels at a Tibetan settlement in Bylakuppe, South India, sponsored by the Holy Objects Fund.

The Holy Objects Fund was pleased to donate US$5,262.71 toward the creation of a large prayer wheel and surrounding smaller wheels at Dickey Larsoe Tibetan Settlement, a Tibetan settlement in Bylakuppe, South India. 

The large prayer wheels contains 100,000,000 OM MANI PADME HUM mantras and nearly 400,000 are included in the smaller prayer wheels. 

One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization is to sponsor 100,000 large prayer wheels around the world. Rinpoche has explained, “Prayer wheels are a great blessing for each country.”

Please rejoice in the creation of these precious holy objects which bless all the residents of the Dickey Larsoe Tibetan Settlement and all who come in contact with the prayer wheels. 

If you would like to contribute to the building of holy objects around the world, you are welcome to offer any amount to the Holy Objects Fund which contributes to the creation of stupas, prayer wheels and statues.