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Holy Objects
Many people are responsible for helping actualize this amazing stupa.
Land of Medicine Buddha, located in Soquel, California, USA has undertaken yet another ambitious holy object project! They are building a 39-ft stupa replicating the holy Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, India, the site where the Buddha attained enlightenment.
Recently Land of Medicine Buddha received the permits for this amazing stupa! Please rejoice in this incredible accomplishment! Many people have worked incredibly hard for years to actualize this project.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, via the Stupa Fund, has pledged US$50,000 toward the creation of this magnificent stupa.
Land of Medicine Buddha’s stupa plans. This 39 foot stupa will be a replicate of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, India.
One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vast visions for FPMT is to build 100,000 stupas around the world.
You can learn more about this stupa or make a donation directly to support this project:
The plan is to build stupas all over the world, individual people or centers [can do this], no matter how many years one puts effort into building stupas, the benefit that this gives to sentient beings every day in so many ways is unimaginable.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, CA, March 2007
Lama Zopa Rinpoche with the Vajrapani Institute family, November 2013.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche recently pledged, through the Prayer Wheel Fund, US$10,000 toward a giant prayer wheel which Vajrapani Institute, Boulder Creek, California, is building once funds are raised.
Vajrapani Institute is planning for the prayer wheel to house one trillion OM MANI PADME HUM mantras, the mantra of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has given extensive advice regarding the benefits of prayer wheels in relation to this powerful mantra.
From The Peerless Wish-Granting Jewel Tantra: “The person who turns this wheel which possesses OM MANI PADME HUM will be blessed by all the gurus, the deities will grant realizations, those gone to bliss will pay attention to him or her, and the Dharma protectors will eliminate all obstacles.
—- Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Land of Medicine Buddha in Soquel California has finished three impressive prayer wheels. They contain: over 170 billion mantras as well as many sets of texts, 12 billion mantras, and 64 billion mantras respectively.
One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vast visions for FPMT is to build 100,000 prayer wheels around the world. The following advice was given by Rinpoche regarding this vision:
“[I would like] for the whole organization to build 100,000 prayer wheels in different parts of the world, a minimum height of six feet. Prayer wheels are a great blessing for each country….The idea is to get as many people involved as possible. If you are personally going to build a one-storey stupa, you can’t afford it. But if many people, help by offering $100, $10 or $20, then also you become part of the building. It is incredible. Even children can help, each child donate $1 or $5. This is a very good way of doing it. This way it benefits so many sentient beings, liberates and brings them to enlightenment, even including the insects and mosquitoes landing on the stupa or the worms on the ground, because the rain comes, touches the stupa and flows down on the ground and purifies the worms.”
You can read more of Rinpoche’s explanation of the benefits of making prayer wheels.
To date, approximately eleven prayer wheels have been build, only 99,989 to go!
You can learn more about Vajrapani Institute’s prayer wheel and donate directly to their project. As Rinpoche says, if many people get involved, this amazing prayer wheel can be actualized.
You are welcome to donate at any time to the Prayer Wheel Fund which contributes to Rinpoche’s wishes for large prayer wheels around the world.
Dagri Rinpoche making offerings to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the long life puja offered to Rinpoche at Land of Medicine Buddha, September 2013.
Following the long life puja offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Land of Medicine Buddha, CA, USA, on September 29, 2013, Rinpoche offered US$12,106, toward the completion of two stupas being build in California.
US$6,053 was offered to the Stupa to Minimize Harm, a stupa to minimize harm caused by possibly earthquakes on the coast of California, and US$6,053 was offered to a new stupa being built at Land of Medicine Buddha.
If you build stupas or statues to inspire people, without even teaching Dharma, for 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. Even if after you die you are in another universe, in the hell realms or a pure land, wherever you are the stupa or statue that you built is continually benefiting sentient beings. It is incredible how you can continually benefit sentient beings by having built a stupa.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
The very famous Padmasambhava statue that is called “Looks Like Me” in Tibet that Lama Zopa Rinpoche often uses as an example.
The Padmasambhava Project for Peace is dedicated to fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s goal of building many large statues of Padmasambhava around the world in order to create the cause for peace for all beings
In October of 2013 the project offered US$7,000 for gold and equipment needed for gold leafing a 70 ft Padmasambhava statue with two consorts. A very skilled artist began the tremendous task of gold leafing this large statue. Scaffolding was set up and the artist spent time training some of the local monks in the gold leafing process. This year only one month of work was done due to the onset of Winter, but the gold leafing will continue next few years.
You are welcome to offer any amount toward this amazing offering of gold to Padmasambhava.
Listen, beautiful one having the form of a goddess,
For those sentient beings who have not met me,
Statues of me in the future
Will become the light eliminating the darkness of ignorance.
Whoever builds such statues of me,
Which become objects of offering and so forth,
All their future lives will become meaningful
And they will establish the banner of the teachings.
—Padmasambhava
Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khadro-la at Sera Je Monastery, December 2013. Khadro-la has given extensive advice about a stupa that must be built in California in order to minimize harm from potential earthquakes.
In order to minimize harm caused by possible earthquakes in California, USA; a stupa is being built near the Golden Gate Bridge, under the advice of Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme (Khadro-la). This project is called the Stupa to Minimize Harm from the Elements.
An incredible amount of groundwork has been done in relation to the building of this important stupa. In June 2013 Drew Bagdasarian of DRB Associates, a professional project management firm, became the project manager of the Stupa to Minimize Harm from the Elements project.
Khadro-la identified a very specific area in San Francisco that the stupa should be built for the most possible benefit. The project is currently in pursuit of appropriate sites in the Presidio and Fort Mason Areas of San Francisco. Mr. Bagdasarian has been diligently working on locating appropriate sites and approaching the companies and owners of properties. As to be expected with a project of this magnitude and importance, some difficulties have presented themselves. For instance, local restrictions as well as lack of available land have provided challenges.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khadro-la are being updated regularly on the progress of this project and giving instructions accordingly so that the appropriate location can be obtained and the stupa built as quickly as possible.
This is an extremely important project. Lama Zopa Rinpoche recently remarked that we typically offer prayers and try to help after disasters happen. But in this case, we can do something to actually stop a disaster from happening. This is an amazing and great opportunity to prevent much suffering and hardship to many.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has also requested all of the FPMT centers in the Bay Area to begin offering regular prayers in order to prevent earthquakes.
Please keep this hugely important project in your prayers. You are also welcome to donate any amount toward this stupa’s completion.
Kadampa Stupa at Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, CA, USA. Photo by Whitney Dafoe.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche translated Padmasambhava’s Instruction on Offerings to Stupas, which details the benefits of prostrating to, making offering, circumambulating , and offering service to stupas.
Translations Available:
One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT is to build 100,000 stupas around the world. The Stupa Fund was established in 1992 with the aim of providing the resources needed to fulfill Rinpoche’s wishes.
If you would like to contribute to the Stupa Fund, you may donate any amount.
All those who with virtue help the stupa will, in all lives, enter into the perfect path of the ten virtues, never be separated from the support of virtuous friends, and achieve all the realizations they wish.
—- From Padmasambhava’s Instruction on Offerings to Stupas
New Padmasambhava statue built for Lawudo gompa.
In 2011 the Padmasambhava Project for Peace offered US$14,000 toward the creation of three Padmasambhava statues at Lawudo Retreat Center, Nepal.
Lawudo is an incredibly special location for FPMT. The cave of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s previous incarnation, known as the Lawudo Lama, is situated there, 14,000 feet up in the mountains of Nepal. Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s brother, Sangye Sherpa, is the current director of the Lawudo Retreat Center and has been rebuilding the gompa. Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised that these new statues should go into the new gompa.
We are very happy to report that the statues are now finished.
Please rejoice that we are now three statues closer to fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche wish for many large Padmasambhava statues to be built around the world!
You may donate any amount to the continued building of more large Padmasambhava statues around the word:
New Padmasambhava statues built for Lawudo gompa.
14-foot Auspicious Stupa of Many Doors at Milarepa Center, Vermont, USA.
In 2007, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave advice about several of his Vast Visions for the FPMT organization spanning lifetimes into the future.
One of his wishes is for the organization to build 100,000 stupas around the world. About this initiative he said, “The plan is to build stupas all over the world, individual people or centers [can do this], no matter how many years one puts effort into building stupas, the benefit that this gives to sentient beings every day in so many ways is unimaginable.”
The Stupa Fund is very pleased to present you with a new page dedicated to showcasing and keeping count of this incredible effort happening around the world to fulfill Rinpoche’s wishes.
The Stupa Fund was delighted to offer US$50,000 in 2011 toward the building of The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia. Recently a video was produced with a camera attached to a mini-drone and shows the incredible awe-inspiring 50-meter [164-foot] stupa’s progress.
More details on this ambitious and beneficial stupa can be found on Mandala‘s blog.
Prayer wheels are filled with mantras traditionally printed on strips of paper and tightly rolled around the core. These days mantras are reproduced onto microfilm; the more mantras, the more powerful. Prayer wheels can be small enough to be held in the hand, table-based or can be very large containing billions of mantras. The Prayer Wheel Fund is sponsoring the building of 100,000 prayer wheels around the world for peace.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche offering a prayer wheel to Richard Gere, Dharamsala, India, 1998.
These are some of the amazing benefits that Lama Zopa Rinpoche translated when giving his own prayer wheel to Richard Gere in 1998 in Dharamsala when he came for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Losar teaching:
The Limitless Light Buddha Amitabha said: “For the benefit of sentient beings of the degenerate age, I have explained the benefits of the mani wheel. The one who practices while turning equals the fortune of the thousand buddhas.”
The Founder Savior, the unequalled Shakya King, told the bodhisattva Dripa Namsil: “It is more beneficial to turn the Dharma wheel one time than [to be] a meditator of highest capacity who engages in one-year retreat on the essence meaning of mantra. It is more beneficial than [to be] a middle capacity meditator who does retreat for seven years or a lower capacity meditator who does a nine-year retreat.”
From The Peerless Wish-Granting Jewel Tantra: “The person who turns this wheel which possesses OM MANI PADME HUM will be blessed by all the gurus, the deities will grant realizations, those gone to bliss will pay attention to him or her, and the Dharma protectors will eliminate all obstacles.”
From The Will of the Action of the Compassionate Eye Loving One: “Each time you turn this OM MANI PADME HUM Dharma wheel equals the number (of the mantra) of the approximation retreat.”
Therefore, the fortunate capable beings turn the great Dharma wheel upright: the highest intelligent person will achieve enlightenment and work for sentient beings; the middle capable being will achieve fortunate rebirth and join the holy Dharma; and the lowest capable being will achieve good rebirth, separate from the ten non-virtuous actions.
If you place the Dharma wheel at home and turn it, the migrator beings abiding in that house will be liberated, and the home will become similar to the Potala (Pure Land of Chenrezig). At the time of death, if you place the Dharma wheel with OM MANI PADME HUM next to your head and make requests with intense devotional mind, without need of practicing powa (transference of consciousness) your consciousness will be transferred in one instant to the heart of the Compassionate One. Therefore, without qualms of a two-pointed mind in this profound supreme Dharma wheel, one should cherish it, build the Dharma wheel with perseverance, and turn it with an intense wish.
From The Tantra of the Circle of Six Thousand: “Even for the person who turns this precious wheel, any sentient being who sees, hears, remembers, or touches him or her completes the merits, purifies defilements, and achieves enlightenment.”
Thus is explained by the Buddha. When death comes, place the Dharma wheel at your crown and you won’t need to practice powa. When you carry the Dharma wheel and meet other sentient beings, even those who have killed their father or mother will be liberated. Even the sentient beings who see the wheel on the bridge will be liberated.”
You can also read “Benefits of Making Prayer Wheels” by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT Education Services has created a Prayer Wheel Resource page.
If you would like to contribute to the building of prayer wheels around the world, you can donate any amount to the Prayer Wheel Fund
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has requested the Sangha at his house to make stupas and tsa-tsas dedicated for those who have passed away and for those who are sick, every single day.
Stupas Dedicated for Those Who Have Passed Away
Kadampa stupas made daily at Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s residence by Sangha.
Every day, three small Kadampa stupas are made at Kachoe Dechen Ling by resident Sangha. This includes filling each stupa with a roll of the Four Dharmakaya Relic Mantras. As the Sangha puts the mantras inside the stupa they dedicate for the person who has passed away by reciting the name of the person and making the prayer, “May this person never be born in the lower realms. May they be liberated from samsara, and may they achieve enlightenment quickly.”
Tsa-Tsas Dedicated for Those Who are Sick or have Life Obstacles
Every day Sangha make three long life and 13 Mitukpa tsa-tsas. These are dedicated to any person who is sick with prayers that they may immediately recover, be liberated from samsara, and may achieve enlightenment quickly.
In addition, on the eighth day of the Tibetan month, three Eight Medicine Buddhas tsa-tsas are also made. On the thirtieth, one 12-inch (30-centimeter) tall Padmasambhava tsa-tsa is made.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche requested this dedication:
For the long life and the success of all the holy wishes of all the virtuous friends.
To be able to receive all the finances to build the Maitreya statue without any delay of even a second and to be able to complete the statue as soon as possible. As well as for the quickest success of all the rest of the projects, building holy objects and other projects at all the FPMT centers and may they be most beneficial to enlighten sentient beings in the quickest way.
Dedicate for all the lower realm sentient beings, particularly all sentient beings whose names are given to me and who I promise to pray for, may they be born in a pure land, or receive a perfect human rebirth, by meeting perfectly qualified Mahayana virtuous friends, may they actualize the path and quickly become enlightened. As well as for all others who died and who are sick, particularly whose names are given to me, to immediately recover and have the most meaningful life.For the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa to last for a long time and for all sentient beings to quickly achieve enlightenment.
From,
Mickey Mouse
Making Merit
Resident Sangha make stupas every single day for those who have passed away or are sick. Photo by Whitney Dafoe.
After the stupas and tsa-tsas are made they are given away or are used in various ways so people can circumambulate and create merit as they enter Rinpoche’s house or go around while talking on the phone. You can learn more and view some beautiful photos of this project in “Stupas in Everyday Life, Advice From Lama Zopa Rinpoche,” published on the Mandala “FPMT News Around the World” blog.
The Stupa Funds covers all the expenses for the material to make the tsa-tsas. This is something amazing to rejoice in, every day new holy objects are being made as well as extensive prayers. This is something you can also participate in by donating any amount … How amazing!
How Can I Make a Donation?
To make a tax-deductible donation generally to the Stupa Fund
Or simply send your check in US dollars payable to FPMT Inc. and write “Stupa Fund” on the memo line.
FPMT Inc.
1632 SE 11th Avenue
Portland, OR 97214-4702
USA
The Stupa Fund is a project of FPMT Inc. and is administered by FPMT International Office located in Portland, Oregon, United States. All donations made to this fund are tax-deductible within the United States in accordance with IRS Code article 501(c)(3) to the extent allowed by law.
For more information please contact: Charitable Projects Coordinator.
The stupa will be consecrated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche May 3, 2013.
From the Sutra Essence of Earth:
While there are the three rare sublime ones
Fulfilling the hopes without any effort
Like the unimaginable wish-granting tree and wish-granting jewel;
[But] believing the method to achieve happiness is something else
All the activities one attempts become only negative karma
And this precious human rebirth with qualified freedoms and richnesses,
Which is rarer than a wish-granting jewel, becomes meaningless and empty;
It becomes only a cause of harm;
This is more foolish than an animal.
Friend, by realizing this body, this life is like a water bubble
And material enjoyments like the dew on the tip of the grass
Attempt the white (virtuous) actions, offer to the three rare sublime ones (Buddha Dharma, Sangha)
And take the essence from this essenceless body and possessions.
Due to this merit may I and each and every sentient being respect
And make offerings to the three rare sublime ones;
By the happiness of the joyful occasion of listening, reflecting, meditating and practicing
May all the transmigratory beings’ wishes be completely fulfilled.
Colophon: Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche regarding having many holy objects. Scribe Ven. Holly Ansett, Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, USA, November 2003. Lightly edited by Ven. Thubten Labdron, May 2004.