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15-inch gold stupa containing Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s holy tooth relic. Photo by Ven. Tenzin Michael.
Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche always emphasized the importance of holy objects and how they are wish-fulfilling. This is evident in the amount of teachings that Rinpoche has given on their benefits and importance, how to make extensive offerings to them, circumambulate, prostrate, and how to regard holy objects.
Rinpoche expressed in his Vast Visions that it his wish 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.
The Holy Objects Fund is dedicated to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wish and provides the resources to create holy objects around the world for the success of the FPMT organization and for the benefit of all beings.
An incredible US$930,405 was granted for holy objects in 2023 and we are so happy to share some of the new holy objects that have come into being recently, and how the funds of the Holy Objects Fund and others such as the Stupa Fund, Padmasambhava Project for Peace, One Thousand Buddhas Fund, Prajnaparamita Project, have been utilized, for rejoicing in.
One Thousand Buddhas
Offering the one thousand Buddha statues offered directly to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
One of the most amazing achievements in 2023 was the creation and offering of one thousand statues of Shakyamuni Buddha. Lama Zopa Rinpoche wanted to make this offering during the long-life puja that was offered by FPMT to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The work started in February 2023 with the commission of one thousand statues to be created by various statue makers in Nepal. The art of the statues had been carefully checked by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the statue makers created each statue based on this. Each statue was gold gilded, faces painted, and carefully filled and consecrated before they were offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. How amazing that we were able to create one thousand statues of Buddha and how unbelievably fortunate to be able to offer these to His Holiness the Dalai directly. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.
Holy Objects in Lawudo
Victory Stupa
The 12-foot tall Victory Stupa built for Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lawudo. Photo by Ven. Tenzin Michael.
In Lawudo Retreat Centre, Solo Khumbu, the Everest region of Nepal, fourteen thousand feet above sea level, we offered most of the funds to build the 12-foot high Victory stupa, this beautiful stupa was consecrated on Lhabab Duchen with fifty-five monks and nuns as well as the three main lamas in the valley—Thame Rinpoche, Charok Lama, and Kyarok Lama—along with locals and foreign guests. Inside the stupa is Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s holy relic.
Kalachakra Statue
Kalachakra statue at Lawudo, to create the cause for future Zangdog Palri.
In addition, a new seven-feet high Kalachakra statue was commissioned for Lawudo. Lama Zopa Rinpoche had indicated this statue was needed first, in order to create the causes to build the future Zangdog Palri . Zangdog Palri refers to the Glorious Copper Colored Mountain, and is the pure land of Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), the great tantric master who brought Buddhism to Tibet. This ambitious project will span several years as all of the building supplies for the four storey three dimensional pure land palace needs to be carried up to Lawudo.
The new Kalachakra statue, which took a few years to be made, was carried to Lawudo this year and now graces the gompa.
31-Foot Tall Amoghapasha Painted on a Cliff
31-foot tall Amoghapasha painting on Druka Karma Cliff, Lawudo.
We rejoice in the incredible 31-foot tall Amoghapasha on Drak Karma Cliff Above Lawudo. For many years Lama Zopa Rinpoche had expressed the wish for this new holy object. The deity has been painted directly on the cliff face overseeing the whole area. Funds for this project were raised by the Thamichowa community; Anila Ngawang Samten (Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s sister) provided all the necessary materials and tools needed for painting; and Ven. Nyima Tashi, Ven. Thubten Tendar, and Pasang Dekyi helped to actualize this incredible project. It was an incredible feat and an unbelievable task to complete. For instance it took ten days just to get the scaffolding up to the site, there the conditions were freezing and windy making the scaffolding and painting quite dangerous. The actual painting took seven days by Nepali artists and was completed the day before Lhabab Duchen and consecrated on the day of this merit-multiplying occasion.
114-Foot Tall Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha in India
In March 2023, Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered $150,000 towards the building of a new 114-foot tall (34 meters) statue of Shakyamuni Buddha in Dhondeling Kollegal, India. The foundations for the statue are currently underway. Lama Zopa Rinpoche was very moved when he heard about this project and immediately wanted to help with funds and was very happy about the size of the statue and the amount of benefit it will bring the area. We will provide updates as the statue progresses.
New Tara Statue in USA
New Tara statue made in the USA.
A long-time student of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche passed away in 2023 and Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised that a 3-foot tall statue of Tara was important to be created for her future rebirth. Immediately also Rinpoche wanted to sponsor the statue and we rejoice that this beautiful new Tara that has come into being and now resides in the USA.
Displaying the 75-Foot High Guru Rinpoche Thangka Twice in 2023 in Nepal
Large Guru Rinpoche thangka displayed at Kopan Nunnery.
In 2023 we had the incredible fortune to display the very large thangka of Guru Rinpoche two times at Khachoe Ghakyil Ling (Kopan Nunnery). The thangka, which is 75 feet (23 meters) high, and 87 feet (27 meters) wide is stitched in appliqué, and depicts the Padmasambhava merit field in the center. Lama Zopa Rinpoche personally designed and oversaw the creation of this huge thangka and also raised funds for it. Creating and displaying huge thangkas is also one of the Vast Visions of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, as well as dedicating a day to display the thangka with a puja and extensive offerings, as well as offering dances and music and a meal to all who attend.
Rinpoche explained that displaying large thangkas is an auspicious way for anyone in the area to make a Dharma imprint and connection to the deity depicted. “You may think that a statue or thangka is just a statue or thangka,” Rinpoche has said, “but it is the transcendental wisdom of dharmakaya, which understands and directly sees absolute truth, as well as conventional truth.” Both of the events displaying the thangka in 2023 were entirely sponsored, including the 100,000 tsog offerings and lunch to all who attended. The puja is an incredible undertaking by Kopan monks and nuns as it takes days to set up and arrange and the cost in 2023 for these two pujas was over US$34,000.
Writing the Prajnaparamita Sutra
Lama Zopa Rinpoche checking the writing of the Prajnaparamita sutra in Nepal in 2022 with Ven. Tsering and Jane Seidlitz
The live creation of the Prajnaparamita sutra, which is being written out daily in beautiful calligraphy in gold ink is in its eighteenth year. Lama Zopa Rinpoche explained in a teaching in Bendigo, Australia, his clear wishes for the writing of the Prajnaparamita sutra to continue for as long as FPMT exists. Even when completing the twelve volumes of the sutra currently in process, Rinpoche asked that this project begin again and in this way the sutra is continually being written out as it is a powerful holy object. Currently Ven.Tsering is on the fifth volume and Jane Seidlitz in the USA is writing out the second volume. The gold for the sutra costs about $10,000 a year.
Even writing one letter or syllable from the Prajnaparamita, the benefits you receive are unbelievable, unbelievable, more than making skies of extensive offerings to all the buddhas for so many eons. The merits are far more greater than that. — Lama Zopa Rinpoche
New Padmasambhava Statue in Pokhara Nepal
The planned new Guru Rinpoche statue in Pokhara Nepal.
We have the incredible news that a new statue of Guru Rinpoche statue is being built in Pokhara Nepal. The comprehensive cost of this remarkable project encompasses both land procurement expenses and the construction of a grand monument and is expected to be US$2,993,217. Situated alongside the esteemed Annapurna Cable Car, the Guru Rinpoche statue, to be erected in Pokhara, will seamlessly blend with the surrounding natural landscape, creating a serene and captivating environment.
Covering a total site area of 3,226 square miles (34,728 square feet), the project includes various features such as a meditation hall capable of accommodating 100 individuals, additional rooms and a prayer hall, a mantra wall, vast green areas, and a magnificent 15-meter-tall statue that gracefully rises 1556 meters above sea level. The land was successfully acquired in 2023 and through the Padmasambhava Project for Peace we were able to offer US$285,000 to this amazing project.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche Stupa of Complete Victory at Kopan Monastery
The Stupa of Complete Victory being built at Kopan Monastery.
We rejoice in the beginning of the work for building of the Stupa of Complete Victory in Kopan Monastery. This magnificent stupa will be 42-foot high (13 meters) and is dedicated to the swift return of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
The intention is to create a significant monument situated on ground level covering an area of 180 square feet (55 square meters) and a semi-basement level spanning 715 square feet (218 square meters). The stupa is located on the northeast side of the Stupa Garden at Kopan Monastery where the stupas of Geshe Lama Konchog and Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundup are also situated. This stupa will be facing exactly mid-way between Swayambhunath stupa and Boudhanath stupa. While maintaining the vastness of Kopan’s beautiful gardens, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s stupa will be built from the level below thus enlarging the whole area and enabling for two retreat rooms under the stupa. We expect that the building below the stupa will be finished in about 4-5 months and then the building of the actual Stupa of Complete Victory will begin. The building of the stupa will take some time due to all the extensive artwork, but we are hoping the stupa will be finished in about a year.
Ksitigharba Statue Arrival at Kopan Monastery
We also rejoice in the beautiful new Ksitigharba statue that was completed and placed in a beautiful house on the top of the hill at Kopan Monastery. Lama Zopa Rinpoche had advised for this statue to be made. One of the incredible benefits is from protection from earthquakes among any other things. The statue has been placed on the highest part of Kopan Monastery.
New Ksitigharba statue at Kopan Monastery.
Maitreya Project in Kushinagar, India
Funds were also sent for the master plan and ongoing work for the Maitreya Project in Kushinagar India. In 2023 the new Master Plan was completed, and a number of important meetings happened such as with the Director General of the International Buddhist Council (the key office that plans and executes all the support work for Buddhist projects in India and internationally), when the Master Plan was presented. Work was done to bring special statues of Sixteen Arahants, Shakyamuni Buddha, and Twenty-one Taras, that Lama Zopa Rinpoche had commissioned many years ago for Maitreya Project, from Nepal to Kushinagar as well as to bring the 24-foot high statue of Maitreya that has graced the land in Bodhgaya to Kushinagar.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained:
“Every time you look at holy objects – pictures of the Buddha, statues, scriptures, stupas – they plant the seed of liberation and enlightenment in your mental continuum. So, every time you look at them they purify your mind. How? When you look at them, they plant a seed or positive imprint on your mental continuum so that later when you meet Buddhadharma, either in this life or in future lives, you are able to understand the words and the meaning of the teachings. From that, you are able to practice the meaning of the Dharma you have understood, which causes you to cease the gross and subtle defilements by actualizing the path and then your mental continuum becomes omniscient mind. This is what is meant when we say that by seeing holy objects it plants the seed of enlightenment on the mind – it contains the whole path from guru devotion and the three principles up to the two stages of tantra and enlightenment.”
Thank you to all who supported these different projects that enable the creation of new holy objects around the world for the benefit of all beings. In 2024 we will be mainly focusing on actualizing the Stupa of Complete Victory for Lama Zopa Rinpoche and appreciate any support.
To help ensure our support to the creation of holy objects around the world, we invite you to offer a donation of any amount to the Holy Objects Fund.