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Painting of the new gateway, Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore. Photo courtesy of ABC.
Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim of Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC), Singapore. shares news of the completion of their newly renovated gateway:
The Amitabha Buddha statue above ABC building’s gateway now shines with renewed radiance after over two months of repairs and repainting. The statue now sits with a fresh coat of paint on a newly constructed lotus, flanked by the two dragons that have also been carefully restored with gold paint.
Newly finished restored gateway at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore. Photo courtesy of ABC.
The structures had been damaged by heavy rainfall over the year-end monsoon season and on the brink of collapse! The statue was carefully removed for repairs to be done. Two monks from Kopan Monastery, Ven. Jampa (Gen Tseme) and Ven. Sherab, together with ABC member Jeremy Chu, completed repainting the entire gateway with all its detailed sculptures and mouldings, including the mantras. The work was completed on April 25 and Amitabha Buddha once again sits serene over the gateway.
Beautiful detail of the new gateway at ABC.
ABC director, Tan Hup Cheng, is very pleased with the finished result: “It will serve as a source of inspiration and blessing for people passing by our center. We can rest assured our Guru Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche would have been very happy at the completion of this major restoration of the Amitabha Buddha gateway.”
It was Rinpoche who had advised having the Amitabha Buddha seated above the building’s entrance along with specific accompanying details and mantras. Rinpoche had always emphasized how important it was for powerful mantras to be placed where they could be of greatest benefit to sentient beings.
The gateway is decorated with four such mantras that have the power to purify eons of negative karma and protect one from falling into the lower realms, just even by seeing them:
1) The Six Syllables of Clairvoyance Mantra
A AH SHA SA MA HA
This mantra decorates the skirting of the parapet that holds Amitabha Buddha and the dragons.
2) The Six-Syllable Mantra of Chenrezig
OM MANI PADME HUM
3) The Stainless Lotus Pinnacle Mantra
OM PADMO USHNISHA VIMALE HUM PHAT
Mantras #2 and #3 are painted above the snow lions and Garuda.
NAMO RATNA TRAYAYA OM KAMKANI KAMKANI ROCHANI ROCHANI TROTANI TROTANI TRASANI TRASANI PRATIHANA PRATIHANA SARVA KARMA PARAM PARA NI ME SARVA SATTVA NANCHA SVAHA
This mantra appears on a red background just above the door entrance.
Door entrance at ABC.
There are inconceivable benefits to sentient beings in having this gateway that was designed according to Rinpoche’s advice.
Please join us in rejoicing on the completion of this extremely auspicious gateway at ABC in Singapore!
We welcome the submission of news stories from those within the FPMT community. This can be a story about something you have personally completed or accomplished, about someone else who has done so, or about the FPMT center, project, or service of which you are a part. Ideal submissions will give readers reasons to rejoice, share ideas, and create connections between those in the international community. Have something to share? Please let us know!
Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.