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Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi with Vens. Roger and Sangpo outside of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
The morning of Day 5 of CPMT 2014, FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered an Amitayus long life initiation. Rinpoche gave a penetrating teaching on emptiness and the merely labeled ‘I’ before offering the initiation. The teaching can be watched as a video recording on the CPMT Livestream page.
Harald Weichart operating a camera during a teaching by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
In afternoon session, “Aging Care,” Ven. Damcho from the Chenrezig Nuns Community and Isabel Arocena, from Tushita Centro de Retiros, talked about meeting needs of those in our community facing the challenges of chronic illness and aging. Situations vary from country to country and individual to individual, but one of the main points to come out of the session is that individuals can be making initial preparations for their own future spiritual care. This can include examples like writing down your wishes for the practices and prayers to be done at your death and like recording yourself reciting your daily practice for a time when you might not be able. They shared a few examples of how people currently requiring support are managing and receiving the support from the community and friends. An open question and answer session followed.
After dinner, Ian Green, director of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, spoke to the group about how the Great Stupa came to be – from Lama Yeshe’s initial instructions given in 1981, to Lama Zopa Rinpoche choosing the type of stupa, to traveling to Tibet to measure the Gyantse Stupa, which the Great Stupa is modeled on, to the present day when the stupa rises 26 meters above the ground, with 22 meters to go. Ian shared the Master Plan based on Lama Yeshe’s vision for the site, which includes a hotel, restaurant, museum, nunnery, lay housing, a primary school and elder care facilities. In 2000, the land for the stupa was cleared. In 2003, the first concrete was laid and Lama Zopa Rinpoche visited. In 2007, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited and consecrated the large Guru Rinpoche statue and blessed the site. In 2013, the steel framework for bumpa was installed on the top level and 20,000 tourists visited.
CPMT 2014 meeting, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 16, 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
Ian also talked about the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, a project that he has developed from its beginnings as a huge boulder of gemstone quality jade to a 2.7-meter (9-foot) tall carved Buddha statue, which has visited 80 cities in 18 countries and drawn 7.4 million people to its exhibitions. The Jade Buddha will have its final home inside the Great Stupa.
Ian Green sharing about the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 17, 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
Since Ian has raised literally millions of dollars for these projects, he shared his rules of fundraising:
- People give to people (integrity is of highest importance)
- Nothing beats face to face
- Honor your benefactors (permanent and visual recognition)
- Database is wish fulfilling tree (prune, nurture, patience)
- Fundraising is a numbers game
Ian recalled that Lama Zopa Rinpoche had once told him, “The greater the merit; the great the obstacles.” More recently Rinpoche said that the Great Stupa was like an big jet plane that had been going down a long runway and was not taking off.
Mandala will continue sharing updates and photos from the CPMT 2014 meeting as the meeting continues.
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