receive our newsletters
join Friends of FPMT
100,000 Stupas Around the World
“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.” — Lama Zopa Rinpoche
One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT is to build 100,000 stupas around the world. The following advice was given by Rinpoche regarding this vision:
“Since there is unbelievable benefit such as liberating sentient beings, then I thought that the whole organization could aim to build 100,000 stupas (minimum size of one storey up to the distance from the earth to the moon) in different parts of the world and for FPMT to do this as a whole.
“We can still build in countries where there are alot of holy objects and monasteries like Nepal and India, but [I would] especially [like] to build them in the countries, where they have no holy objects. It is very important every time a stupa is built that it has the Four Dharmakaya Relic mantras inside, as well as the Namgyalma mantra.
“Each stupa must have, as many as possible, The Four Dharmakaya Relic mantras, also 100 Stainless Pinnacle mantras … if possible, even more like 100,000.
-Lama Zopa Rinpoche on his Vast Vision for FPMT, Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, CA, March 2007
Lama Zopa Rinpoche translated, “Padmasambhava’s Instruction on Offerings to Stupas” which details the benefits of prostrating to, circumambulating, making offerings, and offering service to stupas.
Enlightenment Stupa (9 meters, 29.5 feet) at De Tong Ling Retreat Centre, Kangaroo Island, Australia.
Eight stupas at Centro Muni Gyana, Palermo, Italy.
Stupas Completed/In Progress
To date, fifty-five stupas have been completed, or are in progress, at FPMT centers and by FPMT students toward this goal of 100,000 stupas around the world.
“Wherever a stupa is built will become a powerful place for healing and a cause for the success of whatever visitors to that place are seeking.” — Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Northern & Central America
- Lama Yeshe Cremation Stupa (6 feet) at Vajrapani Institute, California, USA
- Lama Yeshe’s Enlightenment Stupa (16 feet) at Vajrapani Institute, California, USA
- Kadampa Stupa (6 feet) at Land of Medicine Buddha, California, USA
- Mahabodhi Stupa, at Land of Medicine Buddha, California, USA
- Kalachakra Stupa (15 feet) at Kurukulla Center, Massachusetts, USA
- Kadampa Stupa (18 feet) at Kadampa Center, North Carolina, USA
- Auspicious Stupa of Many Doors at (14 feet) Milarepa Center, Vermont, USA
- Enlightenment Stupa (16 feet) at Pamtingpa Center, Tonasket, Washington, USA
- Enlightenment Stupa (9 feet) at Gendun Drubpa, Canada
- Enlightenment Stupa (16 feet) Canada
South America
- Turning of the Dharma Stupa (20 feet), Mexico
- Kalachakra Stupa for World Peace at Serlingpa Retreat Center, Mexico
- Descent from Tushita Stupa (10 feet from ground, 6×6 feet base), containing 15 relics, in all I think, many of 26 different mantras including the Four Dharmakaya Relic mantras. Cozumel, Mexico.
Europe
- Enlightenment Stupa (13 feet) at Nalanda Monastery, France
- Descent from Tushita Stupa at Kopavogur, Iceland
- 1 Enlightenment Stupa built for Lama Yeshe Geshe Rabten, Geshe Yeshe Tobden, and Gomo Tulku, at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy
- 1 Reconciliation Stupa built for Lama Yeshe Geshe Rabten, Geshe Yeshe Tobden, and Gomo Tulku, at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy
- Kadampa Stupa at Kushi Ling Retreat Centre, Italy
- Lama Yeshe Enlightenment Stupa at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, London, UK (Built in 1988, contains, Lama Yeshe’s bone relic, and was consecrated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche)
- Kadampa Stupa at Centro Nagarjuna Valencia, Spain
- Kadampa Stupa with Geshe Thubten Tsering’s ashes at Centro Nagarjuna Valencia, Spain
- Enlightenment Stupa built for Lama Yeshe at Osel Ling, Spain
- Eight stupas at Centro Muni Gyana, Palermo, Italy.
Pacific Region
- Enlightenment Stupa (9 meters, 29.5 feet) at De Tong Ling Retreat Centre, Kangaroo Island, Australia
- Stupa (12 feet) at Kunsang Yeshe Retreat Centre, New South Wales, Australia
- Victory Stupa at Vajrayana Institute, New South Wales, Australia
- Garden of Enlightenment Stupa at Chenrezig Institute, Queensland, Australia
- Victory Stupa at Chenrezig Institute, Queensland, Australia
- Auspicious Stupa with Many Doors at Dorje Chang Institute, Auckland, New Zealand
- Long Life Stupa (5.2 meters) at Chandrakirti Buddhist Meditation Centre, Nelson, New Zealand
- Enlightenment Stupa at Mahamudra Center, New Zealand
Asia
- Auspicious Stupa of Many Doors built for Geshe Rabten at Tushita Meditation Centre, Dharamsala, India
- Parinirvana Stupa built for Geshe Wongdu at Tushita Meditation Centre, Dharamsala, India
- Stupa at IMI House (1 meter, 3 ft) in Sera Je Monastery, India
- Kadampa Stupa (21 ft with 8 smaller stupas) at Root Institute in progress
- Enlightenment Stupa built for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s mother (20 ft), located between Lawudo and Namche Bazaar in a village called Samshing, Nepal
- Stupa for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s mother’s incarnation, Nawang Zhimay, (10 ft), located below Lawudo in a village called Teshok
- Eight Stupas at Kopan Monastery, Nepal
- Geshe Lama Konchog’s Dharmachakra Stupa (35 ft) at Kopan Monastery, Nepal
- Thousand Buddha Relics Stupa for Geshe Lama Konchog’s relics, a row of 8 stupas and a golden stupa for Lama Yeshe’s relics, at Kopan Monastery, Nepal
- Lama Lhundrup’s Stupa (25 ft), Kopan Monastery, Nepal
- Lama Lhundrup’s Stupa at Kopan Nunnery
- Lama Yeshe’s Stupa at Kopan Monastery, Nepal
- Enlightenment Stupa (3 meters) in Boudhanath, Nepal at one student’s house
- Namgyalma Stupa, Losang Drakpa Center, Malaysia
- Victory Stupa at Golden Light Sutra Center, Mongolia
- Enlightenment Stupa at Shakyamuni Buddhist Center, Taiwan
- Geshe Sengye’s stupa in Tibet (20 ft)
- Enlightenment Stupa (18 ft), Taplejung District, Nepal (built by Losang Namgyal Rinpoche)
- Enlightenment Stupa (18 ft), Okhaldunga District, Nepal (built by Losang Namgyal Rinpoche)
- Enlightenment Stupa (21 ft), Lalitpure District, Nepal (built by Losang Namgyal Rinpoche)
- Stupa (18 feet), Okhaldunga District, Nepal (built by Losang Namgyal Rinpoche)
- Nirvana Stupa (18 ft), Rasuwa District, Nepal (built by Losang Namgyal Rinpoche)
- Pepung Stupa (Lotus Stupa) (18 ft), Nuwakot District, Nepal (built by Losang Namgyal Rinpoche)
- Construction of stupa (18 ft) in Rasuwa District, Nepal (built by Losang Namgyal Rinpoche)
- 24.5 ft stupa, Rinchen Jansem Ling, Malaysia.
Offerings Made to Build Stupas
- Chogyey Trichen Rinpoche’s Stupa (105 feet tall with a 54 feet diameter dome), Nepal, US$7,700 offered.
Further Resources
- Benefits and Practices Related to Statues and Stupas, Part 2
- Benefits and Practices Related to Statues and Stupas, Part 3
- Microfilm for Stupas and Prayer Wheels
- FPMT’s Stupa Resources Page
- Stupas in Everyday Life by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
- Gallery of some stupas inspired by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
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.