Holy Objects Fund

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The Holy Objects Fund provides the resources to create holy objects around the world for the benefit of all beings and for world peace. The creation of holy objects is a very high priority among Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization. Due to the power of the holy objects one can purify negativities and create merit, for all who see or come into contact with them.

My wish is 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.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Kinds of Holy Objects Created

The Fund contributes toward the building of stupas, prayer wheels, statues and large thangkas to bring peace in the world and benefit beings in a very unique way.

Stupa of Complete Victory for Lama Zopa Rinpoche

A magnificent Stupa of Complete Victory is being built for Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery, this stupa will be 42 ft high (12.8 meters). The intention is to create a significant monument situated on a ground level covering an area of 180 square ft (55 square meters) and a semi-basement level spanning 715 square feet (218 square meters). We are currently in the planning stage of this project.

Learn more about the Stupa of Complete Victory for Lama Zopa Rinpoche or make a contribution below!

Rendering of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Stupa of Complete Victory.

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Stupas

Completed stupa in Thame, Nepal.Stupas

Building 100,000 stupas for world peace is one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wishes for the FPMT organization. Stupas are powerful symbols of the mind’s limitless potential. They represent the mind of enlightenment. Rinpoche explains that since there is unbelievable benefit from holy objects, the organization should aim to build 100,000 stupas (minimum size, one story, up to the distance from the earth to the moon) in different parts of the world. To date, 49 stupas have been built or are in the process of being built … only 99,951 remain to be built.

You can learn more about our work supporting stupas, or make a contribution to the Stupa Fund below.

The minute you see a holy object you create infinite merits,
So no question, if you actually make prostrations,
Offerings and so forth, you create far greater merit.

—Sutra of the Mudra of Developing the Power of Devotion

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Prayer Wheels

Prayer wheels turned by water which bless the entire area.

Prayer Wheels

A prayer wheel is a cylindrical wheel on a spindle made from metal. Inside the prayer wheel are many millions or billions of the mantra of the Buddha of Compassion, OM MANI PADME HUM, printed on paper or microfilm. By turning the prayer wheel the mantra of compassion emanates and blesses the area and all beings. Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained that he would like to sponsor the building of 100,000 prayer wheels for world peace (including prayer wheels under the ocean). The prayer wheels are to have a minimum height of six feet. Wherever a prayer wheel is built, it becomes a great blessing for that country.

You can learn more about our work supporting prayer wheels, or make a contribution to the Prayer Wheel Fund below.

Simply touching a prayer wheel brings great purification of negative karma. Turning a prayer wheel containing 100 million OM MANI PADME HUM mantras accumulates the same merit as reciting that many mantras.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche

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Padmasambhava Statues

Guru Rinpoche statue at De-tong Ling retreat center, Bendigo, Australia.

Padmasambhava Statues

The Padmasambhava Project for Peace is sponsoring the building of many large statues of Padmasambhava around the world in order to create the cause for peace for all beings. To date 19 statues have been built, one measuring 70 feet (21 meters) high.

You can learn more about our work supporting Padmasambhava statues, or make a contribution to the Padmasambhava Project for Peace below..

Building Guru Rinpoche statues will bring immeasurable benefit, peace, happiness, and freedom to the world. They will have immeasurable impact.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche

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Maitreya Statues

A scale replica of the Maitreya Buddha statue to be built at Kushinagar, India, Photo by Andy Melnic.Maitreya Statues

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has requested the FPMT organization to contribute towards the building of 1,000 Maitreya statues (the minimum size should be 6 feet). This includes the Maitreya statues planned to be built in Kushinagar and Bodhgaya, India. By contributing to the building of Maitreya statues, whether it be money or time, one makes a connection with Maitreya Buddha, and the result is that one becomes a direct disciple of Maitreya Buddha when Maitreya returns to manifest enlightenment.

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Giant Thangkas

Giant Thangkas

Thangkas are painted or appliquéd depictions of Buddhas, deities and venerated spiritual figures, usually framed by brocade.  Lama Zopa Rinpoche has expressed the wish that the bigger FPMT centers have large thangkas which can be displayed, with extensive offerings, including offerings of music and dance, as a celebration enjoyed by the community on festival days and during special events. In this way, by seeing the large thangkas it is a way to leave imprints for enlightenment for all the people who view them.

You may think that a statue or thangka is just a statue or thangka, but it is the transcendental wisdom of dharmakaya, which understands and directly sees absolute truth, as well as conventional truth.

— Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Master thangka painter Peter Iseli has generously completed a number of large thangkas (all done for free!) towards Rinpoche’s Vast Vision, including a large 21 Tara thangka. The thangka was painted at a workshop specially built for large thangkas at Institut Vajra Yogini in France. See a full list and photos of completed large thankgas.

The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, March 16, 2023. Photo from the Facebook page of Great Stupa of Universal Compassion.

Annual Grant Updates for Rejoicing

Below are annual news reports of the grant making activities for the Holy Objects Fund, with details and photos for rejoicing.

Grants Offered in 2023

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.

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. Read more »

Grants Offered in 2022

Lama Zopa Rinpoche greeting the new Dzambala statue on arrival to Kopan Monastery.

Holy objects are so powerful one can purify negativities and create merit just by seeing them. According to the Sutra of the Mudra of Developing the Power of Devotion, “The minute you see a holy object you create infinite merits, so no question, if you actually make prostrations, offerings and so forth, you create far greater merit.”

We are so happy to share with you of some new holy objects that have come into being recently. Read more »

Grants Offered in 2021

The completed Thame Stupa.

When discussing his Vast Visions for the FPMT organization, Lama Zopa Rinpoche said, “My wish is 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 create extensive merit, which also makes it so easy to achieve the realizations of the path to achieve liberation and enlightenment.” In his March 10 thought transformation teaching, Rinpoche explained that, “Every single holy object is the basis for you to create all the merits that bring every success and pleasure that you experience now, as well causing your future liberation and enlightenment. Whether a person is Buddhist or not, just seeing a holy object allows them to create soooo much merit.”

Please find details on how a number of the FPMT Charitable Projects recently supported the creation of holy objects, such as stupas, prayer wheels, and statues; arranged monthly offerings to precious holy objects; and offered grants for the translation, printing, and circulation of Dharma texts. Read more »

Holy Objects Fund News & Updates


Yearly Guru Bumtsog and Large Thangka Display at Kopan Nunnery

FPMT Community: Stories & News | December 13, 2024 -
For the ninth year in a row, a very large thangka of Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) was displayed and an auspicious 100,000 tsog offering event (Guru Bumtsog) took place at Khachoe Ghakyil Ling (Kopan Nunnery). This giant holy object is 70 … Read more »

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The Holy Objects 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 larger donations, wire transfers, or check donations, contact FPMT Donor Services.
For questions about the Holy Objects Fund activities, please contact the Charitable Projects Coordinator.

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