Stupa Fund

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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. This is about peace – for the beings who see it, for the whole country, for the entire world, for all sentient beings.

–Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Special Stupa Project


Lama Zopa Rinpoche Stupa of Complete Victory at Kopan Monastery

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 project and how to make a contribution.


100,000 Stupas for World Peace

Lama Zopa Rinpoche established the Stupa Fund in 1992 with the aim of providing the resources needed for building 100,000 stupas around the world, each a minimum height of 12 feet (3.65 meters). Simply seeing a holy object such as a stupa becomes the cause to achieve inconceivable awakening and enlightenment by purifying defilements. This is the special advantage of holy objects, that just by their existence they make it so easy for all living beings to create merit.

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.

—the Sutra of the Mudra of Developing the Power of Devotion

What is a Stupa?

Stupas, one of the most ancient icons in Buddhist art, are powerful symbols of the mind’s limitless potential. In other words, they represent the mind of enlightenment. Stupas are filled with sacred images, mantras and the relics of holy beings. Building or sponsoring a stupa is a very powerful way to accumulate merit and purify negative karma.

Completed magnificent stupa in Thame, Nepal.

Stupas Completed/In Progress

To date, eighty 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. See the current list of completed stupas below.

The stupa fund also covers the cost of materials for making tsa-tsas and stupas. A small Kadampa stupa is made, filled and dedicated for anyone who has passed away by Nalanda Monastery as well as Three Long-life Deities and Mitukpa tsa-tsas. These are dedicated to any person who is sick with prayers that they may immediately recover, be liberated from samsara, and may achieve enlightenment quickly. In addition, on the eighth day of the Tibetan month, Eight Medicine Buddhas tsa-tsas are made and on the thirtieth, a Padmasambhava tsa-tsa is made.

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

North & Central America

Northern & Central America

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    Kalachakra Stupa at Kurukulla Center, Massachusetts USA.

    Kadampa Stupa (3.048 meters/10 ft) at Kachoe Dechen Ling, California, USA
  • Lama Yeshe Cremation Stupa (1.8 meters/6 ft) at Vajrapani Institute, California, USA
  • Lama Yeshe’s Enlightenment Stupa (4.87 meters/16 ft) at Vajrapani Institute, California, USA
  • Kadampa Stupa (1.8 meters/6 ft) at Land of Medicine Buddha, California, USA
  • Mahabodhi Stupa and 100,000 Stupa Project, (11.88 meters/39 ft) at Land of Medicine Buddha, California, USA
  • Kalachakra Stupa (4.5 meters/15 ft) at Kurukulla Center, Massachusetts, USA
  • Kadampa Stupa (5.4 meters/18 ft) at Kadampa Center, North Carolina, USA
  • Auspicious Stupa of Many Doors at (4.2 meters/14 ft) Milarepa Center, Vermont, USA
  • Enlightenment Stupa (4.87 meters/16 ft) at Pamtingpa Center, Tonasket, Washington, USA
  • Enlightenment Stupa (2.7 meters/9 ft) at Gendun Drubpa, Canada
South America

South America

  • Kalachakra Stupa for World Peace at Serlingpa Retreat Center, Mexico
  • Descent from Tushita Stupa (3 meters/10 ft), containing 15 relics, Cozumel, Mexico.
Europe

Europe

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    Kadampa Stupa at Institut Vajra Yogini, France.

    Kadampa Stupa built for Lama Yeshe and International Year of Tibet (1991) at Institut Vajra Yogini, France
  • Enlightenment Stupa (3.9 meters/13 ft) at Nalanda Monastery, France
  • Descent from Tushita Stupa at Kopavogur, Iceland
  • Enlightenment Stupa built for Lama Yeshe, Geshe Rabten, Geshe Yeshe Tobden, and Gomo Tulku, at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy
  • 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)
  • 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

Pacific Region

Asia

The stupas of Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup (left) and Geshe Lama Konchog at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, April 2020. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Asia

Offerings Made to Build Stupas

Offerings Made to Build Stupas

  • Chogyey Trichen Rinpoche’s Stupa (32 meters/ 105 ft), Nepal, US$7,700 offered.

Photos

Please enjoy this gallery of some of the stupas inspired by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Further Reading

Stupa Fund News & Updates


The Stupa of Complete Victory at Kopan Monastery Reaches the Vase Level!

Stupa Fund | October 15, 2024 -
As we have previously reported, a Stupa of Complete Victory is being built at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, for the swift return of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche and actualization of all his wishes. Venerable Tenzin Tsultrim was recently at Kopan Monastery … Read more »

 

The completed Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, in Bendigo, Australia, 2020.

Offer Your Compassionate Support

DONATE

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

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