Last month, I made 2 quick trips back to our mother temple in Poolesville, MD, right outside Washington, DC. While I was there I made sure to visit several of the stupas we have the great blessing of maintaining on our 7 acre temple complex and 65 acre wildlife refuge across the street.
The oldest stupa, the 36 foot Enlightenment Stupa, was built and consecrated 18 years ago. It is conveniently located next to the temple so that all one has to do is park the car, walk a few feet, and PRESTO! Brilliant white with a gold spire, it has a brass 3 foot statue of Guru Rinpoche behind plexiglass in the gau. It is surrounded by lush green trees, small gardens, benches, and grass and is beautifully lit at night. The path around it is about 5 - 6 feet wide lines with wood chip mulch, and it has been the site of many ceremonies, prayers, weddings, and photos.
Across the street, a charming picturesque walk through sun-dappled forest paths, is the Migyur Dorje Stupa. This amazing stupa is dedicated to the eradication of terminal disease, and many who have visited having amazing stories associated with healing they attribute to it. Around 30 feet tall, gleaming gold, the gau has a beautifully painted relief of Migyur Dorje and embossed snow lions around all 4 sides. There is a lot of room for big ceremonies, lots of grass and trees, with a narrower mulched path around it.
Further back on the property is the Stupa Park with 8 smaller stupas circling an 18 foot stupa dedicated to the long life of our teacher, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. The stupas sit upon ivy covered mounds surrounded by stone walls with a slate walkway encircling and encompassing all 9 stupas.
As much as I loved reconnecting with these stupas and the beautiful land upon which they sit, I loved coming back to the Amitabha Stupa. As I mentioned in an e-mail to a MD sangha memberwho has yet to visit (come soon Yeshe!), it is so beautiful yet so different than the MD ones. Instead of the lush moist greenness, there are stark surroundings balanced with the warmth of the red rocks, the brilliant blue of the sky, and the piercing whiteness of the clouds. The stupa itself is the same color as the red rocks themselves, as if it has arisen from them. Then there is the crunch of gravel beneath your feet instead of the soft crispness of the wood chips, a wide path so many can walk abreast as they circumambulate - and so many visitors who would never otherwise give a second thought to Buddhism, making the effort to come and experience such a serene and sacred place.
My hope is that someday you all are able to connect with a stupa - whether it be here, or Md, or Colorado, or India, or Tibet, or Mongolia - or places they have yet to be built and we will have the good fortune to see built (or help build) in our lifetime.
The oldest stupa, the 36 foot Enlightenment Stupa, was built and consecrated 18 years ago. It is conveniently located next to the temple so that all one has to do is park the car, walk a few feet, and PRESTO! Brilliant white with a gold spire, it has a brass 3 foot statue of Guru Rinpoche behind plexiglass in the gau. It is surrounded by lush green trees, small gardens, benches, and grass and is beautifully lit at night. The path around it is about 5 - 6 feet wide lines with wood chip mulch, and it has been the site of many ceremonies, prayers, weddings, and photos.
Across the street, a charming picturesque walk through sun-dappled forest paths, is the Migyur Dorje Stupa. This amazing stupa is dedicated to the eradication of terminal disease, and many who have visited having amazing stories associated with healing they attribute to it. Around 30 feet tall, gleaming gold, the gau has a beautifully painted relief of Migyur Dorje and embossed snow lions around all 4 sides. There is a lot of room for big ceremonies, lots of grass and trees, with a narrower mulched path around it.
Further back on the property is the Stupa Park with 8 smaller stupas circling an 18 foot stupa dedicated to the long life of our teacher, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. The stupas sit upon ivy covered mounds surrounded by stone walls with a slate walkway encircling and encompassing all 9 stupas.
As much as I loved reconnecting with these stupas and the beautiful land upon which they sit, I loved coming back to the Amitabha Stupa. As I mentioned in an e-mail to a MD sangha memberwho has yet to visit (come soon Yeshe!), it is so beautiful yet so different than the MD ones. Instead of the lush moist greenness, there are stark surroundings balanced with the warmth of the red rocks, the brilliant blue of the sky, and the piercing whiteness of the clouds. The stupa itself is the same color as the red rocks themselves, as if it has arisen from them. Then there is the crunch of gravel beneath your feet instead of the soft crispness of the wood chips, a wide path so many can walk abreast as they circumambulate - and so many visitors who would never otherwise give a second thought to Buddhism, making the effort to come and experience such a serene and sacred place.
My hope is that someday you all are able to connect with a stupa - whether it be here, or Md, or Colorado, or India, or Tibet, or Mongolia - or places they have yet to be built and we will have the good fortune to see built (or help build) in our lifetime.
posted by MsT at 10:50 PM
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