Stupas in North America

I found this information on the internet about Buddhist centers with stupas. It lists stupas in North America as well as the rest of the world.

Take a look a the pictures of the ancient stupa in Afghanistan. It is easy to forget that King Asoka's empire stretched to what today is Afghanistan.

Happy New Year!

New Year’s Day 2008

“I dedicate myself to the liberation and salvation of all sentient beings.…” This is the beginning of the Bodhisattva Vow that KPC sangha members in Arizona and Maryland recited at midnight, January 1, 2008, bringing in a new year by renewing their commitment to work for the benefit of sentient beings.

“I was there when Jetsunma gave this prayer, spontaneously,” remarked Sylvia Sommerville who was one of Jetsunma’s first students more that 25 years ago. “It must have been 1985, we were on a retreat praying. It came to her on the spot and she gave it to us!” Jetsunma has given this vow to hundreds of people over the years, connecting them with the path that has the potential to end our suffering that the Buddha described as aging, sickness and death.

On another more recent occasion in early December 2007, Jetsunma once again gave this vow to several new students. Afterwards she said, “[From] this moment forward all beings rejoice in you because you have the potential to liberate beings. You are their hope and their salvation and you will never again be separate from the three precious jewels of refuge.” Then she instructed them “to meditate on that joy.”

This new year we meditate on the joy of being Jetsunma’s students and on the remarkable opportunity of being guided on this path by her ocean-like wisdom and compassion. Whoever is reading this, no matter how firm or distant your connection is to the liberating energies of the Three Precious Jewels, may that connection ripen and grow in 2008, and may you have a wonderful, prosperous and healthy new year!

Here is the full text of Jetsunma’s Bodhisattva Vow:

I dedicate myself to the liberation and salvation of all sentient beings. I offer my body, speech, and mind in order to accomplish the purpose of all sentient beings. I will return in whatever form necessary, under extraordinary circumstances, to end suffering. Let me be born in times unpredictable, in places unknown, until all sentient beings are liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth.

Taking no thought for my comfort or safety, precious Lama (Buddha), make of me a pure and perfect instrument by which the end of suffering and death in all forms might be realized. Let me achieve perfect enlightenment for the sake of all beings. And then, by my hand and heart alone, may all beings achieve full enlightenment and perfect liberation.

By this effort may all sentient beings be free of suffering.

Take a Walk With Us

Ani Dawa earlier this week - courtesy of Ani Sonam.

Where are all the Stupas in North America?

My friend Konchog, a monk in our community who lives in Mongolia, gave me some advice for this blog: use the blog to build a community of interest. That is simple enough advice, so let's do it.

Konchog is gifted in many ways, no least is that he is a professional writer. His passion is for Dharma -- the teachings and practices of Shayamuni Buddha -- and right now his life work is to assist in the revitalization of Buddhism in Mongolia. You can learn about this work and read a really well written blog here.

So, back to this blog about the Amitabha Stupa in Sedona, Arizona. We frequently get a question from visitors that goes something like this: "How many Stupas are there in the US?" To be truthful, I am not sure the exact number that our Lama has built, though 17 sticks in my mind. Maybe we are not so good at counting such accomplishments. Wouldn't it be good, however, not only to know about these Stupas but all Stupas in North America; and, to construct a map of their locations?

I have an idea: let's use this blog to accomplish such a project. Please send out the link to anyone you know who knows the location of a Stupa in North America. Here is a possible way to record that information:

Amitabha Stupa. Location: Pueblo Drive, West Sedona Arizona. Constructed by Kunzang Palyul Choling (KPC). Completed 2004. website information: www.tara.org

Let's see what happens!

Deities Dancing on Snowflakes

We had our first snowfall in Sedona a couple weeks back. It is stunning here when it snows. The white snowflakes set against the red rocks and green juniper is really quite beautiful.

Activities at the Amitabha Stupa are touch-and-go during the snow or rain because the road up to the Stupa gets too wet to be used. So, we redirect folks to our prayer center for practices during these times. On this snowy day, as I walked up to the Amitabha Stupa to post a sign to about the change in location for the Stupa practices, I was struck once again by the almost magical nature of the place. It was as if the snowflakes were the Deities themselves dancing and playing on this sacred ground-- a delightful thought as the snowflakes touched my face and accumulated on the hat covering the crown of my head.

The Amitabha Stupa sits on high ground in West Sedona and is surrounded by mountains to the West, North and distant East.

The mountain ridge in the distance in the this photograph is the Mogollon Rim, a geographic feature in Northern Arizona that stretches East to West for about 1000 miles. On top of the Rim in our part of Arizona is Flagstaff and 60 miles beyond the South rim of the Grand Canyon.

The land on which the Amitabha Stupa sits has been sacred ground for millennia. The indigenous tribes of the part of the Southwest used this land and many others in the Sedona area only for their sacred ceremony. They lived elsewhere and made a pilgrimage to this land to connect with the sacred.

Today, new pilgrims make the easy trek to this sacred land. Our guestbook indicates that people from all over North America visit the Amitabha Stupa and experience the calming, spiritual energy of the location. I’ve recently found out that the two programs for treatment for chemical dependency in this part of Arizona use the Amitabha Stupa as a destination for activities that cultivate a contemplative side of their recovery from addiction.

We believe that the sacred nature of the past of this land is held and honored by the Lamas of our lineage, preserving it for today’s spiritual activities that benefit all sentient beings. We hope that you can visit the Amitabha Stupa soon and experience its benefits directly. If you are fortunate, maybe the Deities will dance and play on the snowflakes while you are there!

May all have a happy holiday season and may all of our activities in the new year bring benefit to all sentient beings.

Candlelight Vigil for Freedom in Burma

Three Burmese activists from Phoenix joined several KPC sangha members, ordained and lay, in attending a candlelight vigil for Freedom in Burma on October 26th at the Amitabha Stupa Peace Park in Sedona, Arizona. Under the light of the full moon the vigil participants chanted what is probably the most recognizable Buddhist chant in Tibetan, “OM MANI PADME HUNG”, the essence of compassion and compassionate activity.

There is no lighting at the Amitabha Stupa or throughout the Peace Park so it generally is closed at dusk. This night we used the light of the full moon as it rose over the mountains to illuminate our path. The photojournalist from the local newspaper was there, too, and sent the awesome photographs that are posted on this blog. Keeping the aperture open seems to produce interesting results.

The Burmese activists have been working tirelessly for many weeks and seemed happy to be with a group of people who are trying to help their cause. They also loved the Stupa!

Burma is important. Please keep yourself abreast of current events there as they seem to be shifting about almost on a daily basis, the outcome of which still seems to be up for grabs. Maybe with enough effort we can help move the potential outcome towards freedom and compassion!

By this effort may all sentient beings be free of suffering!

Cold Beautiful Practice

When I got to the Amitabha Stupa for the 5pm Amitabha and Chenrezig practice there were 8 or 10 people enjoying the Stupa. It was a cold and windy afternoon, but because we are in Sedona it was a beautiful cold and windy afternoon, and this did not seem to deter anyone's enthusiasm.

We settled into the Amitabha practice with four people and towards the end of the Chenrezig practice, a bit late, came Mary and Wiggleworm. I guess Wiggleowrm was up for some chanting, dog-style, which he accomplished with great aplomb as we closed the practice. He was the loudest voice other than mine for the dedication at the end.

What is it about our habits? The Lama’s tell us that the habits of the mind are the only thing that transits the intermediate state between this life and the next. Not our soul, just our habits (not good news for those who have a “good soul” but bad habits!) show up in a form determined by our karma (the accumulation of actions). There is a lot of this that I don’t understand and wouldn’t be able to convey with any more depth than a parrot, however when Wiggleworm gets going, I do wonder about the pervasive control that habits have over oneself and whether this is what is behind his dog-style chanting (otherwise known as howling).

I will never be able to figure it out. But it is a good habit, I think, to chant along anyway. He seems to enjoy it.

A Very Good Thing To Do

In the West it is difficult sometimes to convey the importance of a stupa or in our case the Amitabha Stupa in Sedona.

Maybe a good place to start would be with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. As you know he received the Congressional Gold Metal, the highest civil honor that Congress can bestow. To know him, is to know compassion; to listen to him is to learn about wisdom; to be close to him, is to feel the presence of the of someone very special (remarks by Senator Diane Feinstein). Amidst the pomp and formality of the occasion, this humble monk who is the spiritual leader not only of the Tibetan people but a sure guide to people of all faiths and traditions throughout the world, brought to this staid affair simple laughter, joy and an ease of being that, I believe, allowed all to relax and enjoy themselves. Being in his presence seemed to catalyze peace, joy, and compassion among otherwise political enemies.

That phenomenon gets repeated at the Amitabha Stupa or any consecrated Stupa for that matter. Like the Dalai Lama’s energy, a Stupa harmonizes its environment. I have to admit I do not know how this happens, just that it does. People (non-Buddhists in particular) visiting the Amitabha Stupa recognize this and then write about it in the Stupa Guestbook: “…a beautiful place; …peaceful energy; …very calming; …thank you for offering this place of refuge to the world.”

Our Lama Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo would have it no other way: she has been at it, offering places of refuge for more than 25 years. She has built dozens of Stupas in the United States. This is a remarkable accomplishment. She is simply a remarkable person as is the Dalai Lama. Her compassion is vast as is the Dalai Lama’s compassion. In fact, there is no distinction.

So how does one connect the dots here? The importance of the stupa. The importance of the Dalai Lama. The importance of our Lama Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. There are no dots to connect, actually, because all these elements are the same. Jetsunma is, as is the Dalai Lama, as is the Amitabha Stupa, none other than a form of enlightened activity. The separateness of their appearance is important but more important is this: their nature does not stop where yours or mine starts. It is continuous, and if we are willing to let it take place we can be transformed by their presence. I guess then that even more exciting than feeling good at the stupa, is the chance for it to catalyze from our nature the qualities of enlightenment. Take a moment and think about this. If you are like me and can only understand an inkling of what is possible, that is enough to get started!

The physical shape of the Amitabha Stupa is that of enlightenment. This is a gift that Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo has given the world, right here in Sedona with its 2-million visitors a year and all the spiritualist stuff that is said to be here. The stupa sits on some type of power spot (something else I really can’t say I understand, but so what!) and it is here only to benefit sentient beings.

The importance therefore of this quiet peaceful place, like the importance of the Dalai Lama’s quiet and cheerful presence, is the same: to help you and me and our pets and the birds that fly overhead and the ants and snakes on the ground – the whole lot of sentient beings – end their suffering. What a remarkable gift to give!

Please come to the Stupa and help yourself and all sentient beings, it’s a very good thing to do!

Responding to the Crisis in Burma

A few of us will travel to Tempe, Arizona on Saturday the 6th to join in a peaceful protest rally focusing on the crackdown on advocates of democracy and the detaining and killing of Buddhist monks in Burma (see the prior post on this blog).

Why not pull together a response to the Burmese crisis here in Sedona as well? We have the perfect spot: the Stupa; and the perfect means: our Buddhist path of peaceful witness not only to the causes of suffering but also to its cessation. The Buddha taught about both.

It’s an unbelievable tragedy that Buddhist monks and peaceful demonstrators in Burma have been detained, tortured and killed. It’s heartbreaking that people suffer because of the cruelty of the Burmese Junta that appears to be calling the shots in this crackdown; and, also knowing that the members of the Junta and others involved in perpetrating these monstrous acts are likely to suffer endlessly because of their actions.

Having maintained his concern, and having worked with great effort for the welfare of the Tibetan people, when Mao died the Dalai Lama wept knowing the likely suffering for Mao that would be result from the cruelty that was perpetrated with his blessings on the Tibetan and Chinese people. It is the same with the Junta in Burma. We weep for the monks and lay people rounded up by the Junta and for the Junta and its functionaries.

One way to help is to get involved in the protest: maybe this will contribute towards turning the tide in Burma and changing the behaviors of that government (if not bringing it down all together). If you are not sure how to plug in, check out Buddhist Relief, Inc. (www.buddhisrelief,org). They have ideas and a good list of worldwide resources for responding to the crisis in Burma.

Stay tuned to this blog as well in case something gets going at the Amitabha Stupa in Sedona in response to the crisis in Burma.

By the way, the press uses "Myanmar" instead of Burma but I am holding on to the name that the protesters use. The Junta changed the name but the legitimacy of that act is questionable.

By the effort, may all sentient beings be free of suffering.