Among the many religious mounuments of the world, the Buddhist stupa has the longest history of uninterrupted use. A part of the landscape in Buddhist countries, the jar shaped stupa is considered both a reminder to the faithful and a kind of energetic magnet for peace and healing.
Stupas are also considered to be a way to quell violence and heal the wounds of past wrongs to both people, the earth and spirits within.
The RoundRiver Institute LLC, in conjunction with the Dharma Center in Spring Green, WI and a circle of supportive friends is exploring the possibility of building several traditional Tibetan stupas across southwest Wisconsin. The envisioned network of stupas would be a way to bring peace to our individual communities and,through their combined energy provide healing for individual and community wounds and losses.
The first stupa would be on the grounds of the RoundRiver Institute, near Genoa. Preliminary contact has been made with the Deer Park Buddhist Center, near Madison and Yangsi Rinpoche has kindly agreed to provide guidance on the initial stupa. Contact has also been established with Tibetan religous scholars in Dharmsala, India.
The necessary traditional blessing of the land and consecretion of the stupa site may be done in the next few months. That ceremony will, of course, be free to those who are interested.
Since one of the goals of the project is to teach people how to create stupas, a video of the project is being considered to provide instruction to others on how to create traditional Tibetan stupas in their own communities. Watch for updates on this developing project in future editions of the "RoundRiver Currents" newsletter and on the RoundRiver website; round-river2000.com
If you are interested in hands-on learning of stupa construction and arenít afraid of getting your hands dirty while earning some good karma, contact Mark Taylor at the RoundRiver Institute at (608) 483-2730. Given that stupas are built quickly, in the course of a few days or so, when construction begins we will need plenty of volunteers on hand.
- Mark L. Taylor
RoundRiver Institute LLC
mark@round-river2000.com
