Kalachakra stupa
Encyclopedia
In Buddhism, a Kalachakra stupa is a stupa
whose symbolism is not connected to events in the Buddha's life, but instead to the symbolism of the Kalachakra Tantra, created to protect against negative energies. It is the rarest kind of stupa.
and the Buddhist conception of the universe, described in the Kalachakra teachings.
Stupas express the nature of mind in a perfect way. It symbolizes both enlightened state of the Buddha
with body, speech and mind, the ten Bodhisattva levels, as well as the universe: It shows harmony and perfection of all universal principles. There are 8 different types of stupa
s in the sutra
s, all referring to important events in the Buddhas life. A ninth stupa, the Kalachakra stupa, can be found among the highest teaching of the Buddha in the non-dual Maha-Anuttarayoga tantra, also known as the “Wheel of Time” or Kalachakra
.
The Kalachakra Tantra refers to external, internal and alternative aspects. The external aspects deals with cosmology, astronomy and astrology, the internal deals with the individuals inner energy-system; the interrelationship between body and mind. The alternative aspect meditation deity practice on the Kalachakra. The stupa has great protective power.
and Shangpa Kagyu
. Inside the stupa are relics of Buddha
s and Bodhisattvas, mantra
s and sacred object inside. Mandala
s of specific deities are placed inside the different levels of the stupa.
(Karma Kagyu
) centre, and designed by Woitek Kossowski, who was the architect of the project. It was constructed in the period from July 18 to September 12, 1994. It is 13 meters high and covers a ground area of 49 square meters. Inside it are relics from the present and former Buddhas, the complete Kanjur and Tanjur (all Buddhas teachings and commentaries). At the time it was built, it was only the third of its kind in the world. This stupa has eyes painted on it, a Nepal
ese custom also seen on the famous Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu.
in Dharamsala, India. It was built just before the stupa in Garanas, Austria.
.
It is an exact copy of the stupa built at the residence of the Dalai Lama
in Dharamsala
, India
. The stupa was constructed by Geshe Tenzin Dhargye, from December 2000 to October 2002. Ngawang Lodoe, from the monastery of the Dalai Lama
in Dharamsala, were supervising the construction. Inside is incense, holy scriptures, valuable items of everyday use. The relics were provided the Dalai Lama, the venerable representatives of the five Tibetan Buddhist lineages and other important masters.
took over from her September 2008. The artistic director was Kurukulla's interpreter, Thubten Damchoe, and the Center's resident teacher, Geshe Tsulga, gave valuable advice. It is based on the ones at Dharamsala and Garanas (above) and Ngawang Lodoe helped with plans and advice.
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
whose symbolism is not connected to events in the Buddha's life, but instead to the symbolism of the Kalachakra Tantra, created to protect against negative energies. It is the rarest kind of stupa.
Symbolism
The specific symbolism of the Kalachakra stupa refers both to the symbolism of a stupaStupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
and the Buddhist conception of the universe, described in the Kalachakra teachings.
Stupas express the nature of mind in a perfect way. It symbolizes both enlightened state of the Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
with body, speech and mind, the ten Bodhisattva levels, as well as the universe: It shows harmony and perfection of all universal principles. There are 8 different types of stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
s in the sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
s, all referring to important events in the Buddhas life. A ninth stupa, the Kalachakra stupa, can be found among the highest teaching of the Buddha in the non-dual Maha-Anuttarayoga tantra, also known as the “Wheel of Time” or Kalachakra
Kalachakra
Kalachakra is a Sanskrit term used in Tantric Buddhism that literally means "time-wheel" or "time-cycles".The spelling Kalacakra is also correct....
.
The Kalachakra Tantra refers to external, internal and alternative aspects. The external aspects deals with cosmology, astronomy and astrology, the internal deals with the individuals inner energy-system; the interrelationship between body and mind. The alternative aspect meditation deity practice on the Kalachakra. The stupa has great protective power.
Kalachakra stupas in the world
Kalachakra stupas in chronologic order:Ancient Dhanyakataka Stupa at Amaravati, Guntur district, India
This is the oldest of all Kalachakra Stupas and the place where according to Vajrayana oral transmission the Kalachakra tantra was first revealed by the historical Buddha. The stupa is not intact, however, there is a nearby museum with a smaller replica of the original Dhanyakataka Stupa. The museum also features some of the original stele and marble carvings from the original Stupa.According to Vajrayana traditional sources the Buddha taught Dharma at Dhanyakataka and conferred the Kalachakra ceremony on selected disciples, which would take the antiquity of the Amaravati Stupa back to 500 BCE. Taranatha, the Buddhist monk writes: "On the full moon of the month Caitra in the year following his enlightenment, at the great stupa of Dhanyakataka, Buddha manifested the mandala of "The Glorious Lunar Mansions" (Kalachakra) at Dhanyakataka. In Vajrayana Tantrism, Dhanyakataka (Amaravati) is considered a very important place in regard to the revelation of the Kalachakra tantra.Stupa in Bokar Monastery, Mirik, India, 1988
This Kalachakra stupa at Bokar Monastery was built in 1988. The monastery is both KarmaKarma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current...
and Shangpa Kagyu
Shangpa Kagyu
The Shangpa Kagyu is known as the "secret" lineage and differs in origin from the better known Dagpo Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Dagpo Kagyud come from the lineage of Tilopa whereas the Shangpa lineage descends from Naropa's consort Niguma as well as Sukhasiddhi...
. Inside the stupa are relics of Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
s and Bodhisattvas, mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
s and sacred object inside. Mandala
Mandala
Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point...
s of specific deities are placed inside the different levels of the stupa.
Stupa in Eastern Tibet
There is a Kalachakra stupa near the border of the old Tibet, built to protect against negative energies from outside the country. This stupa gave the inspiration for building the Kalachakra stupa in southern Spain.Stupa in Karma Guen, Spain, 1994
This stupa was built in 1994 under guidance of Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche, in the south of Spain. It was the first stupa assisted by Tsechu Rinpoche, a stupa he considered to be the “Mother stupa”, for the other stupas in the west. It is located in a Diamond Way BuddhistDiamond Way Buddhism
Diamond Way Buddhism is a lay organization within the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. The first Diamond Way Buddhist centre was founded in 1972 by Hannah and Ole Nydahl...
(Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current...
) centre, and designed by Woitek Kossowski, who was the architect of the project. It was constructed in the period from July 18 to September 12, 1994. It is 13 meters high and covers a ground area of 49 square meters. Inside it are relics from the present and former Buddhas, the complete Kanjur and Tanjur (all Buddhas teachings and commentaries). At the time it was built, it was only the third of its kind in the world. This stupa has eyes painted on it, a Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
ese custom also seen on the famous Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu.
Stupa in Dharamsala, India
This stupa is located at the residence of the Dalai LamaDalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
in Dharamsala, India. It was built just before the stupa in Garanas, Austria.
Stupa in Garanas, Austria, 2002
The stupa was built on the ground of the Kalachakra Kalapa Centre in southwest Styria, AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
It is an exact copy of the stupa built at the residence of the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
in Dharamsala
Dharamsala
Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu; it is the winter seat of government of the state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of the Kangra district....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The stupa was constructed by Geshe Tenzin Dhargye, from December 2000 to October 2002. Ngawang Lodoe, from the monastery of the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
in Dharamsala, were supervising the construction. Inside is incense, holy scriptures, valuable items of everyday use. The relics were provided the Dalai Lama, the venerable representatives of the five Tibetan Buddhist lineages and other important masters.
The Kalachakra Stupa at Kurukulla Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 2010
The Kalachakra stupa at Kurukulla Center was built at the suggestion of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, spiritual head of the FPMT, with which Kurukulla Center is affiliated. The project was initiated when Wendy Cook was the director of the Center and completed after Nick RibushNick Ribush
Nick Ribush was one of the first Westerners to be ordained as a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. A founder of Wisdom Publications, Ribush is today the director of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, a collection of thousands of teachings by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who pioneered the...
took over from her September 2008. The artistic director was Kurukulla's interpreter, Thubten Damchoe, and the Center's resident teacher, Geshe Tsulga, gave valuable advice. It is based on the ones at Dharamsala and Garanas (above) and Ngawang Lodoe helped with plans and advice.
See also
- Benalmádena Stupa
- Buddhist architectureBuddhist architectureBuddhist religious architecture developed in South Asia in the 3rd century BC.Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism: monasteries , stupas, and temples ....
- Buddhist artBuddhist artBuddhist art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life of Siddhartha Gautama, 6th to 5th century BC, and thereafter evolved by contact with other cultures as it spread throughout Asia and the world....
- Buddhist symbolismBuddhist symbolismBuddhist symbolism is the use of Buddhist art to represent certain aspects of dhamma, which began in the 4th century BCE. Anthropomorphic symbolism appeared from around the 1st century CE with the arts of Mathura and the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, and were combined with the previous symbols...
- MankialaMankialaMankiala is a village in the Potohar Plateau, Punjab which is known for its Buddhist stupa. It is located some 50 km from Islamabad, beyond Rawat Fort.-Mankiala Stupa:...