Padmasambhava Project for Peace

	Building Guru Rinpoche statues will bring immeasurable benefit, peace, happiness, and freedom to the world. They will have immeasurable impact.
– Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Building Large Statues of Padmasambhava around the World

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Lama Zopa Rinpoche and students at the large statue of Padmasambhava in Sikkim, India (Not built by the Padmasambhava Project.) Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) is perhaps the most universally cherished realized being in all of Tibetan Buddhism. Padmasambhava came to Tibet from India in the 8th century and helped establish a pure lineage which is still practiced today by all four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism around the world.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche lauds Padmasambhava’s contribution to humanity: “Due to Padmasambhava’s great compassion, Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism flourished in Tibet and now has spread throughout the entire world. Because of that, so many people have experienced the path to enlightenment and achieved enlightenment. Due to his great compassion, the lives of infinite number of sentient beings have become meaningful.”

There is a long tradition of building Padamasambhava statues in Tibet. In the words of Guru Rinpoche himself:

Famous large statue of Padmasambhava in Tibet (Not built by the Padmasambhava Project.)"Listen, beautiful one having the form of a goddess,
For those sentient beings who have not met me,
Statues of me in the future
Will become the light eliminating the darkness
of ignorance.
Whoever builds such statues of me,
Which become objects of offering and so forth,
All their future lives will become meaningful
And they will establish the banner of the teachings."

A large statue of Padmasambhava in Bhutan

The Padmasambhava Project for Peace is dedicated to fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s goal of building many large statues of Padmasambhava around the world in order to create the cause for peace for all beings. To date, 24 statues have been built.

The statues sponsored by this project are built with utmost precision and care. They not only bless the environment with Padmasambhava’s powerful image, but they also contribute to the local economy where they are built, preserve ancient artisan techniques and contribute to the local visual culture.

The annual cost of the Padmasambhava Project for Peace for 2011 was $576,442. The annual expenses are dependent on the particular statues being built: the size, location and other factors.

Mandala magazine highlighted the Padmasambhava Project for Peace as their Featured Project, April-June 2010. From the article: "Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, “Building Guru Rinpoche statues will bring immeasurable benefit, peace, happiness and freedom to the world. They will have immeasurable impact.” As such, Mandala recognizes the
Padmasambhava Project for Peace as this issue’s Featured Project. More....

Prayer Downloads

Prayer to Guru Rinpoche to Clear Away Obstacles on the Path 

A Short Prayer to Padmasambhava

	“ My wish is for FPMT to build many holy objects everywhere, as many as possible. Making it so easy for sentient beings to purify their heavy negative karma and making it so easy for sentient beings to create extensive merit. Which makes it so easy to achieve the realizations of the path and so easy to achieve liberation and enlightenment.”
– Lama Zopa Rinpoche, CPMT 2002, Taos

 Latest News!

Padmasambhava Project for Peace Accomplishments as of July 2012

US$14,000 offered to build one 11-foot (3-meter) and two life-sized statues of Padmasambhava in Lawudo, Nepal. Lawudo is the site of particular significance for FPMT as the meditation cave of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s previous incarnation, Lawudo Lama Kunsang Yeshe, is located there. More....

How Can I Make a Donation?

To make a tax-deductible donation:

donate

Or simply send your check in US dollars payable to FPMT Inc. and write “Padmasambhava Project for Peace” on the memo line.

FPMT Inc.
1632 SE 11th Avenue
Portland, OR 97214-4702
USA

The Padmasambhava Project for Peace 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 more information please contact: Holly Ansett, Charitable Projects Coordinator.

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