Daily Stupas and Tsa-Tsas Made for Those who have Passed Away or are Sick

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has requested the Sangha at his house to make stupas and tsa-tsas dedicated for those who have passed away and for those who are sick, every single day.

Stupas Dedicated for Those Who Have Passed Away

Kadampa stupas made daily at Lama Zopa Rinpoche's residence by Sangha.Every day, three small Kadampa stupas are made at Lama Zopa Rinpoche's house by resident Sangha. This includes filling each stupa with a roll of the Four Dharmakaya Relic Mantras. As the Sangha puts the mantras inside the stupa they dedicate for the person who has passed away by reciting the name of the person and making the prayer, “May this person never be born in the lower realms. May they be liberated from samsara, and may they achieve enlightenment quickly.”

Tsa-Tsas Dedicated for Those Who are Sick or have Life Obstacles

Every day Sangha make three long life and 13 Mitukpa tsa-tsas. These are dedicated to any person who is sick with prayers that they may immediately recover, be liberated from samsara, and may achieve enlightenment quickly.

In addition, on the eighth day of the Tibetan month, three Eight Medicine Buddhas tsa-tsas are also made. On the thirtieth, one 12-inch (30-centimeter) tall Padmasambhava tsa-tsa is made.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche requested this dedication:

For the long life and the success of all the holy wishes of all the virtuous friends.

To be able to receive all the finances to build the Maitreya statue without any delay of even a second and to be able to complete the statue as soon as possible. As well as for the quickest success of all the rest of the projects, building holy objects and other projects at all the FPMT centers and may they be most beneficial to enlighten sentient beings in the quickest way.

Dedicate for all the lower realm sentient beings, particularly all sentient beings whose names are given to me and who I promise to pray for, may they be born in a pure land, or receive a perfect human rebirth, by meeting perfectly qualified Mahayana virtuous friends, may they actualize the path and quickly become enlightened. As well as for all others who died and who are sick, particularly whose names are given to me, to immediately recover and have the most meaningful life.For the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa to last for a long time and for all sentient beings to quickly achieve enlightenment.

From,
Mickey Mouse

Making Merit

Resident Sangha make stupas every single day for those who have passed away or are sick. Photo byWhitney Dafoe.After the stupas and tsa-tsas are made they are given away or are used in various ways so people can circumambulate and create merit as they enter Rinpoche’s house or go around while talking on the phone. You can learn more and view some beautiful photos of this project in "Stupas in Everyday Life, Advice From Lama Zopa Rinpoche," published on the Mandala "FPMT News Around the World" blog.

The Stupa Funds covers all the expenses for the material to make the tsa-tsas. This is something amazing to rejoice in, every day new holy objects are being made as well as extensive prayers. This is something you can also participate in by donating any amount ... How amazing! 

How Can I Make a Donation?

To make a tax-deductible donation generally to the Stupa Fund

donate

Or simply send your check in US dollars payable to FPMT Inc. and write “Stupa Fund” on the memo line.

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

The Stupa Fund 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.

US$10,000 Offered to Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup Rigsel's Stupa

January 2013: The Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund and the Stupa Fund recently donated US$10,000 toward the completion of Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup Rigsel's second stupa being built at Kopan Monastery. Donations such as this contribute directly to the Stupa Fund's mission of building 100,000 large stupas around the world.

The stupa will be consecrated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche May 3, 2013.

From the Sutra Essence of Earth:

While there are the three rare sublime ones
Fulfilling the hopes without any effort
Like the unimaginable wish-granting tree and wish-granting jewel;
[But] believing the method to achieve happiness is something else

All the activities one attempts become only negative karma
And this precious human rebirth with qualified freedoms and richnesses,
Which is rarer than a wish-granting jewel, becomes meaningless and empty;
It becomes only a cause of harm;
This is more foolish than an animal.

Friend, by realizing this body, this life is like a water bubble
And material enjoyments like the dew on the tip of the grass
Attempt the white (virtuous) actions, offer to the three rare sublime ones (Buddha Dharma, Sangha)
And take the essence from this essenceless body and possessions.

Due to this merit may I and each and every sentient being respect
And make offerings to the three rare sublime ones;
By the happiness of the joyful occasion of listening, reflecting, meditating and practicing
May all the transmigratory beings’ wishes be completely fulfilled.

Colophon: Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche regarding having many holy objects. Scribe Ven. Holly Ansett, Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, USA, November 2003. Lightly edited by Ven. Thubten Labdron, May 2004.

Completed Stupa at Detong Ling, Australia

"Building stupas helps develop so much peace and happiness for numberless sentient beings. As a result, wars, disease, and desire will all be pacified. Instead of feeling hopeless, people will gain courage. This is about peace – for the beings who see it, for the whole country, for the entire world, for all sentient beings."- Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Please rejoice in the recently completed Enlightenment Stupa at Detong Ling, Kangaroo Island, Australia. The Stupa Fund contributed toward the building of this beautiful stupa.

Over 1,000 Kadampa Stupas Created!

In 2012 The Stupa Fund sponsored the cost of Sangha at Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s house to make over 1,000 small kadampa stupas (filled with the Four Dharmakaya Relic Mantras as advised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche). Each stupa is dedicated with prayers for those who have recently passed away.

These small stupas are then placed around other stupas so that people can circumambulate this collection of stupas and create merit. 

You can learn more and view some beautiful photos of this project in "Stupas in Everyday Life, Advice From Lama Zopa Rinpoche," published on the Mandala "FPMT News Around the World" blog.

Photos: Vens. Anet (above) and Chosang (below) creating kadampa stupas at Lama Zopa Rinpoche's house. Photo by Whitney Dafoe.

Regarding Stupas to Minimize Harm from the Elements

Lama Zopa Rinpoche had the following to say about the Stupa to Minimize Harm from the Elements project:

This is a very important project that we have started, it has incredible importance. We all know there will be another earthquake on the west coast of the USA, it is overdue and it could be a huge earthquake where so many people could die and there could be huge damage to buildings, houses and structures. There is also the danger of a tsunami and the serious effects that will have.

If people were told it was going to happen beforehand, in many cases it would be hard for them to believe. In many respects the mind is not familiarized in the nature of impermanence and karma, or in change that is happening all the time: rising and ceasing, birth and death, collecting and dispersing. Everything is continuously in a state of change but mostly we are unaware and when it happens it is a great shock and surprise.

I am thinking that of course the government does have certain expertise and technical ability to deal with disasters, but it is limited, they have little understanding and knowledge of the help that can come from other sources of understanding reality. The human mind has enormous potential, that potential could have positive or negative outcome. For example, one person who has great power over many could kill millions of people. This we can see in our history. It is also that the human mind can cause unbelievable happiness in the world; the human mind has this potential.

We do have a way that we can help minimize the danger, not completely eliminate it, but at least reduce the danger to living beings. There are methods that the normal world does not understand yet, there is a way we can reduce the effects of a big earthquake on the west coast of the USA and therefore it is wise to do something about it before it is too late. Otherwise it is like trying to prevent your death after you die.

This method to reduce the earthquakes has been used before in the Himalayan region and was quite successful. It was initiated by a very special woman [Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drolma] who is not a normal woman, she is a “sky-goer.” “Sky” means shunyata and “goer” means realized. She is a person who is beyond normal, she is able to meditate in equipoise meditation in shunyata. In that state she is able to see things in the future and understand the methods to prevent them. She was able to build certain holy structures, what we call stupas around the residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and in certain places of the Himalayas to minimize the effects of an earthquake that she saw coming. This happened a few years ago and the stupas really helped. His Holiness the Dalai Lama asked her to help in this way and gave her the responsibility to at least minimize the effects of the earthquake that was predicted in the Himalayas in recent years.

Not long ago I asked her about the west coast of the USA and she went into a certain state of meditation and poured forth a prediction of this great earthquake, that it will happen on the west coast, and she also immediately said what could be done to minimize its effect. She said for about three years there is no danger but after that there will be a serious earthquake. She said that certain pujas needed to be done and then in certain places to build these holy structures called stupas. One stupa needs to be built near Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

If anyone can help with this project it will be greatly appreciated and could save incredible amount of lives and damage to buildings and other types of structures.

With much love and prayer,

Lama Zopa

Scribed by Ven. Roger Kunsang, November 2012.

Donations of any amount are welcome for this critically important project:

Marble Stupa for IMI House

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with the monks at IMI House at Sera Je Monastery, November, 2012. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.November 2012: The Stupa Fund recently donated US$1,200 for a marble stupa which will be built at the IMI House in Sera Je Monastery in India. This stupa will stand approximately 1 meter high and be made out of solid marble.

Recent Disbursements

The Stupa Fund supports the making of over 1,000 small Kadampa stupas each year. These stupas are made by resident Sangha at Lama Zopa Rinpoche's home in California and are dedicated for students who have passed away.

The fund has also recently pledged a total of US$51,000 to the Stupa Project at Land of Medicine Buddha, California, USA.