The Stupa: Sacred Symbol of Enlightenment

This volume of the Crystal Mirror Series, dedicated to the Future of Buddhism in the West, gives us an in-depth look at stupas all over the world. It illustrates their shapes, gives the history of each stupa and its location, and offers verses from traditional texts on the Svayambhu Stupa and circumambulating the stupa. The color photographs are stunning and among the sepia photos are many arhival ones of no longer to be seen sites.Unique among forms of sacred architecture, the stupa is the quintessential symbol of enlightenment, the primordial sacred structure for all Buddhist traditions. Filled with relics of enlightened beings, statues, mantras, texts, and prayers, it is more than a symbol, it is a powerful catalyst for activating past, future, and present blessings. Tarthang Tulku tells us "All of these sacred objects activate the power of enlightened compassion embodied by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, releasing pain and suffering, eliminating obstacles, and bringing peace and contentment to the world . . . It promotes order in nature and the wider cosmos, protecting from disaster and healing the disquiet of the human heart." The interaction of mind and symbol is not well understood in the West and our ability to understand the inner workings of relics, stupas, offerings, and prayer is limited; yet essential to understanding the Buddhist path is an understanding of making offerings, prostrations, and circumambulating that which is sacred, especially the stupa. Stupas are the main sacred objects where sentient beings accumulate "merit"--the positive karmic results of good intentions and actions. The power of meritorious actions is considered an ethical force that can be directed toward any chosen object. An offering of body, speech, and mind, circumambulation is a powerful practice when done with strong devotion and intention.Enlightened Beings do not need our offerings and prostrations, we do these practices because of the transformative effect they have on our own mind. Making offerings is a powerful practice for accumulating positive potential and counteracting self-centeredness; cultivating a generous attitude, and delight in giving, can transform our usual experience of feeling needy and grasping into an open-hearted joy in existence. This book help open our eyes to this possibility.