THE tranquil grounds of The Crystal Castle will play host to a sacred ceremony on Friday, December 10 and the whole community is invited to attend.
The Gyuto Monks of Tibet will bless and consecrate lands at The Crystal Castle in readiness for the building of a rare Kalachakra stupa, an active symbol of world peace.
A stupa is a religious monument built by Tibetan Buddhists to represent Buddha’s enlightened nature. Symbolic of community strength and interdependence, Tibetans believe contributing to the building of a stupa is one of the most auspicious things one can do and once built, great benefit is thought to be gained from walking clockwise around one.
The dream of building a stupa began in 2003 when Crystal Castle owners Naren and Sono King visited Buddhist sacred sites in Borobudur, Java. Inspired by the beauty of these monuments, in February this year they travelled to Dharamsala in India for a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They were delighted to receive His Holiness’ blessings to build the stupa.
“We were requested to build the rare Kalachakra stupa, which is specifically for restoring balance to the Earth in times of war, conflict and environmental destruction” said Naren King. “It will be the first of its kind in Australia and only the seventh of its kind in the world”.
The stupa will be created under the guidance of the Gyuto Monks, who will carry out ceremonies required at each stage of construction as well as the intricate sculptures and artwork to adorn the monument. The eight metre structure will be filled with sacred objects, scriptures and relics.
“Recently a Kathmandu monastery gifted us with a complete collection of the Buddha’s teachings, 108 volumes of sacred scrolls, as well as the teachings of the first Dalai Lama” said Naren.
Forty brass prayer wheels, each containing over 130,000 Om Mani Padme Hum mantras, are being handmade for the stupa by a family of traditional craftsmen in Kathmandu. The community is also contributing objects that symbolise the functioning, survival and prosperity of a good society. Locals and visitors have already created seven hundred clay Buddha statues to be sealed inside the monument.
The Gyuto Monks will take up residence at The Crystal Castle December 4 – 12, during which time they encourage the young and old to visit.
Crystal Castle Kalachakra Stupa Blessing Friday 10th December, 11:00am. Entry is free and everybody is welcome!
The Gyuto Monks of Tibet and local indigenous people will bless the site and seek permission from the local spirits to proceed with the construction of the monument. Crystal Castle, 81 Monet Drive Mullumbimby. Ph 6684 3111 www.crystalcastle.com.au
“This stupa will be a very important symbol of world peace for Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers region.” Gen Lama Thupten Phuntsok, Gyuto Monk elder