His holiness the dalai lama encouraged us to develop the library as a centre to encourage wider research, study and discussion on buddhism, science and other religions and contemplative philosophies see the library mission statement below. A related architectural term is a chaitya, which is a prayer hall or temple containing a stupa. Bendigo tourism the great stupa of universal compassion. The great stupa of universal compassion is a sacred buddhist monument being constructed in australia near bendigo in central victoria. Preparations are underway for the illumin8 festival, marking the return of the jade buddha for universal peace. The fivetonne buddha, crafted from the worlds largest discovered piece of gemquality jade, has been travelling the globe since 2009. Recommended teachings great stupa of universal compassion. The great stupa of universal compassion is a sacred buddhist monument being constructed in. This makes it the largest stupa in the western world.
It is made of polar jade, which is a kind of nephrite. Take a birds eye view of the great stupa of universal compassion. The giant jade buddha and its pilgrimage from british. The great stupa is the same design and size as the gyantse stupa kumbum in tibet. On the same site as the great stupa of universal compassion, thubten shedrup ling monastery is a place where monks can devote themselves to study, meditation and spiritual transformation.
This will make it the largest stupa in the western world and will be the same size and design as the great stupa of gyantse in tibet. Relic stupa, in which the relics or remains of the buddha, his disciples and lay saints are interred object stupa, in which the items interred are objects belonged to the buddha or his disciples such as a begging bowl or robe, or important buddhist scriptures. Directions to the great stupa of universal compassion directions to the great stupa of universal compassion. Unveiling and blessing of saint francis of assisi statue. Construction of the great stupa of universal compassion. Great stupa of universal compassion posts facebook. Self guided tours great stupa of universal compassion. After 17 years, bendigos great stupa of universal compassion. Its the first tibetan buddhist monastery to be established in australia to help preserve and disseminate tibetan buddhist teachings. Lama zopa rinpoche has advised on the benefits of building stupas. Recently a video was produced with a camera attached to a minidrone and shows the incredible aweinspiring 50meter 164foot stupa.
The great stupa of universal compassion, a fpmt project near bendigo in victoria, australia, has been running an alcohol and other drugs program for the. The great stupa is the final home for the largest gem quality jade buddha in existence. Tibetan snow lions the snow lions are the guardians of the great stupa. The stupa fund contributes to the great stupa of universal. Feb 7, 2016 bendigo tourism the great stupa of universal compassion. Bendigo is home to the largest buddhist monument in the western world after the addition of a decorative fourmetre finial on top. Book a great hotel near the great stupa of universal compassion with our price guarantee.
The great stupa library was the vision of lama yeshe who saw the library as a. Festival of light and peace on saturday 6 june 2020 due to recent guidance from the prime minister of australia in light of the evolving covid19 situation which. The great stupa of universal compassion, being built near bendigo australia, is 50 metres square at its base and nearly 50 metres high. The great stupa of universal compassion is the largest buddhist monument. The great stupa of universal compassion andrea fortune.
The jade buddha for universal peace is a jade statue of the gautama buddha sourced from northern canada in 2000 and later carved by thai artisans. Awesome place the great stupa of universal compassion. Legend claims that he overpowered maras and heretics by engaging them in intellectual arguments and also by performing miracles. The stupa is the oldest buddhist religious monument and was originally only a simple mound of mud or clay to cover relics of the buddha.
The great stupa of universal compassion near bendigo, will be 50 metres 164 feet square at its base and nearly 50 metres high when it is completed. Lama zopa rinpoche and ian green discussing the art and decorations for the great stupa of universal compassion, bendigo, australia, october 2014. The great stupa of universal compassion melbourne by. A visit to the great stupa of universal compassion. In myers flat, just beyond bendigos city limits, this buddhist stupa was blessed by the dalai lama in 2007 and promises to be the largest stupa in the western world. The great stupa of universal compassion unveiled in. Throughout the book, the lines from this root text are given in bold. We are disappointed to share that we are not able to go ahead with illumin8. The great stupa of universal compassion in bendigo, which awaits the jade buddha. After the parinirvana of the buddha, his remains were cremated and the ashes divided and buried under eight stupas with two further stupas encasing the urn and the embers.
The stupa is 50m high and has been built to last 1,000 years. The great stupa library gsl was established in 2016 with the aim to manage the growing and varied collections of the great stupa of universal compassion in bendigo, including. The idea to build a great stupa on the property in bendigo was the vision of lama thubten yeshe. Finally getting around to posting some photos of my visit to the great stupa of universal compassion. We can build stupas to inspire people without even teaching dharma. For further information contact the great stupa of universal compassion, 25 sandhurst town road, myers flat bendigo, victoria. The great stupa library was the vision of lama yeshe who saw the library as a vital part of the great stupa. The great stupa of universal compassion is located on 89 hectares of uncleared bush, some of it originally belonging to greens family. Benefits of building a stupa posted in advice from spiritual friends, lama zopa rinpoche news. There will be a vesak festival of light at the stupa on saturday 17th may 2014, between 12 noon and 7. It started in 2003, when green received a phone call. The kumbum or great gomang manydoored stupa at gyantse is a threedimensional mandala meant to portray the buddhist cosmos.
The great stupa of universal compassion is an fpmt project near bendigo, australia which, once completed, will be the largest stupa in the western world. Stupa project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks read. Having been under construction for some years funded by donations there is still a way to go before it reaches completion. This article falls within the scope of wikiproject buddhism, an attempt to promote better coordination, content distribution, and crossreferencing between pages dealing with buddhism. The idea to base the design of the stupa on the great stupa of gyantse, was the vision of lama zopa rinpoche.
Was a lovely day walking around trying to juggle the camera and the umbrella with the occasional gust of wind just to make things more interesting. The stupa is the oldest buddhist religious monument and was originally only a simple mound of mud or clay to cover supposed relics of the buddha. Lhakdor, the director of dharamshalabased library of tibetan works and archives, deliberates on the buddhist approach to coping with the mental challenges in times of global covid19. Do you need to book in advance to visit the great stupa of universal compassion. My trip to central victoria this weekend was not complete without visiting the great stupa of universal compassion, the largest buddhist monument in the western world. Little is known about these early stupas, particularly since it has not. Touristvisitor the great stupa of universal compassion. On may 12, 2018, as the bodhicaryavatara and rinjung gyatsa retreat with lama zopa rinpoche drew to a close, some of the retreat participants were able to join in the unveiling and blessing of a new statue at the peace park outside of the retreat venue, the great stupa of universal compassion. The great stupa of universal compassion which is under construction in australia under the vision of lama thubten yeshe and lama zopa rinpoche will be the largest buddhist stupa in. The great stupa is located just outside of bendigo, and is the largest stupa being built in the western world. This fourtonne statue was created for the great stupa of universal. Illumin8 2020 held at the great stupa of universal compassion has been cancelled following covid19 coronavirus public health concerns. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive.
Rising from of the victorian countryside at myers flat near bendigo is the great stupa of universal compassion and its a truly impressive sight. Little is known about these early stupas, particularly. They have been carved from marble in vietnam and painted in the traditional tibetan style by lobsang konchok. Great stupa the great stupa of universal compassion. Great stupa of universal compassion, myers flat, victoria, australia. Large groups are welcome, for groups of 10 people or more please call ahead and book. The basic idea for building this stupa came from lama yeshe, and after his passing lama zopa rinpoche decided to model the stupa on the great stupa of gyantse, which is 600 years old. The root text is also presented in full in appendix i. Closest hotels to the great stupa of universal compassion. The spaciousness and beauty of the stupa encourages you to enter into a state of mindfulness and become aware of your own virtue. Built for a variety of reasons, buddhist stupas are classified based on form and function into five types.
If you would like to participate, please visit the project page for more details on the projects. The great stupa of universal compassion archives tibetan. Universal compassion is a commentary to a twelfth century text on training the mind, entitled training the mind in seven points, which was composed by the great tibetan bodhisattva, geshe chekhawa. The kumbum, like other mandalas, which are portrayed by a circle within a square, enables the devotee to take part in the buddhist perception of the universe and can depict ones potential as they move through it. Alison ribush former director of tara institute and mandala books. Great stupa of universal compassion bendigo, australia. The great stupa is the final home for the largest gem quality jade buddha in. The great stupa of universal compassion is a notforprofit organisation and major tourist attraction based in bendigo in central victoria. The great stupa of universal compassion, bendigo tripadvisor. The great stupa of universal compassion tripadvisor. Start this article has been rated as startclass on the projects quality scale. The gyantse stupa is one of the treasures of the buddhist world.