The Benefits of Building Stupas

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the Spiritual Director of De-Tong Ling. In 1993 he gave us the vision of an Enlightenment Stupa on Kangaroo Island.

"Success depends on how much merit you have accumulated. This applies to success in life in general, and to success in the practices that you do in order to achieve the ultimate happiness of liberation and enlightenment. The whole of your success depends on your merit.

"The benefits you receive from building a stupa equal the number of atoms of the stupa, and these benefits exist as long as the stupa exists. Sentient beings accumulate extensive merit by making offerings to holy objects, and from this merit happiness comes.

"As soon as a thangka or statue of the Buddha or stupa is completed, in that very second it becomes an object with which one can create the causes of happiness. Having one or more holy objects gives sentient beings one more opportunity to create merit.

"The purpose of making holy objects is not only so that the person who makes them can complete their collection of merit; it also gives many other sentient beings, who do not have the karma actually to meet Buddha and make offerings to him, the opportunity to make offerings to the holy body, holy speech, holy mind. In this way sentient beings make a connection with Buddha and accumulate the merit of having actually made offerings to Buddha. This connection with Buddha is very important."

"The continued existence and flourishing of the teachings of the Buddha depend upon the continued existence of the holy objects of Buddha."