& Meditation Retreat
About 100 people gathered at the Stupa on May 2, 2010 for its Dedication Ceremony. Just to the left of the Stupa is Reverend Master Haryo Young, Head of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, giving an explanation on the meaning of the Stupa. In the background is Pine Mountain, 7,500'.
Reverend Masters Phoebe and Seikai began to envision the stupa in about 2005, two or three years after the parcel of land was purchased and incorporated into the temple grounds. In 2006, while visiting another Buddhist monastery in West Virginia, Rev. Seikai was shown photos of a similar Stupa that had been built in England at a Theravada Buddhist convent, Amaravati. The monks contacted the stone carvers, who are located in Indonesia, and that set the stage for having the stone cut and shipped across the Pacific Ocean to the Port of Los Angeles, and from there to Pine Mountain Temple.
Our stupa is a duplicate of those built around 600 AD in the Borobodur, Indonesia Stupa Complex, which was unearthed by British archaeologists in the 19th Century. The surround is in the shape of a traditional Southeast Asian Mandala, i.e. roughly square in shape, but with each side having a stepped-out feature, which includes an entrance into the surround. Thus, there are four entrances and four corners, each corner containing a Buddha statue.
The stupa itself contains a statue of Vairocana Buddha and together with the four corner Buddhas-Amogasiddhi, Ratnasambhava, Akshobhya and Amitabha-represent the Five Dhyani Buddhas. In traditional Buddhist iconography the Five Dhyani Buddhas all have their own unique qualities, attributes, and cardinal direction. Amogasiddhi sits to the north, his right hand raised in the fearlessness mudra; Ratnasambhava sits to the south, the right hand with palm upwards in the gesture of offering; Akshobhya sits to the east, right hand touching the earth, the earth-witnessing mudra; Amitabha sits to the west, his hands in the meditation mudra. The Five Dhyani Buddhas all have their left hand in the mudra of meditation; Vairocana, the Cosmic Buddha, has his hands in a teaching mudra.
The construction of a Stupa sanctifies the land on which it is built. Our location in the Ozena Valley of Ventura County has a definite benign energy, and was regarded as a sacred area by the Chumash tribe, which once occupied the area. Blessings from the Stupa radiate outwards to all living beings in the valley.
The Origin of the Stupa
The Lotus Sutra describes how a precious Stupa arises wherever the Bodhisattva Vows are taught and practiced.
Inside the Stupa is a Buddha, who voices his appreciation and encouragement.
Building a Stupa is an expression of devotion and an excellent way to make merit. It shows our sincerity to practice for the sake of all living things.
"Originally a stupa was a monument over the mortal remains of Shakyamuni Buddha or other holy persons. However, stupas also served as a reminder of other decisive events in the life of Shakyamuni, thus there are stupas at Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Kusinagara, Sarnath, etc. Not every stupa contains relics in the proper sense, in their place sacred texts and representations are also enshrined, which confer their sacredness to the stupa. It is not however, the contents of the stupa that are venerated, rather, the stupa itself serves a support for meditation and a reminder of the awakened state of mind."
(from the Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen)
In Asia, stupas have been built at the Four Pilgrimage Sites of the Buddha's lifetime, as noted above, and this tradition has been carried to other countries wherever Buddhism has spread. They appear in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and in the Far East as pagodas, an adaptation of the basic concept of the stupa. It is traditional for a temple to three features which set it apart as a temple and place of practice: a large Buddha statue; a Bodhi Tree; and a Stupa. At Pine Mountain Temple, the climate does not allow for the growing of a Bodhi Tree, ficus religiosa, which requires a mild climate; however, we have cottonwoods, the leaves of which resemble those of a Bodhi Tree.
The Merit of a Stupa
There is great merit in building a Stupa, and also in seeing or walking around one in meditation. It may not be possible to put into words why this is so, but many people have an intuitive sense of it. When we look at a building or statue that was made in the past, we are inspired and touched by the devotion, energy and dedication that are present, and think of it as a holy place. This inspiration does not last long, unless we ourselves let it redirect our lives and use it to strengthen our practice. In this manner there is a continuous stream of merit, flowing from generation to generation and helping all beings to look up and be reminded that there is something greater than our day-to-day ups and downs.
Sometimes it is good to be practical and sensible, doing things such as upgrading our guest accommodations, and at other times it is good to make a gesture of pure faith and do something that has no immediate measurable value in the eyes of the world. This is why we have built a stupa, and invite everyone to visit the temple and sit in meditation in the Stupa Mandala. To do so will support the practice of Buddhism and increase our own blessings and wisdom.
Construction of the Stupa, A History
The Foundation, February - March, 2008
Construction began at the end of February 2008 with digging the footings for the foundation of the stupa, which were over two feet deep into the ground. Rebar was emplaced and a concrete form built for the foundation slab, which is an octagon twelve feet in diameter, over the next two weeks. A building inspector from Ventura County visited the site, gave us his approval, and we pushed ahead with the first concrete pour on March 14. Many lay people came to assist the monks that day, and made relatively quick work of the job of pouring eight cubic yards of concrete.
Our neighbor, Bo Forsell (second from left), a construction foreman in his working life, lent his expertise and was a great help during the concrete pour.
Stupa Construction, 2008
A concrete form for the Buddha's plinth. During the concrete pour, a box containing relics of Rev. Master Jiyu, and a book of handwritten scriptures was buried in the interior; June 2008.
Rev. Leon, standing, was a resident of the temple from 2005 - 2009, during construction of the Stupa. He and Rev. Seikai are setting Vairocana Buddha in place; the dome of the Stupa eventually encased the statue, July 2008.
Paving a space around the Stupa for walking and sitting, in the shape of a Mandala, was the next phase of construction. The paving stones and wall blocks needed for building the surround were purchased in San Luis Obispo and trucked to the temple in January of 2009. The project sat idle until September, at which time Tim Grant, the stone mason, and his helper Miguel retuned to do the laying and fitting of the surround pavers - an exacting job requiring special equipment. With some help from Rev. Seikai, Tim and Miguel completed the work in one month, completing the surround in October 2009.
The final result is beautiful and compelling. A courtyard has been created by paving the area around the Stupa using commercially available pavers, and then building a two-foot high perimeter wall with four entrances. The entrances face the half-cardinal directions; thus, the four corners of the surround point in the actual four cardinal directions. Each entrance has two raised pillars topped with a solar powered lantern, which comes on in the evening. The perimeter wall doubles as a continuous seating bench around the Stupa Surround.
The surround represents a Mandala of the Five Dhyani Buddhas: Vairocana Buddha sits within the stupa itself, and the four corners of the surround are home to one of the four Buddhas: Akshobhya, Amitabha, Amogasiddhi, and Ratnasambhava. The Dhyani Buddha statues were carved in Indonesia by the same people who created all the blocks to build the Stupa, and the central Vairocana Buddha statue.
The surround, or courtyard, is a place for Buddhist practice. It is ideal for walking meditation, and sitting meditation can also be done using a chair, a meditation mat, or sitting on the perimeter wall. On occasion, ceremonies are held within the surround to give homage to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the Three Treasures of Buddhism.
