Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
About 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. The basic idea for building this stupa came from Lama Yeshe, and after his passing Lama Zopa Rinpoche decided to model the stupa (Kumbum) on the Great Stupa of Gyantse, which is 600 years old. When completed, the Bendigo stupa's exterior will be an exact replica of the Great Stupa of Gyantse. It will be 50m high and its four sides will each be 50m long, making it one of the largest Buddhist monuments in the Western world. Buddhists say that viewing the stupa will help purify the mind.
Buddhist Stupas – Preserving the sacred relics
A stupa is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics that is used as a place of meditation.
A related architectural term is a chaitya, which is a prayer hall or temple containing a stupa.
In Buddhism, circumambulation or pradakhshina has been an important ritual and devotional practice since the earliest times, and stupas always have a pradakhshina path around them.
According to Buddhist tradition, Emperor Ashoka (rule: 273—232 BCE) recovered the relics of the Buddha .
