Guru Rinpoche Shrine
Project Updates
“The process to house and consecrate this Guru Rinpoche statue is the same as building enlightenment within ourselves for the benefit of all beings.”
— Lama Rangbar Nyimai Özer
A Humorous Story of the Blessing of Interdependent Origination
From Lama Rangbar: “What is the photo of the throne shape on the wall, you may ask? This is a photo of a modern miracle. One day I was thinking out loud, overheard by others, that it would really be good to have a large Guru Rinpoche Statue at our Big Indian Center as a support for our own practice, a blessing for future generations and as a blessing for America. Within 20 minutes or so, I heard a pop-up sound coming from the computer. This was a message from a Dharma brother, Lama Gyurmed, asking me if we would like to have a large copper Guru Rinpoche statue for our center. This was the second time this has happened, the first being at our center in Sankhu Vajrayogini in Nepal. I said: ‘absolutely’.
While we were planning on where such a large statue would be placed, the story continues: We were painting the newly renovated meditation hall and we looked up to see a perfect huge throne-back shape clearly on the wall currently being painted. Sapana exclaimed: “Stop! Let me take a photo!” She was worried that the painter would paint over this phenomenon. She took this photo and then we realized its source. There was a light positioned behind one of our center’s thrones and it cast a shadow of a huge throne onto the wall exactly where we intended on placing the Guru Rinpoche statue. Well, how else can non-substantial wisdom phenomenon display if not in conjunction with interdependently displayed forms in our so-called solid world? We dare say that Guru Rinpoche heard our invitation.”
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There is not sufficient memory in any computer to house the importance and descriptions of the blessings generated by building or manifesting such supports such as a Guru Rinpoche statue and shrine. In general, all Nyingmapa Terma lineages owe their entire existence to Guru Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal’s blessing stream. These supports are designed to hold energy and form connections between practitioners and the lineage, and to act as a support for Guru Yoga practice, the fruition of which is the ultimate goal of realization.
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In fact, the statue and shrine itself form a kind of causal basis for people to connect to Guru Rinpoche’s blessing stream by the practices of offering prostrations, substances, incense, tsok feast offerings etc. Such activities dedicated to the enlightenment of all sentient beings generate tremendous merit and wisdom. By the power of interdependent origination, all the prayers made for the benefit of beings and the world itself, such as the eradication of war, the causes of war, diseases and causes of diseases, reduction of poverty and increase of prosperity, and so on, all these prayers are brought to fruition for everyone everywhere when done with faith in the proximity of the statue and shrine. The same holds true for the other features of the shrine including the protectors’ shrine. In the words of the protective deity Tsiu Mario: ”I will come instantly and unobstructedly through space whenever I am propitiated with faith.”
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The manifest Guru Rinpoche statue which is a body representative and the entire shrine in general assures a holding place, a repository of blessed sublime energy of the motivation of the one thousand Buddhas. This will also help us greatly to build momentum for the larger Stupa of Great Awakening Project which is a support for the heart-mind of all the Buddhas.
Your Participation and Contribution
Material offerings enable us to realize everyone’s wishes. Funds greatly help make things happen. Generosity is not only one of the virtues of a Bodhisattva, it also helps sustain the turning of the wheel of Dharma.
While we have already done a great deal to establish Guru Rinpoche’s presence in the form of this particular statue, there are still a few remaining steps to bring this project to completion and its benefits to fruition:
Offer one more coat of varnish to the entire shrine.
Add glass counter covering on all offering surfaces.
Add one more set of shelving to house our practice books.
While offering either monetary or substance support in itself creates a link between the donor and the activity and is a reward on and of itself, we have also decided to offer some special connections to the blessing stream for supporters.
We now have a special blessing for those who support the Troma and Dakini side of the main Guru Rinpoche Shrine. Supporters offering $200 will receive one special Small Bronze 4” Tall Troma Statue. Supplies are extremely limited and based on first come first serve.
There are many ways to participate.
Aside from monetary support, volunteer support on site is also just as necessary to actualize the completion of all our projects.
We thank you for your contribution.