The meaning of Bodhivastu: Bodhi: Altruistic, compassionate, enlightened mind; perfect knowledge or wisdom by which a human becomes a Buddha (an awakened being); the extinction of greed, hatred, and delusion. Vastu: The auspicious design and building of objects and environments in harmony with physical and metaphysical forces. The seat, realm, or place of an abiding substance, essence, or worthy object. Bodhivastu: The Auspicious Manifestation of Perfected Compassionate Awakening

Bringing Together the World to Construct a Universal Peace Stupa

In order to accomplish our goal, many steps must be taken during the design, construction, and consecration phases. Initial phases commence with outreach for land, a legal framework, website development, and logistical support.

The ancient science of designing environments to heal and liberate upon sight, Vastu is a science extending as far back as architecture itself. Although the current name, Vastu, comes from the Sanskrit language and typically refers to sacred texts known as the "Vastu Shastras," the word implies a deep understanding of the effects that can be obtained by skill in placement and design of buildings and other objects in our environment. The Chinese system of Feng Shui, for example, is essentially a science that deals skillfully with Vastu issues.

By paying close attention to several factors in the environment and how we construct our dwellings, gathering places, and sacred monuments, positive forces can be extremely magnified and multiplied, while negative forces that disturb and create unfavorable circumstances can be greatly decreased.

The natural elements of a given place can be turned to our advantage and we can also use placement to heal our planet's injuries, which have been caused by humankind's carelessness and greed, and also from natural events that have caused ruptures and weak spots in the elemental structure of an environment.

In the case of Bodhivastu and the Phuntsok Chörten, this stupa's placement and perfect proportions fall into the category of a very high level of skillful function. The Bodhivastu project will be working not only with the outer form of the stupa and its placement coordinates, but also with the internal and external cosmological structure that functions on the basis of interdependent origination, Temdrel Nyingpo, in Tibetan.

For a closer look at how this is accomplished please click the mandala for the "What Goes Into a Stupa?" page.

"Our goal is to make Bodhivastu a great and lasting seal through which, by merely gazing at or visiting, one can be transformed, healed, and liberated by sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell. The form and placement of Bodhivastu can liberate the mind-stream by its perfection and intention of construction. By walking around and/or touching the grounds, negativities can be purified; by hearing the music and prayers offered to the stupa, the mind can become immediately altruistic and commence a stream of generation of merit and wisdom. By tasting the sacred waters and blessing substances that will be produced at Bodhivastu, one's nerves, winds, and essences can become purified and body, speech, and the mind clarified and healed. By smelling the incense that will rise as unceasing clouds of offerings to all beings, a strong commitment can arise in our minds to follow disciplines and actions that move us away from confusion and suffering and instead bring us to the conclusion of true enlightenment. By these activities, the final fruit can reverse all accumulated negativity and establish our planet's great good fortune for future generations."