In the spring of 2024 we started fundraising for the construction of a 9.5 meter tall Guru Rinpoche statue, in upper Mustang, Nepal. The villagers of Garphu very much wanted to build a statue of Guru Padmasambhava but their finances were limited. For the Himalayan people, building a stupa or a statue creates great religious merit. It also brings the community together, supports the local economy both during the construction and after, when the place becomes a pilgrimage site, it ensures that the artistic legacy thrives and continues, and lots of religious practice is carried out at the site. There is also the belief that building statues helps for harmony and world peace. So we were happy to engage to help make this project possible. Traditionally many great spiritual masters have built statues and stupas and we intend to dedicate this statue to the memory of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, the founder of Shang Shung Institute.
Consecration of the site at the beginning of the construction in June 2024.
Preparing tsa-tsa for the base.
We wanted this to be a global project, creating international unity for a common goal among all the followers and admirers of Guru Rinpoche. People from all over the world and from different Sanghas have contributed, some with financial donations, and others by organising fundraising events (we had a wine tasting event with Alexandra Adamek in June 2024) and various artists from the Dzogchen Community have generously donated art pieces which are for sale – you can view them and read more about the statue here:
We are happy to bring together devotees of Guru Padmasambhava worldwide, who are united by their interest in cultural preservation, spirituality, and Buddhism.
