Consecration of the Stupa of Complete Victory

Photo by Marco Almici

The Palbar Chörten or Stupa of Complete Victory was consecrated on the morning of October 11, 2016, at Merigar West by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu in the presence of Rosa Namkhai and many of Rinpoche’s students. It was Guru Rinpoche day, the 10^th day of the Tibetan month, and the crisp weather and threatening rain clouds meant that the event took place earlier than planned before the clouds burst. In fact, after the consecration, Rinpoche commented that during the inauguration of the Gonpa and Shang Shung Institute in 1990, H.H. the Dalai Lama had come to the very same spot and drunk some tea in a Tibetan tent, saying, at the time, that he almost felt like he was in Tibet. It was also a cold day.

This will be the third Stupa to be constructed at Merigar. Two of them are Stupas of Illumination or Changchub Chörten, the earlier one being a small structure on a hill overlooking Arcidosso and the surrounding countryside not far from the yellow house, and a much larger stupa in the lower meadow. In general there are eight types of stupa with different architectonic styles representing different episodes in the life of the Buddha.

The new Stupa, built in memory of Buddha’s successful prolonging of his life, is called Namgyal Chörten in Tibetan. At the pinnacle of the stupa, above the lotus, the symbol of the Longsal, surmounted by a tigle, has been sculpted, characterizing the connection between this Stupa and Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Rinpoche has also given the Stupa the name Palbar Chörten, the Blazing Splendor Stupa, possibly due to the beauty of the marble.

almost half a century are here. In addition I prepared and put inside all the Kangyur and Tengyur and everything I had in my library. I prepared them for putting them inside, instead of putting books. Putting books is not easy because they get ruined and after a few centuries, nothing remains, while these things can be preserved very well for a long time. Even the ink of the books disappears and becomes dust. It doesn’t last long. On the other hand, these things remain.

As it says in this invocatThe Stupa, carved in sections of beautiful Carrara marble, is being built on top of a hill east of the Gönpa near the statue of Adzom Drugpa, and on completion will reach a height of around 5 meters. The foundation had been laid previously and the lower square part of the structure erected several days earlier. During the ceremony a small yellow vase or bumpa was placed inside the base which was then filled with precious teachings as is the custom. In the following days the rest of the Stupa will be mounted.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Rinpoche spoke about the teachings that had been placed inside the Stupa (on digital support).

“This Stupa of Carrara marble is very beautiful. Also the idea of putting all these things inside it: all my teachings of ion (a short four-line verse added at the end of the Sang and Serkyem), in the second line, korva means transmigration, and sid-du means that as long as transmigration exists, these things will remain. This is the consecration. Objects often disappear, but once things have been consecrated, empowered, they remain because they are not simply objects.

Usually stupas are filled with tsa tsa, then they put some traditional books, and printed things, but there is no guarantee that they remain for a long time. There is only the hope.”