Bodhisattva vows

Here we are just after the Bodhisattva Vows ceremony at the SMC this summer.

Great Stupa, SMC

Great Stupa, SMC
Originally uploaded by pverdicchio.

The Great Stupa, June 21, 2005.
People gathered to circumambulate and then enter the Stupa.

Circumambulation, Stupa

Circumambulation, Stupa
Originally uploaded by pverdicchio.

While circumambulating the Stupa, this group carries a burner with Juniper as a purifying element.

Entering Stupa, Juniper smoke

Entering Stupa, Juniper smoke
Originally uploaded by pverdicchio.

As people enter the Stupa they bow and walk through the Juniper smoke.

Back of the Buddha

Back of the Buddha
Originally uploaded by pverdicchio.

The large concrete Buddha looks down in the interior of the Great Stupa. His hands are in the teaching mudra. He is heavy in materiality but light in his gaze. The back of this Buddha is still open. Work on his image progresses slowly. The space between his shoulder blades will receive hundreds of thousands of mantras.

Buddha without expectations

Buddha without expectations
Originally uploaded by pverdicchio.

The Great Stupa at Shambhala Mountain Center
stands high upon a hill.
It is visible from most places on the land.
At night it is a beacon of reflected light.
During the frequent passing storms it is a potential
attraction for lightning, light and energy.
A place to visit before dawn.
A place in which to meditate in the presence
of the enormous concrete Buddha.
The Great Stupa calls one back
again and again,
even from a distance, away from the land.