Home     Contact Us         Log in

Community Articles - Category Archive

May 27
Tuesday

An Austrian Offspring of the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya

Filed under Regions, Austria, Switz., Italy, Community Articles, Editorial Staff

By Peter Nowak

It is said that a stupa would have unseen impact on our world and inspire future generations of practitioners. This story, coming from as far as Austria, is a little example of the radiation of “The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya Which Liberates Upon Seeing” in Drala Mountain Centre.

Last May, the Board of Shambhala Global held a retreat at Drala Mountain Centre. During this retreat, we had a magical visit to the Stupa with Dale Asrael giving teachings and the Board together with the Stupa team breaking ground for the construction of the new Stupa Visitors Centre. At this occasion, I was reminded of this little story when my second daughter requested me to build a stupa in the Austrian/Italian mountains.

We, my three small kids and my first wife, had been at Rocky Mountain Dharma Centre for a month-long Vajrayana program in 1999. We all were very impressed by the Stupa still under construction. At that time, the “life pole” of the Stupa was finalized. So, two years later I went there again, together with my six-year-old son, to take part in the consecration ceremony for the Stupa.

When we came back to Austria touched by the magic of the Stupa, my eight-year-old daughter urged us to also build a Stupa near our beloved mountain hut at the Austrian-Italian border high in the mountains. Of course, we followed the command of my daughter and constructed this little Stupa with the stones from the surrounding mountain slope. We tried to follow the basic form, put an Ashe in the foundation, a “life pole” wrapped with the Vajrasattva-Mantra, and a white quartz stone as the top. With a little imagination, it looked like Mount Kailash. We consecrated it with a Lhasang and offered incense in a circumambulation at the beginning of September 2001. See a little documentation below.

It was expected that our little stupa would not remain for a thousand years or longer like The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya Which Liberates Upon Seeing. But last fall, 23 years later, I was there again. It was still standing! It needed a little bit of renovation, the quartz stones were gone, but it was still there. Of course, I had to document this as well.

May the Great Stupa in Colorado and the little stupa in the Alps bring liberation and happiness to future generations!


Peter Nowak first met Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1985 and attended the last three-month seminar Trungpa taught in 1986. He has three adult children, worked for 35 years in health system reform and was teaching at several universities in Austria. By developing strategic initiatives in close collaboration with the Austrian Ministry of Health, he had a rich training ground for creating an enlightened society – with and without success. He had many roles in his home Shambhala Center in Vienna, has been a meditation teacher since 1986, was on the Board of Shambhala Global from 2020 to 2024 and during this time also part of the Shambhala Europe Advisory Board. Only in recent years has he started to teach more in Shambhala.

Entries filed under Community Articles


Outer, Inner and Secret Levels Of Shambhala Center Design

Outer, Inner and Secret Levels Of Shambhala Center Design – HIGHLIGHT

Community Room in the Los Angeles Shambhala Center By Shastri Russell Rodgers A few years ago, the Kootenay Shambhala Centre in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada, purchased a building. Because we had to acquire the services of a non-sangha architect for the renovations, it seemed like a good idea ... continue
Posted December 6, 2019 by archives-staff
Creating A Safe And Serene Home Environment For Children

Creating A Safe And Serene Home Environment For Children – HIGHLIGHT

By “Jackie Writing Jackie” Every year in the United States, over three and a half million children experience injuries that commonly occur in homes. The teachings of Shambhala inspire compassionate care, and we all want to create a space for our children where they are safe to grow ... continue
Posted November 29, 2019 by archives-staff
Good Society Part II: Feeling the Goodness

Good Society Part II: Feeling the Goodness – HIGHLIGHT

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash The second part of a two-part series by Shastri Russell Rodgers. For part one, click here. In Part I of this two-part essay, we looked at the genetics behind the universal human impulse to create good society. The logic was this: everywhere ... continue
Posted November 15, 2019 by archives-staff
Good Society: Science, Basic Goodness, Laws and Joy

Good Society: Science, Basic Goodness, Laws and Joy – HIGHLIGHT

Photo by Robert V. Ruggiero on Unsplash The first part of a two-part series by Shastri Russell Rodgers   All over the world, wherever there are humans, there are societies. We have evolved different languages, customs, and even skin colors, but always, there is society. Society has enabled us ... continue
Posted November 8, 2019 by archives-staff
Buddha’s Teachings Regarding Cleanliness in the Home

Buddha’s Teachings Regarding Cleanliness in the Home – HIGHLIGHT

Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash By “Jackie Writing Jackie” Mental health professionals often encourage their patients to keep their homes clean and tidy. Cluttered, dirty interiors can interfere with mental health and wellbeing and hamper the peaceful, mindful state that is encouraged by the Shambhala way of life. One of ... continue
Posted October 24, 2019 by archives-staff
Human Drala

Human Drala – HIGHLIGHT

  Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash By Russell Rodgers Sometimes one encounters people or places that cut through one’s habitual chain of thoughts. The Tibetan word for that is “drala”, which means “above the enemy”. In this case the enemy is our cocoon of gossipy thoughts that keeps ... continue
Posted October 17, 2019 by archives-staff
The European sangha meets during its first ‘European Forum’

The European sangha meets during its first ‘European Forum’ – HIGHLIGHT

The European sangha is composed of different regions with their own cultures and languages. The establishing of these regions and their collaboration takes time and is in process for years. Some regions exist for more than 20 years. Some others are relatively new. The European Regional ... continue
Posted October 9, 2019 by archives-staff
Meditation Practice to Help You Through Dental Treatment

Meditation Practice to Help You Through Dental Treatment – HIGHLIGHT

By “Jackie Writing Jackie” Anxiety about dental treatment and fear of the dentist affects 16% of people. For many, it causes so much worry that they avoid going for a checkup, or getting work done when they really need to. In the long term, this can be bad for ... continue
Posted October 2, 2019 by archives-staff
Cutting Through Spiritual Puritanism

Cutting Through Spiritual Puritanism – HIGHLIGHT

Illustration by Alicia Brown This article was originally published on Nov. 27, 2018 on The Arrow: A Journal of Wakeful Society, Culture & Politics Written by Gabe Dayley In the West it is difficult for the Dharma to take root. The soil is not fertile. The good and evil, fire ... continue
Posted September 23, 2019 by archives-staff
Sitting For the Climate: From the Touching the Earth Collective (part 1)

Sitting For the Climate: From the Touching the Earth Collective (part 1) – HIGHLIGHT

This invitation comes from the Touching the Earth Collective, a group of Shambhala environmentalists. Part 2 will include photos and stories from this demonstration.  Dear sangha, dear meditators, We would like to invite you and ask for your support during a full day meditation session on Rudolfplatz, that ... continue
Posted September 18, 2019 by archives-staff
Windhorse in the Andes

Windhorse in the Andes – HIGHLIGHT

Cajas National Park with alpacas Windhorse in the Andes – Vacation & Meditation in Ecuador, January 2020 Shambhala Cuenca Meditation Group invites you to visit us in Cuenca, Ecuador. Meditate and study as we offer Shambhala Studies Level 1 on January 11 & 12 and Levels 2 & 3 ... continue
Posted September 3, 2019 by archives-staff
Creating Zen Office Space

Creating Zen Office Space – HIGHLIGHT

By Mark Wilhelmi De-cluttering is a popular activity these days. Clutter can affect the way we do our jobs. Too much stuff can be distracting and claustrophobic. We may want to do something about our clutter, but we don’t know where to begin. We can find books ... continue
Posted August 27, 2019 by archives-staff
How Can Meditation Improve Heart Rate Variability?

How Can Meditation Improve Heart Rate Variability? – HIGHLIGHT

By “Jackie Writing Jackie” The focal point of Shambhala – the idea that all human beings have a fundamentally good nature – can play an important role in the way human beings live, eat, breathe and meditate, enabling them to improve their heart rate variability. As stated ... continue
Posted August 12, 2019 by archives-staff
Meditation and Corporate Socially Responsible Behavior

Meditation and Corporate Socially Responsible Behavior – HIGHLIGHT

Could there be a link between meditation practices and shifting corporate concerns to align with the greater good? Can coaching based on introspection and meditation programs in the business world impact the probability to act in a socially responsible way? Many popular books and scholarly articles have discussed ... continue
Posted August 6, 2019 by archives-staff
Coming Home to Yourself

Coming Home to Yourself – HIGHLIGHT

From www.thepresencepoint.com By Sarah Lipton We already have what we need. We are who we have always been. When we gaze out at the horizon, if we know how to look, we see our own mind mirrored back. It is time, I believe, to look to our roots. So how ... continue
Posted July 29, 2019 by archives-staff

RSS feed for the Community Articles category

View all posts from authors in Community Articles: jillian_johnson



Website Development by Blue Mandala using Wordpress MU.
All content and source Copyright © 1994-2025. Shambhala International (Vajradhatu), Shambhala, Shambhala Meditation Center, Shambhala Training, Shambhala Center and Way of Shambhala are registered service marks of Shambhala USA
Privacy Policy
Translate »