Tuesday
An Austrian Offspring of the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya
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
Beginner’s Heart and the Way of the Bow
Kyudo students meet their new sensei during the most recent Kyudo Assembly at Karme Choling by Adrienne Kehn, with photos by Gary Vu A beautiful day at the Karme Choling matoba (all photos courtesy of Gary Vu) Since my beginnings in the art of Kyudo, the Way of the ... continuePosted October 13, 2015 by Adrienne
Money and Inspiration – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: Shambhala Economics Welcome to Shambhala Economics, a column in the Shambhala Times where we publish articles on uplifted ways to view and engage in the economic side of life. Layth Matthews who is a long time student of Shambhala Buddhism and author of, “The Four Noble ... continuePosted October 2, 2015 by
Building Changes
COLUMN: Shambhala on the Move Updates from Halifax by Michelle Munro, Center Director Insurance Work This winter, as did many Halifax residents, we incurred water damage to various sections of our building. Due to the heavy volume of claims, we are just now getting this sorted out . To make ... continuePosted September 28, 2015 by
A Good Salon – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: Good Practice A Window into the Playful Space of Cultural Engagement at the Bellingham, WA Shambhala Center article by Zoey Moyle Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche has been strongly encouraging the Shambhala community to actively live the culture of kindness. Outside the formal practice container of retreats, however, we need ... continuePosted September 26, 2015 by
The Flip of Cheerfulness – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: Aging in Enlightened Society Exploring the Warriorship of Aging Interview with Acharya Emeritus Jenny Warwick by Sarah Lipton “For what it’s worth, one of the commonalities I have with other folks my age – a physical edge for me – is rheumatoid arthritis in my upper back. It acts ... continuePosted September 23, 2015 by Sarah
The Range of Emotions… – HIGHLIGHT
…Inspired By a Child’s Birthday COLUMN: Children and Family article by Heather Grimes edited by Renée Picard Photo: Harry Walker / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain) originally published on elephantjournal.com Friday was two days after my daughter Opal’s fifth birthday. We went to Sunflower Farms with my parents who were visiting from Ohio. My ... continuePosted September 18, 2015 by
Inspiration and Money – HIGHLIGHT
miksang image by Charles BlackhallCOLUMN: Shambhala Economics Welcome to Shambhala Economics, a column in the Shambhala Times where we publish articles on uplifted ways to view and engage in the economic side of life. Layth Matthews who is a long time student of Shambhala Buddhism and author ... continuePosted August 31, 2015 by
Can Home Cooking Restore Enlightened Society? – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: In Everyday Life by Marcella Friel, Crestone, Colorado “Internal drala also comes out of making a proper relationship to food…. You can take the time to plan good, nutritious meals, and you can enjoy cooking your food, eating it, and then cleaning up and putting the leftovers ... continuePosted August 26, 2015 by
Adventures in Doll-Making – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: Children and Family Why our Imperfect First Try was a Winner article by Heather Grimes edited by Renée Picard photo courtesy of the author originally published on elephant.com We have no idea when inspiration will strike. It can come like a jolt, or as a slow-percolating notion. The thing is, as ... continuePosted August 24, 2015 by Dan
Being Old at Encampment – HIGHLIGHT
COLUMN: Aging in Enlightened Society Reflections on attending the 2015 Trident Assembly during Magyal Pomra Encampment on the Kasung Encampment Grounds in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia by David Whitehorn Being 73 years old, my first thought, upon seeing an announcement that a three day “Trident Assembly” would be held ... continuePosted August 21, 2015 by
Child-free in the Modern World – HIGHLIGHT
miksangarticle by Crystal Gandrud About a year ago my 10-year-old niece asked me if I was happy without children. I replied in the affirmative, adding, “And I really like spending time with you.” She was pensive for a while and then she said, “I think maybe I ... continuePosted August 19, 2015 by
Contemplating an Empty Nest – HIGHLIGHT
Colorado Springs Afternoon light through a windowCOLUMN: In Everyday Life article and photos by Elaine Logan I’m at the gas station. It’s been a long day and I have a long drive home ahead of me. I feel sad, the kind of sadness you feel when it seems ... continuePosted August 12, 2015 by
Family and Children’s Programming Survey
The following request is from the Working Group for Children & Families under the Office of Societal Health and Wellbeing: Calling all Centers and Groups! Do you currently offer programming for children and families? Do you want to connect, deepen, or expand your offerings? Do you currently ... continuePosted August 3, 2015 by David_Brown
The Barnacle’s Roar – HIGHLIGHT
Coming Home from Enlightened Society Assembly article by Emma Cataford, Gampo Abbey photos by Jacqueline Larson and Naomi de Ville Between June 24th and July 3rd at Dorje Denma Ling, around sixty practitioners attended Enlightened Society Assembly led by Acharya Marty Janowitz and Shastri Mary Campbell. Given the shortened ... continuePosted July 29, 2015 by
Summer Fun at Gampo Abbey – HIGHLIGHT
Gampo Abbey Monastics Play Ball, Release Lobsters and Visit Kalapa Valley article by Ani Lodro Dechen Like the seasons surrounding us, life at the Abbey is very different in the summer than in the winter. In contrast to the period of deep retreat we engage in during the ... continuePosted July 24, 2015 by
RSS feed for the Community Articles category
View all posts from authors in Community Articles: jillian_johnson