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


Reflections on the Kalapa Court

Reflections on the Kalapa Court – HIGHLIGHT

In response to the recent appeal for support for the Kalapa Court, a number of sangha members have offered their personal stories about their experiences of meeting the minds of the Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo at the court. Each of these individuals have made a generous ... continue
Posted May 11, 2011 by
Help Save Trees at SMC

Help Save Trees at SMC – HIGHLIGHT

Bob and Lindy King share their concern for the survival of the Ponderosa Pine forest at Shambhala Mountain Center in this poignant and timely call for action. They ask the Shambhala community to take to heart this very serious and imminent threat to the trees at ... continue
Posted May 9, 2011 by
Tribute to Eamon Killoran

Tribute to Eamon Killoran – HIGHLIGHT

By Bill Scheffel This photograph shows Eamon Killoran eleven months ago. A few weeks after this picture was taken, Eamon learned he had cancer. In less than a year he had passed away. I took the photograph of him in Portland, Oregon soon after I had arrived ... continue
Posted May 3, 2011 by
Artfully Wedded in Britain

Artfully Wedded in Britain – HIGHLIGHT

Jennifer Holder shares her cross-national perspective on watching William & Catherine’s Royal Wedding live. As the royal wedding proceedings rest for photographs and inner-sanctum formalities, electricity is surely surging across Britain as everyone flips the switch on their kettles for tea. I myself flipped the switch, but ... continue
Posted April 29, 2011 by Jennifer Holder
Earth Hour by Candlelight

Earth Hour by Candlelight – HIGHLIGHT

By Joel Shecter 8:30 pm… candles are lit one by one… lights turn off… The Touching the Earth Group sponsored the 2011 Earth Hour by encouraging centers to hold a candle light sit. Earth Hour has become one of the worlds largest collective acts of sustainability, involving 150 ... continue
Posted April 24, 2011 by
The Last Days of Khenpo Gawang's Father

The Last Days of Khenpo Gawang’s Father – HIGHLIGHT

By Khenpo Gawang Several people have asked me to share the last part of my father’s life. My father, Dechen Chogyal, passed away on February 15, 2011. In December 2010, my father was in retreat with my mother and my older sister. At that time he became very ... continue
Posted April 20, 2011 by candia_ludy
Crossing the Threshold of Court

Crossing the Threshold of Court – HIGHLIGHT

By Alex Day The first (and only time so far) I have been an invited guest at the Kalapa Court was after the Shambhala Congress, in Halifax, in November 2009. I was part of the Dorje Kasung contingent that had been requested to attend a thank you ... continue
Posted April 12, 2011 by
Bringing Court into our Lives

Bringing Court into our Lives – HIGHLIGHT

By Amy Conway When describing the experience of Kalapa Court, the home of the Sakyong and the Sakyong Wangmo, it’s easiest to start by describing the environment. The court is an elegant, beautiful place filled with nice furniture, rich textiles, rugs, and impeccable pieces of art. All ... continue
Posted April 5, 2011 by

Magic at the Court – HIGHLIGHT

By Jeff Grow I was invited to court for a small reception for the Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo with the Ripa sangha in White Plains, New York. This was shortly after they had gotten married. I was a little nervous. While I had served at court ... continue
Posted April 5, 2011 by
Shambhala Time Out

Shambhala Time Out – HIGHLIGHT

For the mischievous onset of April, the Shambhala Times once again takes *time out* of its regular reporting to cover more *sensational happenings* in our global mandala and the groundswell of Shambhala culture in the most offbeat places. Shambhala Households Take To The Streets In an effort ... continue
Posted April 1, 2011 by
A Pinch of Rice

A Pinch of Rice – HIGHLIGHT

By S. Marie Vernon The lodge is cozy and comfortable with a huge fireplace that constantly invites us to “come sit by the fire.” It’s our Winter 2010-2011, Weekthun and Oryoki Retreat in North Alabama. Twenty three of us are here for the event with our teachers, Shastri ... continue
Posted March 23, 2011 by SMarieVernon
Tibetan Children at Surmang Celebrate Losar

Tibetan Children at Surmang Celebrate Losar – HIGHLIGHT

By Lyndon Comstock To conclude the old year, and prepare for the new one, children at the Surmang Dutsi Til shedra school in eastern Tibet recently took examinations in reading, writing, and arithmetic. A ceremony honoring those who did especially well was attended by hundreds of the ... continue
Posted March 19, 2011 by
Boulder Welcomes the Sakyong out of Retreat

Boulder Welcomes the Sakyong out of Retreat – HIGHLIGHT

Boulder’s newly renovated shrine room glittered on Shambhala Day to welcome Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche out of his year-long retreat. Members of the Mukpo and Ripa families, the Kalapa Council, and Shambhalians from near and far were present to celebrate the new year together with the Sakyong ... continue
Posted March 10, 2011 by

A New Kind of Governance

[caption id=”attachment_4404″ align=”alignright” width=”150″ >click here. By Shastri Rebecca Hazell In mid-February, one of several governance conferences around the world was held in San Francisco. Victoria Centre Director Layth Matthews, Practice and Education Director Mark Hazell, and Shastri Rebecca Hazell (me) attended this huge gathering. People came from ... continue
Posted March 6, 2011 by James Northcote
TWENTY YEARS OF RULING AND TEACHING: Introduction

TWENTY YEARS OF RULING AND TEACHING: Introduction – HIGHLIGHT

Shastri Benoît Côté marks the transition of the past year in the Sakyong’s reign by offering a history of twenty years of ruling and teaching. This is the first in a series of articles about this journey, based on available documents that mark the various ... continue
Posted February 24, 2011 by BenoitCote

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 »