In the August Crestone Eagle we reported that the initial ritual asking the permission of the dieties of the land to build a stupa honoring Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche had taken place.
We can now report the next steps taken beginning October 7, the first day of the 9th lunar month. The task of leveling the site began. From the picture two things are clear: the site for the stupa is small and the amount of earth to be moved is large. Ben Brack used his small orange Kubota, a perfect size for this delicate task. Monitoring the process of leveling, Tad Filter also worked the compacter and helped Keith with heavy handwork. Zoe de Bray, Stupa Project Manager, and Njal Schold, Director of KTTG, put the large and small gabion cages together. The center for the stupa was fixed as was the korwa (the area for circumambulating around the stupa). Jim McCalpin pitched in by hauling his tank of water up to us. After a day of rain, sleet, and snow, the leveling reached a point where the five large gabion cages could be placed, filled with rocks, and backfilled.
At the end of the summer we were gifted with several precious relics of saints important to Tibetan Buddhism: those of Milarepa, Yeshe Tsogyal and wisdom pills from Vajra Khandro. The first two relics were collected by HH Dudgom Rinpoche. Sacred earth from around the life tree at Boudhanath came to us as well.
Story to be continued when we get another load of road base and can finish the supporting structure. We hope the ceremony of placing the ritual phurbas into the cement foundation as it is poured can happen before winter comes. Please keep your eyes on the Eagle’s on-line calendar for this event. All are most happily invited. Please go to KTTG.org (“Stupas”) for information and how to please donate.