Filling a New Stupa 

Filling a New Stupa 

Date Posted:
July 2012

A Dharma center asked Rinpoche for advice about filling a new stupa. The center's questions and Rinpoche’s response are below.

Questions 
  1. Can the base (ie cremation box) be filled with the four dharmakaya relic mantras? The reason for this is the stupa will not have very much space inside for mantras. Can the whole base and the throne the stupa rests on be filled with these mantras, or should some tsa-tsas be used, or should the cremation part be like a wealth vase?
  2. To confirm: the plan is to fill the stupa only with the four dharmakaya relic mantras, not the 27 normal mantras that are often in stupas.
Rinpoche's response

Fill the throne (the cremation base) as usual, like a wealth vase. On the basis of filling the throne like a wealth vase, also include a naga vase and deva vase inside that, if possible.

The other things that you put inside the throne (cremation box base) need to be of very good quality. Include precious materials, not secondhand things—include new things that are symbolic, like a new dress, the best quality brocades, five-colored cloths; anything new and symbolic of wealth, and things that people wear and use.

In relation to protection, include toy guns, knives and weapons that are used for protection. In terms of wealth, you can include toy cars, airplanes, etc, or anything that symbolizes wealth.

If you can, include lots of globes of the world, as well as pictures of world leaders, famous people, wealthy people, etc, but not dictators, negative people, or people who are against His Holiness the Dalai Lama. You should also include medicines.

Don’t put things in the throne that have belonged to anyone who could have a bad relationship with either His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Yeshe or me (Lama Zopa), otherwise this can create pollution.

Of course, you can put in many holy objects, like tsa-tsas, but they must not be damaged. Do not put anything in that could be considered Dharma rubbish, like old texts, missing text pages, broken tsa-tsas, broken holy objects, etc.

Everything has to be blessed before it is put inside the stupa. Also, you have to do gegtor (torma offering to spirits) to make sure any gegs (obstructing forces) are removed.

In regards to the mantras, put in as many of the four dharmakaya relic mantras as you can, mainly around the life tree and inside the stupa. In particular, if you are able to put in 100,000 of the Completely Pure Stainless Light Mantra, these should be mainly stacked around the life tree. Make sure you keep the mantras the right way up.

Put in as much as you can; whatever you can manage. You only need to have these mantras, not the other normal mantras that are inside stupas. Do not put these mantras in the base (throne), instead put them above, in the stupa itself. You must do it well. It is very important to place the mantras neatly and the right way up.

In the vase part of the stupa (this means the face of the vase), if possible, put a statue of Lama Yeshe. You mentioned you had a mala. It came out best to have the crystal mala nicely draped around the Lama Yeshe statue in the vase, in the new stupa.