As
the millennium approaches, we invite you once more
to contribute to the completion of the Stupa at Gampo
Abbey. The last stage is creating the bronze statue
of Gampopa, which will cost approximately $10,000
CDN.
Gampopa
is the lineage father of all the Kagyus, and the heart
son of Jetsun Milarepa. In his songs Milarepa proclaims
Gampopa as his equal, one who attains full realization
and holds the full transmission of all his teachings
and through whom they will forever flourish. Gampopa,
according to Thrangu Rinpoche, is a good example for
Westerners because he provides an example that is
not extreme, therefore inspiring us to follow his
path. The stories of Naropa, Marpa and Milarepa surely
invoke devotion but can seem beyond ordinary present
day practitioners. At the same time, Gampopa's renunciation,
devotion to his Guru, and dedication to practice are
in themselves perfect. His legacy to us is a vital
monastic tradition and an intact lineage of Mahamudra
masters. He founded the Kagyu lineage during a time
when the Dharma was waning in Tibet. It is said that
Gampopa had 51,000 monks and 500 yogis as students.
At
Gampo Abbey we begin every day by reciting the Four
Dharmas of Gampopa. These simple phrases resonate
at every level of understanding with steps leading
to full realization. We know him directly in our time
primarily through the first Lamrim text to be written
in Tibet, The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, which
is studied today throughout all lineages. He promised
that studying it was the same as meeting him.
Here
in the West, Gampo Abbey, through the vision of Trungpa
Rinpoche, has the potential to be the foundation of
western monasticism. The monks and nuns trained here
will be the first generation to define western Buddhist
monastic life, preserving tradition while adapting
to a form appropriate to our culture and the 21st
century. Creation of a harmonious community is the
prayer of the earth and all her people and needs to
be co-created in each moment. Moreover the monastic
life of renunciation, study and practice create the
conditions for enlightenment, our hope for teachers
and leaders of the future. The ear-whispered lineage
of the Kagyu, with emphasis on practice of the Lojong
studies and emphasis on application of Dharma as heralded
by Trungpa Rinpoche, come together at Gampo Abbey
to guide us to peace and bodhisattva action.
Just as Gampopa's wisdom now touches us, through him
an intact lineage spans time from Vajradhara to our
children at this very moment. The statue of Gampopa,
created by Ani Konchog Drolma, former Professor of
Sculpture at the Maine College of Art, will be cast
in bronze this spring. It will be filled with mantras
and consecrated at the time it is placed in the stupa.
Sponsors traditionally contribute to the creation
of statues to overcome obstacles in their lives, accumulate
merit, or to offer on behalf of a loved one who has
died. We invite you to be a part of this aspect of
the stupa honoring the lineage that has benefited
all of us so greatly and which will benefit living
beings for centuries. Our vision is that Gampopa and
the stupa will be a beacon of the Buddha's essence
and teachings for a long time to come.
