The Three Reminders of the Presence of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha
Our Current Project

It is with pleasure that we announce this rare project to support the shrine cabinets that will hold the Kangyur Tengyur collection at the Natural Bridge Retreat Center in Virginia.

A bit of history

Over a decade ago, Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche asked Dharma Teacher Tsony to make sure that the Natural Bridge Bodhi Path meditation hall had a proper altar with supports representing the body, speech, and mind of the Buddha. He gave Tsony many instructions detailing what he wanted. Primarily, he specified that he did not want a baroque-style shrine, but rather something inspired by the local aesthetic, while still making sure the key elements were present.

The central piece was created by our friend and cabinetmaker, Phil Welch, out of cherry wood. The Buddha statue itself had been offered to Rinpoche by one of his students.

A few years ago we had—thanks to Lama Jampa—the opportunity to acquire the complete set of the teachings of the Buddha (Kang-Ten, the Kangyur and Tengyur) in the form of Tibetan texts wrapped in cloth. They are provisionally being kept in Shamar Rinpoche’s reliquary, waiting for their final destination in the meditation hall.

We have also been gifted two beautiful, almost life-size statues of bodhisattva disciples of the Buddha. They were consecrated by Shamar Rinpoche at the Bodhi Path center of Los Angeles. Consequently, we have started the project of building two wings to the central altar. They will made by Phil Welsh with the same cherry wood.

In addition to securing the purchase of the Kang-Ten, Wisdom Foundation has also generously forwarded the money to purchase the cherry wood to get the project started. A first installment on the project will have to be paid in early January so that Phil Welch can begin construction.

Several other sculptures will beautify the altars, such as the corner ornamental sculptures (Tib. gokim), the Dharma wheel, and the back support of the Buddha statue (Skt. torana). Shamar Rinpoche also wished that the Buddha statue would be gilded. The Tibetan artist Puntso Dorje has already started the process by painting the statue’s face with gold powder offered by Lama Jampa. We need to complete the gilding.

The support of the Buddha’s body, speech, and mind are important because they are reminders of what a human being can achieve. It is not a god nor an idol that we worship, it is a reminder of a human who worked hard to bring out the best of his human potential. It is a reminder that we can do it too.

We have the presence of the Buddha in this world, the body, in the form of the statue. Then we have his legacy, the Dharma, in the form of all these words and teachings as texts. And his Sangha is represented by the statues of the bodhisattvas Kṣitigarbha and Avalokiteśvara. Together these constitute the Triratna, the three jewels, the three rare and precious: a support for our refuge, and a point of focus for directing our intentions, aspirations, and offerings.

What is already done?

  • The main piece of the central part of the altar is completed.
  • The bodhisattva statues are on site.
  • The crown ornament of the five letters is in place.
  • Two of the corner ornaments are completed; four more need to be made.

What is needed today?

  • The Dharma wheel needs to be sculpted.
  • The backdrop of the Buddha statue needs to be sculpted.
  • The two wing altars need to be built.
  • The gilding of the Buddha statue needs to be completed.

How can you help?

We need to create a wave of generosity to complete this project in the best way possible. Each dollar offered is contributing to this process.

Purchase of the texts$8,000
Fabrication of the altar wings$40,000
Corner ornaments$4,000
Dharma wheel and backdrop sculpture$5,000
Buddha statue gilding$3,000
Total estimate$60,000

More on the importance of the project

The Significance of Keeping Representations of the Buddha’s Body, Speech, and Mind in our Meditation Hall

The Buddha’s Body

Benefits of having a Buddha statue in our Meditation Hall (from a teaching by Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche):
After a statue is built, there are five special benefits to having a Buddha or deity statue in a temple, room, or on our altar:

  • (1) whenever we look at it we can feel the presence of that Buddha or deity;
  • (2) it is an object which bestows blessings and peace of mind;
  • (3) it bestows long life and lots of happiness, so naturally we will become rich and have lots of clothing, food, houses, grain, and everything we need, and people will serve us without reason, since we’ve accumulated this kind of merit, power and energy;
  • (4) lifetime after lifetime we will be born with all our sense organs intact, and our skandhas will be very clear; and
  • (5) if we build a stupa or statue, or paint a thangka, and be generous, we will be born as a Chakravartin, and eventually achieve the ultimate realization.

It is said that there are many other benefits to keeping keeping and making offerings to a Buddha statue. From The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Seal of Engagement in Awakening the Power of Faith” (the Ārya­śraddhā­balādhānāvatāra­mudrā­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra):

Mañjuśrī, say that a son or daughter of noble family, on a daily basis for an ocean-like span of eons numbering the same amount as sand in the Ganges, gave flavorful, divine food as well as divine garments to as many solitary buddhas as there are atoms in every world-system. Mañjuśrī, suppose that another son or daughter of noble family simply saw a painting or a statue of the Buddha. If in doing so the latter would create incalculably greater merit than the former, no need to mention how incalculably greater the merit created would be if he or she showed respect to, or offered flowers, incense, fragrances, or candles to the image.