contact us  
Sign-up!
Monthly eNews
& eTeaching

Click here for Dharma talks & teachings by Thubten Chodron

 
THE VALUE OF BUILDING A MONASTERY(en Español)
BY ZOPA RINPOCHE

Zopa Rinpoche said the following after making a donation towards building a new temple at Geshe Sopa's center, Deer Park, in Wisconsin, July 28,2004. Thubten Chodron edited it. Much of what Rinpoche said also applies to the building of Sravasti Abbey

Geshe-la mentioned a quotation by Shantideva: The only medicine to heal the sufferings of transmigrating beings and the source from where all sentient beings' happiness comes is only the teachings of the Buddha. There are two types of teachings: the scriptural (Tib: lung gi tenpa) and the realized (tog pai tenpa). To be able to preserve and spread these, we need more facilities and a new temple. With facilities—an assembly hall, rooms for teachers, rooms for sangha, a place where monastics can live in vows, study and practice, and so forth—this place will preserve the scriptural teachings because many people will come here to listen, reflect, and meditate.

The basis of the realized teachings is pure morality, so a place is needed for the sangha—a monastery or temple where they can live in and protect pure morality. On the basis of the higher training in morality come the higher trainings in concentration and wisdom. These are the path for you to achieve liberation from samsara. When these are supported by bodhicitta, they become the Mahayana path and you achieve full enlightenment. So these facilities provide the support where the sangha can preserve and spread both the scriptural doctrine and the realized doctrine.

Khedrup Rinpoche explained that all happiness of sentient beings comes from the teachings of the Victorious One, and the teachings depend on the sangha (who learn, practice and teach them). With his clairvoyance the great Indian yogi, Drubchen Kembala, checked what would benefit the Buddha's teachings, and he saw that there is no greater benefit than establishing a monastery. He then purposely took the birth of a king in order to build the Buddhist monastery of Vikramashila in India.

Lama Atisha went to Tibet and advised his disciple Dromtonpa to build a monastery and said that there is no greater merit to collect than this. So Dromtonpa built Reting Monastery. There were three brothers who were great Kadampa geshes. Geshe Puchungwa continuously did a very precise practice of offerings; Geshe Chengawa built temples, monasteries, statues, and stupas and printed scriptures; Geshe Potowa listened to and gave Dharma teachings and offered service to the sangha. Here, Gen Rinpoche (Geshe Sopa) is doing all of the Kadmapa activities combined.

In the Sutra on the Foundations of Mindfulness (Do drenpa nyershak), it says that having established well the temple and the holy objects inside, as well as the rooms and bedding needed by the sangha, from life to life your virtues will increase and for ten billion eons your merit will never get lost. It is said that the virtues done with bodhicitta never get lost and increase all the time, so similarly the merit from building a temple where the Guru, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—the holy objects—abide, your merit will continuously increase from life to life while you are working, eating, sleeping, or whatever you are doing, However many atoms the building has, you create that much merit to born as a wheel-turning king, deva, or human being. For many eons you will enjoy the results of that merit—temporal happiness and of course ultimate happiness, enlightenment.

Gen Rinpoche is Marpa and we should think we are Milarepa building the tower. What made Milarepa able to reach enlightenment in one brief lifetime in this degenerate time was because he built and destroyed a tower three times. That method made him able to achieve enlightenment quickly. Well, of course, there are other high tantric teachings!

 
[ Home ][ Vision ][ Plans ][ Abbey Site ][ Founder ][ News ][ Get Involved ][ Donate ][ Dharma ][ FAQ ][ Monastic Life ]
[ Calendar ][ Visiting ][ Links ][ Boards ] [ What's New ] [ Photo Gallery ][ Reflections ]
All website content © Copyright 2002 - 2008 Sravasti Abbey - No duplication without permission