There is something sublime in Buddhist artistry, a complex and colorful world of images fused with symbolic meaning. When we see and contemplate these visions, whether as paintings, statues, or buildings we feel the immediacy of something special which is hard to put into words. We sense the sacredness without even knowing the subject matter.
To experience these aesthetic objects, particularly architectural structures, is to reach out and feel their context. Most often they do not stand alone, but are part of something that embraces daily life. People come and go, and weave their lives around these places. When we are in these settings, there are moments we experience the sense of order and the beauty of form and are struck by a memory of something profound. Sometimes it feels like a doorway opens. This is a connection to the sacred world that we often feel separated from. Somehow, the material form, in the expression of aesthetic Buddhist ideals, speaks to us.
As Buddhists we can come home again and remember ourselves as the seekers we are. And in this we feel gratitude for those that have come before us and have built these places. We too wish to help preserve this sacredness for others to experience as we did. Even greater is the thought that we could help build new places of refuge and reflection for future generations. This is the bodhisattva spirit of the journey we are on.
As Buddhists we can deepen our understanding of the Dharma by studying what happened in the past, discovering the meaning of a stupa and to feel the teachings directly from being in the presence of this Buddha memory.
As western Buddhists we often wander through a mental experience of the Dharma due to lack of cultural context. Let us flesh out an environmental approach, giving us a deeper understanding. This is the goal of the web site and The Dharma Sanctuary’s mission: to assist in the building of the physical foundation.
Hello – I love your web site, its informative nature and your vision. We have been making tsa tsa’s of stupas, white tara , shakyamuni and Guru Rinpoche to fill our sacred spaces and to enjoy the rewards of dharma activity. We have been making our stupas one at a time and felt very interested to see that you have found molds to make several stupas at one time. this could be a wonderful option in order to mulitiply the quantity of stupas we are able to make. We have purchased our molds from Tibetan Spirit but are looking at the possibility of buying them from nalanda monastry in France. Do you know of any source to purchase “gang molds of stupas” in the states. Thanks in advance for your help. May all beings benefit from all sacred dharma activities – past – present – future.
Blessings and thanks, wendy
Thanks Wendy for your interest. For the Kauai stupa we used silicon rubber molds that make 10 plaster (Hydrostone) tsa tsa each. My friend Bob McHugh in Boulder made them. Unfortunately, he’s not making them anymore. The silicone is expensive, around $400 for each mold, so there was no money in it for him. If he or anyone was to make them as a business they would retail around $800, more than most people are willing to pay.
I hope to solve this riddle of making reasonablly priced molds some day. It would also be good to make other tsa tsa, such as deity figures, or traditional votive tablets. If you find any interesting sources, please let me know. Good luck!