Stupa
A stupa is a religious object symbolizing Buddha's mind.
Stories of Stupas
The Wild Boar
Nagarjuna said that there is not a single living beingwho has not received benefit from Buddha. Just by receiving Buddha's blessings even stupid animals can develop peaceful, virtuous states of mind and thus attain higher states of rebirth and enjoy higher happiness. A wild boar was once being chased through a forest by a hunter. Just as it was at the point of collapse, the terrified animal reached a clearing in which stood a stupa, a symbolic representation of Buddha's mind. Overcome by exhaustion, the boar collapsedand died. Although from it's own side the boar had no power to cultivate a virtuous mind, as a result of seeing the stupa it received Buddha's blessings, and throughthe power of these blessings it was able to die peacefully and take rebirth in the god realm.
Nyempa Sangden
In the scriptures the story is told of a man called Nyempa Sangden who was so ugly that people felt upset to look at him, but whose voice was so melodious that when people heard it they longed to be close to him. Buddha alone can see the exact relationship between actions and their effects and he explained about Nyempa Sangden: 'There was once a king who hired many men to build a large stupa. After a while one of the builders became tired and depressed and began to feel hostile toward the king's project. He muttered to himself "What is the point of building such a huge stupa?" However, when the stupa was complete and had been consecrated, the builder felt regret that he had been so angry, and made the offering of a beautiful bell for the stupa. The builder's hostility caused the man's ugliness and his offering of the bell caused his divine voice.'
The above stories are from Joyful Path of Good Fortune
© Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and the New Kadampa Tradition
Learn About: Buddhism
| Meditation | Buddhist
Temples | New Kadampa
| Tantra
NKT Sites: Kadampa Buddhism
| Books on Buddhism |
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
