Losar ROKPA and Tibet day

Losar celebrations at Samye Ling Tibetan Centre.


Eskdalemuir village hall ROKPA fund raising.


Traditional Tibetan Dance.



Drawing the raffle.

Dolkar, A Dakini if ever I saw one.

Akong Rinpoche with family members.

Gateway to Samye Ling.

Stupa at Samye Ling.
The Samye Ling Victory Stupa for World Peace

The first authentic Stupa in Britain was consecrated in Scotland on August 3rd 2000 on Dharmachakra Day by Sangye Tenzin Rinpoche. It had been planned to mark the New Millenium and to celebrate the 60th Birthday of Akong Tulku Rinpoche, the founder and Tulku of Samye Ling Monastery on the Scottish Borders. Constructed, filled and decorated according to ancient lineage instructions, it was dedicated to Healing the Environment and overcoming obstacles to World Peace.

A Stupa (or 'Cho-ten' - Tibetan for 'basis of offerings') is a 2,500 year old spiritual technology introduced and taught by Buddha Sakyamuni to help transform and purify pollution and imbalance. The measurements of the outer form have to be extremely precise and the inner contents specific and properly placed and consecrated. Much of the building process demands that those involved if not ordained should maintain vows of ethical conduct and for some parts of the process repeat prayers continuously. All the specific instructions were observed.
Fulfilling the instructions creates an energy field that purifies and balances the internal and external five elements that compose the universe. These are Earth, Fire, Air, Water and Space.

A BRIDGE FOR UNDERSTANDING

The Stupa Project is inspired by and run under the guidance of Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche, the founder of Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre in Scotland. Akong Rinpoche is a Doctor of Tibetan medicine and a meditation master and tulku of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He is one of the few Tibetan teachers who has permission from the Chinese government to travel within areas of China where, through ROKPA charity, he helps with the education and living conditions of some of the least materially well-off people on this planet. Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche is also a founder of many dharma centres and charity projects throughout Europe and Africa as well as the Holy Island Interfaith Centre just off the West coast of Scotland. He has worked closely for many years with Western psychologists and therapists so he is well placed to act as a bridge for the understanding of diverse groups.

THE INNER AMITABHA SHRINE

The inner shrine is open to visitors during the weekends. It can be used for private meditation and also offers space for the remains and ashes of those who wish to be laid to rest either within it or in the prayer wheel house. A high lama visits regularly to consecrate ashes placed in the Stupa during that year and conduct a blessing ceremony.

For more information about Buddhist funeral ceremonies and the Ashes Project please email Marilyn Harris on mh@sashworks.co.uk


Nagarjuna Statue at Samye Ling Tibetan Centre.

Nagarjuna stands second only to the Buddha in his importance in Buddhist thought. The concept of "emptiness (shunyata)" became the central ontological concept in Mahayana Buddhism thanks to his effort. Not only did he found the Madhyamaka tradition in India, understanding his philosophy is needed to understand the Zen tradition and the Dalai Lama's Tibetan tradition.
Included here are translations from the Sanskrit of his most important philosophical works into plain English, so that the general educated public interested in Buddhism or philosophy can understand his thought. Also included are separate commentaries and a bibliography of further readings.
The works presented here collectively constitute what the Tibetans call Nagarjuna's "analytic corpus." Translated from the original Sanskrit are the Fundamental Verses of the Middle Way (the Mula-madhyamaka-karikas), Overturning the Objections (the Vigraha- vyavartani) with Nagarjuna's own commentary, and the philosophical portions of the Jewel Garland of Advice (the Ratnavali). Three works that are no longer extant in Sanskrit are summarized here: Seventy Verses on Emptiness (Shunyata-saptati-karikas), Sixty Verses on Argument (Yukti-shashtikas), and Pulverizing the Categories (Vaidalya-prakarana).


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