A Vision of Reconciliation
We live in difficult times. We can see alienation, anger and fear wherever we turn. Deep concern for the future and for those we love is, perhaps, universal.
Anger often arises because we’re hurt, we’re scared, we don’t feel heard. At those times, we may not have the capacity of looking inside to understand our emotions. Instead, our ego or fear dominates, and we blame the outside world — our partner, our family, our job or, even, strangers from other nations who we dehumanize, without ever meeting them.
This cannot lead to the end of anger nor can it bring about, for anyone, freedom or happiness. Instead, the arising anger controls our mind and our actions, inviting more anger and distress.
More than 2500 years ago, at the time of the Buddha, ego and pride caused a group of his followers to split from the sangha community and issue an angry demand that the Buddha step down. In order to resolve the pain and confusion this caused people, the Buddha sent his two most senior students to meet with the leaders of this angry group, and to listen deeply to their hearts.
Based on their deep realisation of the Buddha’s teachings of peace, understanding, kindness and tolerance, his emissaries succeeded. To celebrate this, the people of Magadha built a great monument — a stupa — dedicated to reconciliation.
Although it’s one of the traditional 8 great stupas of Tibetan Buddhism, this Stupa of Reconciliation is rarely built on its own — we can usually see it only where all of the 8 stupas have been built.
We wish to build this very stupa in the heart of Europe to symbolise and to galvanise our path towards reconciliation.
Our aspiration is to gather a broad community of people dedicated to reconciliation who can embody and facilitate reconciliation to all those who are interested. We will offer teachings not just to Buddhists but to all who seek peace within their hearts, and in the world. Our path there will include the practice of listening to others deeply, and becoming ever more curious about the workings of our own mind. With these as our foundation, we can come to see our shared fundamental humanity in all others, including our enemies, and respond to all challenges with an open heart and a loving spirit.
As a long-term project we invite people from around the world to support it by contacting us, and by contributing towards the construction with their hands, their spirit, their funds, and their practice.
– Lama Dorje