GARCHEN TARA STUPA TULUM

The Garchen Tara Stupa in IKAL is the second in the world, and others to come

WHAT IS A STUPA?

A Stupa is a sacred object that represents the body, speech, and mind of enlightened beings, and Tara is the deity that embodies love and compassion. A Stupa is a place to connect with our true nature and inherent spirituality and, therefore, to connect with all spiritual and enlightened beings.

To circumambulate the stupa means to walk in circles around it. It is a compelling spiritual practice which symbolizes taking refuge in the Three Jewels: The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. It is recommended for anyone who has problems in life, those in need of purification, those who need to create causes of success, and those in sickness, as well as a way to benefit animals.

WHO IS TARA?

She is the Wisdom Goddess, the Embodiment of Perfected Wisdom, the Goddess of Universal Compassion, and the Mother of all Buddhas. White Tara represents the embodiment of love and compassion.

She has eyes in the palms of her hands, on the soles of her feet, and in the center of her forehead, representing her power to see those suffering and offer her aid. We pray to White Tara for health, healing, and longevity. She offers healing to our wounds and helps us with mental or material obstacles.

GARCHEN TARA STUPA TULUM

The Garchen Tara Stupa in IKAL is the second in the world, and others to come. It is a place to practice love and compassion at all levels. It intends to benefit the community. It will bring blessings and many benefits to the Mayan jungle through meditation and different practices.

Garchen Tara Stupa is a source of blessings, not only because it represents the enlightened mind of the Buddha but because it contains relics and objects that irradiate and enhance all practitioners’ achievements. It represents our spiritual path as sentient beings and Dharma practitioners.

The first Tara Stupa is in Arizona at the Garchen Buddhist Institute. It is a shrine designed and created by His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche. It has an octagonal form, a central pillar filled with sacred relics, an outside walkway perfect for walking meditation and circumambulation. It is the inspiration for the Garchen Tara Stupa in Ikal Tulum.

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SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS

GARCHEN RINPOCHE

Garchen Rinpoche is the heart and mind behind the vision of Tara Stupa in Tulum. He is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher believed to be an incarnation of Siddha Gar Chodingpa, a heart disciple of Jigten Sumgön, founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage. Rinpoche is a master of Dzogchen, the fivefold practice Mahamudra, the Six Yogas of Naropa, and the preliminary practices and promotes White Tara practice as his main deity and protector.

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KHENPO SAMDUP RINPOCHE

Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche studied the philosophy of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and is a student of His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche. At seven years old, he received the vows of Refuge from Garchen Rinpoche, and at the age of twelve, he became ordained as a monk.

He traveled with Garchen Rinpoche to different towns to hold excellent accomplishment practices. Khenpo is currently the spiritual director at many centers in US, Mexico, and Brazil, including Garchen Tara Stupa in Tulum, and dedicates his life to traveling around the world, spreading the Dharma to old and new practitioners.

Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche studied the philosophy of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and is a student of His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche. At seven years old, he received the vows of Refuge from Garchen Rinpoche, and at the age of twelve, he became ordained as a monk.

He traveled with Garchen Rinpoche to different towns to hold excellent accomplishment practices. Khenpo is currently the spiritual director at many centers in US, Mexico, and Brazil, including Garchen Tara Stupa in Tulum, and dedicates his life to traveling around the world, spreading the Dharma to old and new practitioners.

CENTRAL CHANNEL

The Central Channel of Tara Stupa is filled with tsa-tsas, mantra rolls, Kangyur Texts brought from India, and a precious Buddha Relic. All this to enhance the blessings and intentions of this big antenna which are to bring to Tulum, to Mexico, and to this world the qualities of Mother Tara: Love, compassion, and healing to this cyclic suffering existence that we live in. After the ceremonies we did during the consecration at the stupa, the central channel is now covered with a new layer that keeps all these elements safe inside its walls.

TSA TSAS AND MANTRA ROLLS

Tsa tsas is a form of traditional Tibetan Buddhist art. They’re made from a metal mold containing the hollowed, reversed image of a deity, stupa, or other sacred symbols. We made them out of clay from Mayan communities in Tulum and left them to harden.

We created two thousand tsa tsas that went into the main pillar of the Tara Stupa, and inside of them, we put mini mantra rolls that activate the tsa tsas with pure bodhicitta intention.Making tsa tsas is a merit-accumulating action. It is one of the five preliminary practices in Vajrayana Buddhism – a method to eliminate obstacles, purify negativities, and create positive energy (merit).

KANGYUR TEXTS

Kangyur texts are a corpus of collected teachings of the Buddha, translated into Tibetan. The whole set consists of around 108 volumes of sūtras and Tantras, mostly translated from Sanskrit. We wrapped them in plastic to protect them from insects and the intense weather of the Mayan jungle. They were specially sent from India to the Garchen Tara Stupa and are part of the collection of elements surrounding the stupa’s main pillar.