Benalmádena Stupa facts for kids
The Benalmádena Stupa is a special kind of Buddhist monument. It is located in Benalmádena, a town in the Málaga area of southern Spain. This area is part of Andalusia and looks out over the Costa del Sol coastline. The stupa is about 33 meters (108 feet) tall, making it the tallest stupa in Europe. It was officially opened on October 5, 2003. Building this stupa was the last big project of a respected Buddhist teacher named Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche.
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What is the Benalmádena Stupa?
In Buddhism, a stupa is a monument that stands for peace, good fortune, and harmony. It is also a quiet place where people can go for meditation. The Benalmádena Stupa is called Chan Chub Chorten in Tibetan. It represents the Buddha's enlightenment, which means understanding the true nature of the mind. This stupa is built in one of the eight traditional ways that stupas are made.
Most stupas are solid structures, but the Benalmádena Stupa is different. It has a large meditation room inside, which is about 100 square meters (1,076 square feet). There is also another room that can be used for exhibitions. These exhibitions often teach about Tibetan Buddhism and the culture of the Himalayas. The walls of the meditation room are painted with pictures that tell the life story of the historical Buddha, Sakyamuni.
Who helped build the Stupa?
A Buddhist teacher from Bhutan named Lopon Tsechu guided the spiritual parts of the project. A Polish architect from Germany, Woitek Kossowski, was in charge of the construction.
The stupa was officially opened on October 5, 2003. The opening ceremony was led by H.H. Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche. He is a very important teacher in the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Other important people were also there, including Lömpo Sangye Ngodup, a minister from the country of Bhutan, and Lama Ole Nydahl. The Mayor of Benalmádena, Enrique Bolin, was also present. Mayor Bolin was inspired by another large Karma Kagyu Diamond Way stupa near Vélez-Málaga, Spain. He played a key role in providing the land where the Benalmádena Stupa now stands.
The stupa is managed by a non-profit group called the Asociación Cultural Karma Kagyu de Benalmádena. This group works under the spiritual guidance of the 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje.
About Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche
Lopon Tsechu first visited Spain in 1990. During his visit, he gave teachings and special blessings at Karma Guen. This is a Buddhist meditation center near Vélez-Málaga, which is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Benalmádena.
Rinpoche built his first stupa at Karma Guen in 1994. This stupa was meant to be a symbol of peace and good fortune for Spain. Before he passed away in 2003, Rinpoche went on to build 16 more stupas across Europe. He became a resident of Spain in 1995 and visited the country often. He continued to give teachings and blessings. Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche guided the Benalmádena Stupa project from the very beginning. He passed away just before it was finished. The final opening ceremony was then performed by the 14th Shamar Rinpoche.
See also
In Spanish: Estupa de la Iluminación para niños
