CONTENT:
- Who we are
- Land of The White Stupa – our Project for a Retreat Center
- The current state of the Project and what still needs to be done
- SUPPORTING PHASE 1 of building the Main Cabin
- How to get involved
- Benefits of making our vision a reality
1.Who we are
Since December 2017 the “Center of White Mahakala – FPMT Study group” (CBWM) has been providing an oasis in the city of Cluj-Napoca, offering classes of meditation, mindfulness, buddhist philosophy, as well as visits by many great teachers from the world.
With the contribution of about 20 teachers and facilitators, 30 members and 20 volunteers, CBWM organized more than 400 events: 25 courses, 28 teacher’s visits and many other events. Our cosy space is located right in the city of Cluj Napoca offering a small buddhist library with free access for all our visitors.
Our group is promoting and supporting ethical, philosophical and psychological Buddhist principles; providing opportunities for spiritual education based on authentic Buddhist teachings; implementing and supporting activities regarding community, social and environmental development. We are part of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an organization patronized by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and founded by Lama Thubten Yeshe & our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
WHAT WE ARE INSPIRED BY?
>The heart of our activities is the Dharma
>We promote ethical behavior and the development of a culture of compassion
>We cooperate with the sciences
>We promote a holistic way of life
>We are an example for a meaningful life in a non-profit way
>We promote Buddhism in Cluj & Romania through cooperation with other Buddhist groups
OUR VISION FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
>Study programs: Buddhism in a Nutshell. Discovering Buddhism
>Retreats for intensive spiritual practice
>A publishing/translation project
>Development of alternative ethical learning and concepts of living
>Joint projects with universities, schools and kindergartens
>Dialogues between science and spirituality
>Social commitment, neighbourly help
>Promotion of art and culture
>Holistic forms of therapy and living
>Yoga, Mindfulness & Tai Chi seminars
>Children and adult camps
>Promoting a vegetarian lifestyle
2.Land of The White Stupa – our Project for a Retreat Center
It may seem strange that we want to develop this project now, in these difficult times but WE FEEL that we want to go deeper offering an alternative to social pressures and the institutionalized environment, lack of freedom, obsession with security, materialism and individualism, which are more and more accentuated. A retreat center in a rural area offers conditions for deepening spiritual practices beyond the limitations imposed by the pace and lifestyle of urban life.
VISION
By promoting a holistic way of life, the “LAND OF THE WHITE STUPA” will offer ways for deepening spiritual practice and bring more peace, balance and happiness not only to our own minds, but also to our immediate environment and ultimately to all universal beings. It will offer a safe place/environment from which a culture of universal ethics, compassion and wisdom in the individual and the society can flourish and grow.
WHY?
>Because we need a way of life rooted in spirituality, ethics and nature
>Because we need to take responsibility in our own hands
>Because we ourselves need to convey/create our own way to freedom
WHAT WE WILL BUILD
A Retreat Center in the countryside consisting of a Stupa and two Retreat Cabins.
Marius Micu, Group Coordinator of CBWM:
“The Stupa is a monument representing peace, harmony, and love. It symbolises the essence of the five elements and the qualities of the awakened mind with its unlimited compassion and most profound wisdom. It contains numerous texts of buddhist teachings and prayers, and it is built to help maintain world peace. The stupa on the grounds of the Center of White Mahakala Study Group will promote outer balance, inner peace, and all encompassing love.Our main aim is to build the first Stupa in Transylvania together with near retreat facilities. This will be a place for promoting harmony, peace and spiritual activities, bringing great benefits to many sentient beings and to those who are able to contribute in any way to its construction.”
WHAT WE WILL ACTUALLY BUILD
>A community and a sense of belonging
>A protected environment conducive to spiritual life
>An important resource for the future development of Buddhism in Romania
3.The current state of the Project and what is still to be done
THINK BIG!
With the idea of “Think big” we follow Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa’s vast vision of offering access to Higher Education, creating Holy Objects for World Peace, Supporting Practice and Realizations and offering Social Services. We designed the LAND OF THE WHITE STUPA according to our ideas but taking into account the wishes of our teachers.
Our project consists of: building the first Stupa in Transilvania on a piece of land in Tranisu, Apuseni mountains. Two Cabins will serve the Stupa as retreat facilities for our Center.
THE STUPA
Our spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised us to build a Kadampa Stupa. The stupa will be 2,24 m high and placed on the highest spot of the land “in order to purify the whole area due to the power of its ingredients and its blessings”.
As a sacred object, the Stupa will mark the land as a spiritual place, contributing to peace on Earth, creating positivity, fighting against diseases, spreading the Dharma, fulfilling Rinpoche’s vision and creating collective merit.
Building or sponsoring a stupa is a very powerful way to accumulate merit and purify negative karma. Holy objects bless the land and plant the seed for enlightenment. Every time beings see holy objects, their minds are purified. Just by seeing a statue of Buddha, you collect numberless merits. In addition, if you make offerings, you collect much, much more merit.
“The main purpose of building stupas is to make the lives of all beings, young and old, meaningful. … Just by coming to a stupa place beings will receive an education in order to develop a good heart, compassion and loving kindness, tolerance, patience – all these most precious human qualities of the mind. And inspiration! … This is about peace – for the individual beings who come to see it, for the whole country, and for the entire world – for all sentient beings. I see the creation of stupas as being of incalculable benefit for countless sentient beings, especially for their mind streams. If one transforms or develops the mind, then all problems and suffering are transformed or ceased, because the mind is the creator of all one’s happiness and suffering. “ Lama Zopa Rinpoche
COSTS
The total costs are 6000 € including the creation of its content, the organized visits of teachers & stupa builders and the consecration ceremonies
TIMEFRAME
>Creating the ingredients: until May 2023
>Building site and consecration: untill Sebtember 2024
RESULTS SO FAR
>The entire ammount of 6000 € was raised from 108 donors, grants from the FPMT & Center’s contribution
>A number of 16 people created the needed ingredients: rolling mantras, making tsa tsas etc.
>The ingredients were blessed by Venerable Tendar
>The site was blessed by Geshe Gyaltsen from Nalanda Monastery
>The Stupa parts were created and transported to the future location of the Stupa
STILL TO BE DONE
>Building the Foundation and the Throne of the Stupa
>Building site (which implies filling activities and rituals) till August/September 2024
>Final Blessing Ceremony
THE RETREAT CABINS
- The land is 80 km away from Cluj-Napoca and Oradea, bordering the Natural Park of the Apuseni Mountains. It’s easily accessible by car and 10 km away from the nearest train station.
- The cabins were designed taking into consideration Feng Shui principles and the surrounding landscape. In order to provide the needed protection and privacy the entrance doors of the cabins will face the Supa and the land will be enclosed.
- The Big Cabin has a 16 seats meditation hall & rooms for accommodating 10 people and the Small Cabin will serve teachers and carers
TIMEFRAME
We are considering 2 construction phases:
2020 –2022: Building the Small Cabin
2023 – 2025 /2026: Building the Big Cabin
RESULTS SO FAR
>The buildings were designed and the Construction Permit obtained in February 2020
>The Building of the Small Cabin was completed in 2022
STILL TO BE DONE
>Building the Main Retreat Cabin
Building of the Main Retreat Cabin will develop during the following phases:
- Phase 0 (February 2020- December 2022): Foundraising for Phase 1 (completed)
- Phase 1 (April 2023-April 2024): foundations, brick work, wood structure + roofing (15 000 € raised) + Foundraising for Phase 2 (20 000 € to be raised)
- Phase 2 (April 2023-April 2024): External finishings, wood windows and doors, exterior lanscaping + Foundraising for Phase 3 (20 000 € to be raised)
- Phase 3 (April 2024- December 2025): Interior finishes and furniture
4.SUPPORTING PHASE 2 of building the Main Cabin
THE FUNDRAISING CAMPAINGN F0R PHASE 2 STARTED ON May 13 2023 . Our aim is to raise 20 000 € till April 2024 and start the construction of the 2st Phase.
If you would like to support PHASE 2 of Building the Main Cabin please consider making a one-off donation or a monthly amount via our bank accounts:
ASOCIATIA CENTRUL BUDIST WHITE MAHAKALA
LEI Account Banca Transilvania: RO33BTRLRONCRT0417728302
EURO Account Banca Transilvania: RO10BTRLEURCRT0417728301
SWIFT: BTRLRO22
6.How to get involved
SPREAD THE WORD
Make this new vision known to as many people as possible by passing on this link and giving them the information.
MAKE MERIT
>Help us accumulate 300 000 Tara Mantras.
RECITE TARA’S MANTRA: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SVAHA
Join us for our monthly Tara Puja, and recite the mantra and praises together! Register here for helping us in this way.
>Help us accumulate 200 000 Medicine Buddha Mantras
RECITE: TA YA TA /OM BEKANZAY BEKANZAY MAHA BEKANZAY BEKANZAY / RADZA SAMUDGATAY SOHA
Join us for our monthly Medicine Buddha Puja and recite the mantra together! Register here for helping us in this way.
Help us accumulate 100 000 White Mahakala Mantras
RECITE: OM GURU MAHAKALA HARI NI SA SIDDHI DZA Register here for helping us in this way.
After reciting the mantras and creating the holy objects please DEDICATE: „May I become enlightened for all sentient beings, and may CBWM soon build the Stupa and the Retreat Center.”
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
>Join our team and be an organizer, advertiser or fundraiser
>Engage in the construction work
FINANCIAL DONATIONS
Join our MALA-OF-MERIT as one of the 21 MAIN DONNORS and pledge a reccurent donation of 1000 € or more over 1-5 years.
If you would like to do this please contact us via our email centrulmahakala@gmail.com or phone 0040740124315.
7.Benefits of making our vision a reality
You’ll be helping support the work of HH Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa, FPMT and Mahayana Buddhism throughout Cluj and Romania.
By supporting our project you’ll be creating skies of good karma which in turn brings happiness and success on your own path.
PLUS:
DHARMA SUPPORTERS (MAIN DONORS) will join our MALA-OF-MERIT and their portrait will be on our “WALL of FAME”.
RAFTER SUPPORTER:
By donating 1000 € or more you sponsor a rafter and your name can be engraved on it.
PILLAR SUPPORTER:
By donating 2000 € or more you sponsor a pillar and your name can be engraved on it.
BEAM SUPPORTER:
By donating 3000 € or more you sponsor a beam and your name can be engraved on it.
FOUNDATION STONE DONOR:
By donating 5000 € or more you will receive “free access” to our classes and your name can engraved on the FOUNDATION of the building.
TESTIMONIALS
About the Center:
Anamaria Tatu / participant:
I first arrived at the Buddhist Center in January 2020 … this being my first effective contact with Buddhism. And I am very happy …. because there are some essential visions that I have understood and integrated in my daily life. There are such simple and so revealing ideas…
Anca / organizer:
A reminder that we are connected with those around us, that we have the same sufferings and we want to end them… a family that accepts itself as it is. A support for access to information.
About the Retreat:
Cristina Urs / facilitator:
A place where I can participate in retreats (lasting a week or two) near Cluj, without the need to travel thousands of km to have access to such events. In this place I would like to meditate in a group, to study the Buddhist teachings and to have the opportunity to share knowledge with others.
Doina Grigoras / event organizer:
For me, retreats are very important because I know that it is essential to spend time with your mind, in an environment that gives you security, with people you feel comfortable with so that you can internalize certain mental processes. For me, they act as community centers, allowing members to manifest behaviors and actions that they would otherwise fear or be reluctant to manifest. Moreover, they often set an example of healthy living in all respects. I am grateful and delighted this project is taking shape in Romania and I intend to be one of its greatest supporters.
