A Historic Day: Consecration of the Great Enlightenment Stupa

May all be auspicious!

Today, on this auspicious and excellent occasion, I wish to first extend a warm welcome and Tashi Delek greetings to our guest of honor, Her Holiness Kyabje Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche; to the heads of the various monasteries Ven. Thich Hanh Bao, Ven. Phra Mahanual Chamnamram; to the noble Sangha; to the local district official Mayor Jukka Matilainen; to the representatives of the various Dharma centers; and likewise, to all the members of this assembly who have traveled from both within the country and abroad.

The primary reason we have gathered together here today at Danakosha Ling is for the consecration of the precious Stupa. In connection with this, please allow me to offer a brief explanation. 

Since this land was purchased by Danakosha Ling in September 2016, many members of Danakosha Ling monastery, with continuous and extensive effort, first completed the main temple. Following this, the residences for sangha members, the dining hall, and so on were gradually and successfully completed. In the wake of these accomplishments, the construction of the precious Stupa was begun.

All Buddhists recognize the profound importance of the supports representing the Victorious One’s body, speech, and mind. According to Tibet’s great Lamas and their oral tradition, three sacred signs indicate that Buddha’s teachings continue to flourish in this world: the three precious supports of the Buddha’s body, speech, and mind.

The body support is embodied by the Jowo Shakyamuni statue in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital. The speech support consists of Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings translated into Tibetan, known as the Kangyur. The mind support is represented by the great Mahabodhi Stupa at the Vajra Seat in Bodhgaya, India. As long as these three supports remain in this world, Buddha’s teachings will continue. Given this understanding, I believe that constructing and maintaining the supports of body, speech, and mind is important.

For a monastery in particular, the supports of Buddha’s body, speech, and mind are indispensable. Furthermore, as is taught in the sutras and tantras, they must be complete with all the correct dimensions and defining qualities. In the year 2022, Danakosha Ling was officially recognized by the Finnish government as a Tibetan monastery, making it the very first and only such monastery in Finland. Since a monastery must, at the very least, possess the supports of body, speech, and mind, here at Danakosha Ling we have, as our main body supports, the statues of the Teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha, and Guru Padmasambhava. For speech supports, we have the Victorious One’s precious Kangyur, the collection of Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings, alongside the Tengyur, which contains the commentary of the Kangyur by the great masters of India. The great work of translating Buddhist texts from Sanskrit into Tibetan was started by Tibetan King Trisong Deutsen in the 8th century by Khenpo Shantarakshita, Guru Padmasambhava, and the great lotsawas (Tibetan Translators) like Vairocana. This process of translation was continued by King Tri Ralwachen through the 9th century. Here are also the scriptural collections of the Kama and Terma of the Nyingma tradition, collection of Longchenpa’s teachings, and the collected works of the Mindrolling Founder Dharma King Terdak Lingpa and Brother Lochen Dharmashri—amounting to a library of nearly one thousand volumes. And for the mind support, we have this great enlightenment stupa that we see before us now.

Yet, that alone is not enough. A monastery must have a sangha, and the members of that sangha must have the understanding and realization of the Dharma. Based on that practice, they must then strive to accomplish the benefit and happiness of others. Speaking of the sangha, during the time the Teacher, the Blessed One, was alive, his retinue consisted of monks, nuns, male and female lay practitioners; these are known as the four-fold assembly sanghas. In these present times, when monk’s and nun’s monastic tradition is declining—and especially in Western countries where it is very difficult for it to flourish—this is because the obstacles are many and the favorable conditions are few. Moreover, the minds of people today are beset by coarse afflictions, making it very different from the time when the Buddha, the Blessed One, was alive, or when the great Khenpo Shantarakshita came to Tibet. For these reasons it is difficult to be a monk or nun in the west. However, the two types of lay followers may also be called a community of the sangha (sangha-de). Similarly, when Khenpo Shantarakshita, Guru Padmasambhava, and King Trisong Deutsen spread the Buddha’s teachings in Tibet in the 8th century, they newly established two kinds of communities: the community of the saffron-robed (monastics) and the community of the white-robed with long, plaited hair (lay tantric monastic practitioners). In this same way, the sangha of Danakosha Ling monastery is also principally a community of lay practitioners.

However, today, here at Danakosha Ling, we are joined by the Theravadin Vinaya-holding Abbott Ven. Phra Mahanual Chamnamram; and his retinue of the noble Sangha; the Mahayana tradition-upholding Vietnamese Master Thich Hanh Bao and his retinue; the Secret Mantra Vajrayana tradition-upholding Her Holiness Kyabje Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche along with the Khenpos, Lopöns, monks and nuns of Mindrolling Monastery; and likewise, our Dharma friends, male and female, who have come from many countries. 

The gathering of masters from the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Secret Mantrayana traditions to bless and consecrate the temple of Danakosha Ling has created something truly extraordinary. In particular Her Holiness Mindrolling Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche, alongside over one hundred sangha members, spent three days performing the sacred sadhana and puja of the glorious Vajrasattva of the Mindrolling tradition. This practice filled the entire surroundings with the radiant light of auspicious virtue. This remarkable event has made a profound mark on history that continues to inspire people around the world.

For this, I rejoice from my heart. My mind is completely fulfilled with great joy, faith, and inspiration. This concludes the first point.

Second point. It goes without saying that our gathering together like this today has arisen in dependence upon a great many causes and conditions. In my own view, the first cause is that the Teacher, the Blessed One, having accumulated a vast store of great merit for three countless eons, gave his blessings equally upon all limitless beings; it is the fruition of this merit that we are able to gather here today. That is one cause. 

It is also certain that we have gathered here today through the power of precious bodhichitta, aspirations, blessings, and empowerments of the root and lineage masters. And especially, it is due to the power of the inconceivable hardship that the students of Danakosha Ling have undertaken with their body, speech, and mind for many years that we are able to assemble today. Therefore, to them, I offer my heartfelt gratitude.

Please let me give a brief introduction on the building of the stupa: On the 10th day of the 6th Tibetan month in the year 2021, our sangha  held a *tsokhor* (ganachakra) ceremony. After the ganachakra was finished, a friend of mine who requested not to be named asked me, “So, what project do you have next?” I told him, “The main temple and the sangha’s accommodations are both finished. I don’t have any plans.”

Then he said, “Please build a small stupa here on this land; I have some funds for it.” For a while, I reflected on my response. It was very hard to say no. First, it was the birthday of Guru Rinpoche. Second, the sponsor made this request voluntarily and with a pure heart. Third, building a stupa, a representation of the Buddha’s mind, generates vast merit. For these reasons, I agreed and said, “I can do that.” This is the main story of how the plan to build the stupa came about.

Building a stupa where no tradition exists is difficult—the work is not only extremely expensive but also involves importing materials and skills from other countries.

However, the main people who took charge of the stupa project were Lama Shatup Geleg-la and Jere Keskinen. In helping them, the heart sangha members of Danakosha Ling put in a great deal of effort. Likewise, many Dharma friends from all over the world and in particular Estonia, led by Christian and Neeme, provided extensive support. To all of you, I express my heartfelt thanks. There are many other names I should mention, but to save time, this will have to do. That is the second point.

In conclusion, we have planted the seed of a Tibetan monastery here in Finland, in Northern Europe. We hope and pray that from this seed, the excellent fruit of worldly and spiritual well-being will grow. For example, when one plants a field in the spring, one has the idea of harvesting the fruit in the autumn. But to achieve this, one must also do the necessary work, such as watering the field; just having the idea, or mere hopes and prayers, is not enough.

Similarly, if we consider what work must be done for this monastery, it is this: we must be able to perfectly study the scriptures of the Buddha and the ancient texts of the Indian and Tibetan masters. Through the inseparable union of listening, contemplating, and meditating, we must see if we can tame the afflictive emotions in our own minds. We must increase our deep conviction in the foundation of the Dharma: faith and the law of karma. We must see if we can give rise in our minds to the gateways of the Dharma: renunciation, precious bodhicitta, and pure perception. We must see if we can diligently focus on the main path of the Dharma, which are the three higher trainings of discipline, concentration, and wisdom. The fruit of the Dharma is to do whatever we can to benefit limitless sentient beings, both directly and indirectly.

Today, we feel immense joy and pride seeing all of you here, participating in this inauguration ceremony. We’d love to have you with us not only for this opening, but as we move forward together.

Inner peace and happiness for countless beings – this is what we can create together with your support. Our ultimate goal is to benefit both ourselves and others, and bring happiness to limitless sentient beings life after life. 

May the merit accumulated through today’s consecration ceremony, through the construction of this precious stupa, and through the gathering of this noble sangha from the three traditions, be dedicated to the quick enlightenment of all sentient beings. May this stupa serve as a beacon of wisdom and compassion, radiating blessings throughout Finland, Northern Europe, and beyond.

Just as the great stupas of the past have brought peace and wealth to their regions, may this sacred monument bring harmony between peoples, understanding between cultures, and healing to our world. May it stand as a bridge connecting East and West, ancient wisdom and modern life.

This is our hope and our prayer. We request that you please offer your powerful prayers and blessings so that this is accomplished. Sarva mangalam! 

Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche, Stupa inauguration speech 4/8 2025.