Do you know where is the largest Stupa in the world?

[Namdrol]

Do you know that the world's largest stupa is the Baoerhan Stupa in Inner Mongolia? It is 77.6 meter tall! Wow!

[vajratruth]

Thank you Namdrol. I looked it up and found some interesting facts. For example, the Baoerhan Stupa contains the following important items:


1. Extremely cherished relic of Sakyamuni Buddha:
    * Blood relic of Sakyamuni Buddha
    * Bone relic of Sakyamuni Buddha
    * Brain relic of Sakyamuni Buddha
2. The relics of ten great Arhats who are the disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha:
    * One of the great ten disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha, No.1 in broad learning, the Venerable Arhat's relic
    *One of the great ten disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha, No.1 in wisdom, the Venerable Arhat Sariputta's relic
    *One of the great ten disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha, No.1 in keeping precepts, the venerable Upali Thera's relic
    *One of the great ten disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha, No.1 in magic powers, the venerable Maudgalyana's relic
    *One of the great ten disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha, No.1 in careful practice of morality, the venerable Rahula's             relic
    *One of the great ten disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha, No.1 in fortune and wealth, the venerable Sivali Thera's relic
    *The relic of the venerable Arhat Bakula
    *The relic of the venerable Arhat Revata
    *The relic of the venerable Arhat Mahagaxi
3.  The statues of Amitabha, the fundamental teacher Buddha Sakyamuni, Medicine Buddha and other statues      over 2,000 in quantity, accounting for an entire layer;
4.  The Guru Rinpoche, Iori Statues, accounting for an entire layer;
5.  The eight four-armed Guanyin-based Bodhisattvas, accounting for an entire layer;
6.  The Buddhism books accounting for three floors, including 1100 sets of Tripitaka (Tibetan edition), 2000 sets of   Mahamudras, 10,000 sets of Sutras of Medicine Buddha, 3000 sets of Earth Store Sutras, 2000 sets of Adiyogas, 2000 sets of Amitabha Sutras , 10000 sets of Aparimitayuh Sutras, and 13 sets of Chinese-edition Qianlong Tripitaka;
7.  700,000 Tsa-tsa (small stupas) accounting for three floors;
8.  1100 Aquarius. The Aquarius represents the peace and prosperity of a nation, eliminating disaster, and increasing wealth as well;
A great number of blessing items such as crystals and of Dharma wheels.

(Source: http://www.xianmifw.com/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=18532)

What a tremendous blessing this stupa will have to all who see it and come into close proximity with it. What a greta power generator of merits.

[Jessie Fong]

http://www.stupa.org.nz/

The above link gives the following information :

The stupa represents the Buddha's body, his speech and his mind, but most especially his mind and every part shows the path to Enlightenment

"The visual impact of the stupa on the observer brings a direct experience of inherent wakefulness and dignity. Stupas continue to be built because of their ability to liberate one simply upon seeing their structure" - Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Every stupa contains at the very least a life tree and holy relics:
"When a great teacher passes away, his body is no more, but to indicate that his mind is dwelling forever in an unchanging way in the dharmakaya, one will erect a stupa as a symbol of the mind of the buddhas" - HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

It is a symbol of enlightened mind, (the awakened mind, universal divinity) and the path to its realisation.

[bambi]

What a wonderful way to collect merits! Even insects and birds will not miss the chance of doing so. How beautiful!
I visited Boudhanath Stupa way back and I regretted not circumambulating such a Holy site.    Nevertheless I will go again!

I found a nice write up by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Stupas are the main holy objects in relation to which sentient beings accumulate merit. The sutra teaching, Circumambulating the Stupa, says: 'By circumambulating stupas one avoids being born in the naraks, as a preta, an animal, a barbarian, a long-life god, a heretic, a fool or in a place where Buddha has not descended. One receives a deva or human body and one has a long life. One is not harmed by pretas, cannibals or other creatures. For hundreds of eons one is not born blind or crippled with arthritis. By circumambulating stupas one receives perfect power and perseverance. Because there is no laziness one is able to develop the mind quickly. One receives the six clairvoyances. One also becomes an arhat having abandoned all delusion and possessing great psychic power. Finally one achieves the golden 'holy body of Buddha adorned with the holy signs.'

Many other benefits are mentioned in The Sutra of the Compassionate-eyed One and Advice to King Sagyal which says: 'If a person circumambulates with devotion a stupa or statue of Buddha, in their future lives their enemies will respect and surrender to them. They will become a person of quality respected by and pleasing to other people. The temporal and ultimate benefits are infinite. Circumambulation is the supreme method to purify obscurations and close the door to the lower realms.'

http://www.buddhasvillage.com/teachings/lz_circumambulation.htm

[Tammy]

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/nepal/images/kathmandu/bodnath/resized/boudhanath-mandala-ceiling-cc-TiagoPereira.jpg

Many had visited the sacred stupa which is the central of attraction of Kathmandu, Boudhanath Stupa, we joined millions of visitors, lay and Sangha alike, enjoyed the great view. The first time I lay eyes on it, I felt like home. The feeling was serene and i was totally at peace.

Many people likes to look at the 'eye' drawn on top of the stupa, but not many people was mindful enough to
notice this beautifully painted mandala on the ceiling of the stupa, including me.  Well, I guess it just gave me an excuse to re-visit kathmandu

[pgdharma]

The stupa represents the Buddha's body, speech and mind. They are very powerful objects for purifying negative states of the mind and to accumulate extensive merit. By seeing such holy objects, each person can have the potential to transform their mind. These benefits apply to all sentient beings that come to the stupa, even birds and animals. 

It is said that Asoka erected 84,000 stupas all over South East Asia. The Great Stupa of Sanchi was erected by Asoka and is 120 feet across (36.6 meters) and is 54 feet high (16.46 meters). It  is located 30 miles northeast of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, India and it’s one of India’s oldest surviving Buddhist monuments. This stupa is now listed by the UNESCO as one of the heritage sites of the world.

The oldest known stupa is the Dhamek Stupa at Sarnath, India. The Dhamek Stupa is said to mark the spot of a deer park (Rishipattana) where the Buddha gave the first sermon to his five disciples after attaining enlightenment.

[buddhalovely]

"The shape of the stupa represents the Buddha, crowned and sitting in meditation posture on a lion throne. His crown is the top of the spire; his head is the square at the spire's base; his body is the vase shape; his legs are the four steps of the lower terrace; and the base is his throne."

Five purified elements.
Although not described in any Tibetan text on stupa symbolism, the stupa may represent the five purified elements:
The square base represents earth
The hemispherical dome/vase represents water
The conical spire represents fire
The upper lotus parasol and the crescent moon represents air
The sun and the dissolving point represents the element of space

[RedLantern]

Bouddanath Stupa is the largest Buddhist stupa in the world,it is in Kathmandu,Nepal.The stupa, a well known Buddhist pilgrimage site,is included in world Heritage Cultural site list by UNESCO.The stupa covers a vast area.The most impressive part of the stupa is the eyes of the Buddha which are painted red,white and blue colors.The whole structure has a diameter of about a hundred meters and a height of approximate  forty meters.Legends holds that king Mahadeva erected the Bouddanath stupa during the Lichavi period.It has been refurbished many times.The present stupa was renovated in the seventeenth century.

[Klein]

Stupas existed even before Shakyamuni Buddha. They were burial grounds of important people such as kings and heroes. Sanchi Stupa was one of them.


The Baoerhan Stupa is the tallest stupa. I think the biggest stupa should be the Borobudur Stupa in Indonesia. The base of the stupa is 118 metres by 118 metres.


According to wikipedia, "The monument consists of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside a perforated stupa."

From the top view, the stupa is a Buddhist mandala representing the nature of the mind.