pund_kamath

I wonder who would unveil the great statue!

kgazi

Massive Buddhist temples and statues built recently in USA have been funded
by outsider Buddhist groups (from China?).

nkdatta8839

Is Mr. Gazi referring to the great Stupa
of Dharmakaya at Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
that rises 108 feet from its foundation amidst
the majestic Rockies?

Shambhala Mountain Center
4921 County Road 68C
Red Feather Lakes, Colorado 80545-9505
(970) 881-2184

The temple was consecrated 3 years ago. It
is supposed to be the second largest Buddhist
temple and the most elaborate outside Asia.
But it was funded by an American Buddhist group
rather than by "outsider Buddhist groups (from
China?)".

http://www.shambhalamountain.org/stupa.html

The temple commemorates Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche,
a Tibetan meditation master who died in 1987.
While the temple did receive the blessings of
the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader
of Tibet, it was not "funded by outsider Buddhist
groups (from China?)". The temple was funded by
by the Rocky Mountain Shambhala Mountain Center
which has been operating at Red Feather Lakes,
Colorado for well over three decades.

http://www.shambhalamountain.org/

The Rocky Mountain Shambhala Mountain Center is
affiliated with Shambhala International which
has centers all over USA.

The center in Los Angeles would probably be the
one closest for Mr. Gazi:

Shambhala Meditation Center of Los Angeles
8218 W. Third Street
Los Angeles, California 90048
(323) 653-9342

kgazi

No, ""$5-million Pao Fa Buddhist Temple, Orange County, California's first
mega-temple. It's 41,000 square feet of prayer halls, 8-ton jade Buddhas,
classrooms, a library, dining hall and 42-room monastery."" , which I am
told is funded by China.
-------------
Whereas, The Indian """project, Maitreya Project International, is
budgeted at U.S. $150 million, which is being raised from donations of the
faithful.
The U.K. engineering firm that has been given the project, Mott MacDonald,
has been told to come up with a structure that will "operate for 1,000 years
without major renewal works, while enhancing the lives of those using the
project and the lives of those living in the region."""

http://www.keralaonline.com/storydisplay.asp?folder=TVReviews&file=9_047.xml

nkdatta8839

I am not sure if that makes it a "Massive Buddhist Temple".
41000 square feet is about a square 200 X 200 feet.

Orange County is a pricey area where the average sales price
for single-family resale homes was $523,000 (that's more than
a half million dollars) in April of 2004. $5 million for a
Community property in Orange County cannot be that much of
a "massive Buddhist Temple".

The great Stupa of Dharmakaya at Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
that rises 108 feet from its foundation amidst the majestic
Rockies is much more of a "massive Buddhist Temple". And it
is funded by an American Buddhist group that has centers all over America.


I am not sure of all the facts in the above article.
For example, the giant Buddha statue will not be in
Bihar. It was certainly a bit of a stretch to place
the temple in the vicinity of Bodh***a where Buddha
attained Enlightenment. The article would have been
more authentic if it had placed the temple project
in Uttar Pradesh near Kushinagar where Buddha attained
Nirvana.

The Maitreya Project has indeed plans near Bodh***a
in Bihar, but for its educational project, and not for
the massive Buddha statue which will be in Kushinagar,
Uttar Pradesh.

The Maitreya Education Project has already started
a pilot primary school in Bodh***a. It has similar
educational plans for other parts of northern India,
such as Kushinagar in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Mr. Gazi will find the following website on the Maitreya
Project to be more authentic and factual:

http://www.maitreyaproject.org/nav/index.html

Of the educational project, the website says:

Maitreya Universal Education Project:

The Maitreya Universal Education Project in northern India offers a
unique vision for education that emphasises ethical and spiritual
development as well as academic achievement.

A pilot primary school has already been established in Bodh***a, the
place of the Buddha's enlightenment in Bihar state. Further
developments offering primary and secondary level studies are planned
for Bodh***a and other parts of northern India, such as Kushinagar in
the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The Project Vision

The Maitreya Universal Education Project aims to benefit communities
in northern India by:

* providing free Universal Education from kindergarten to university
level for children regardless of religion, caste, *** or economic
status.

* helping children develop the qualities of loving-kindness,
compassion and universal responsibility and acquire ethical values.

* inspiring children with the qualities of leadership and the
motivation to promote peace and happiness in their communities.

* promoting a model of enlightened education to other providers
locally, nationally and internationally.

* offering teacher training in the principles and practices of
Universal Education.

southindianpride

When do Buddhu BeggerDeshi haramis planning to launch a Jihad to
demolish Buddhas? They are blatantly unislamic.

surreal_ravi

A prayer hall of 200 X 200 feet is quite massive.
There aren't many prayer halls of that size in
the world. Saint Peter's Cathedral in Vatican is
roughly 650 X 450 feet.

kgazi

The Pao Fa temple is called a "mega temple" because it IS massive - at
least the largest Buddhist temple I have been to, much larger than any I
visited in Thailand. The prime US location, area, size and construction to
my estimate is at least $25 million (not $5 million). Here is a picture of
it during construction:
http://www.albai.org/Photos/Construction%20of%20Pao%20Fa%20Temple/construct_oside_bwall.jpg

surreal_ravi

Do visits to Buddhist temples make a person fear
Indians?

kgazi

Not that I know of.
Or, do Indians fear visiting Buddhist temples?
But if you haven't visited one - or have ANY fears,
then be prepared - all your fears will disappear!!
The most peaceful places one can visit.