A Heartfelt Call for Sponsors to Join in the Building of

The Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas – a Buddhist Wonder

This Dhammacetiya will be a noble gift of Dhamma for everyone, whether in the United States or elsewhere in the world. More than that, it will be an especially noble gift for those who have the desire to study, learn, and practice Buddha’s teachings with the goal of solving the predicaments and stress of daily life, in order to bring happiness and peace to oneself, to others, and to society.

Dear Dhamma Friends,

This is Bhikkhu Ratanaguṇa Bửu Đức, the Abbot of Hương Đạo Vipassanā Bhāvanā Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA. On behalf of our Sangha, we are taking this opportunity to present a project for the benefit of humanity that is both incredibly valuable and audacious in scale. The project is called The Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas (Dhammacetiya). We earnestly ask for your intellectual and financial support, both from you as individuals, and with the participation of all your associations and organizations.

The Genesis of the Dhammacetiya Project

The Dhammacetiya Construction Committee was established in December 2021 after my disciple Bhikkhu Paññākāra Tuệ Nhân presented to me a great vow to build a complex of stupas. These stupas, to be known as The Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas (Dhammacetiya), will be built with the goal of preserving and protecting the Buddha’s Dhamma for the benefit of all sentient beings, not just those of us here now, but for future generations as well. I was deeply moved and gladly agreed to support this disciple’s Great Vow. The entire design and construction process of The Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas will be managed by Bhikkhu Paññākāra Tuệ Nhân, with my diligent oversight. This important project also has garnered support from the Venerable Elders from numerous Buddhist countries, including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

During the 2022 International Vesak Ceremony at the Hương Đạo Vipassanā Bhāvanā Center – the site where the Dhammacetiya will be built – Bhikkhu Paññākāra Tuệ Nhân knelt in front of more than 180 Venerable Elders, in the presence of nuns and more than 2,000 guests including government officials, and vowed to spend the rest of his life devoted to the Dhamma and to build the Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas. He stated, “If the project cannot be completed in this lifetime due to the shortcomings of my merits and lack of favorable conditions I vow to be reborn in order to continue this project until its completion.” This sincere and great vow has been praised and joyfully accepted by the Venerable Monks and Nuns representing Buddhist countries around the world. We are now asking you to join and participate in making this wonderful vision a reality.

Constituent Elements and Goals

The Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas will consist of a number of cetiya (stupas), each bearing the traditional architectural style of Asian Buddhist countries. The complex will be built at the campus of Hương Đạo Vipassanā Bhāvanā Center, located at 4717 East Rosedale Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76105, USA.

  • This project consists of 840 stupas, both large and small, each constructed of durable materials – granite and hard steel, so they will last for centuries.
  • The 840 stupas represent 84,000 Dhammakkhandhas (Portions of Dhamma) that comprise the teachings of the Enlightened One, the profound, pure and practical truth, the way of life filled with mindfulness and awareness, and the message of Compassion, Wisdom, and Liberation.
overview of the project site

These teachings, which are the invaluable and everlasting treasures of Dhamma, have been presented to all sentient beings for more than 25 centuries and will continue to be passed on to our posterity.

 

At this site, all the teachings of Buddha Gotama and His Holy Disciples collected in the Three Pāḷi Baskets (Tipiṭaka) – Sutta (Collection of Discourses), Vinaya (Codes of Discipline), and Abhidhamma (Analytic/Higher Teaching) – will be stored in these stupas. These teachings will be engraved in Romanized Pāḷi and English on more than 3,000 stone slabs and inscribed on the bronze plates in the languages of six Buddhist countries: Sinhala, Burmese, Khmer, Thai, Laotian, and Vietnamese.

 

 

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Following the completion of the construction of The Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas, the complex will serve several purposes:

  • The Museum of Truth which will ensure the lasting preservation of all teachings of Buddha Gotama and His Holy Disciples within the Three Pāḷi Baskets (Tipiṭaka)
  • A center for the preservation of Buddhist culture and art, a holy place comprising all four (4) types of Cetiya for Buddhists to show respect, make offerings, and remember Gotama Buddha:
  •  1. Dhātu Cetiya – Relic Memorial Stupa: A reverently displayed collection of the relics of Buddha Gotama from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand together with relics of the Buddha’s Holy Disciples.
  •  2. Paribhoga Cetiya – Memento Memorial Stupa: A Bodhi tree, branched from the 2,310-year-old Mahabodhi tree Jaya Sri Mahabodhi in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
  • 3. Dhamma Cetiya – Dhamma Memorial Stupa: A collection of ancient scriptures from Sri Lanka, engraved on Ola leaves, together with the entire teaching of Buddha Gotama engraved on slabs of stone and on bronze tablets.
  • 4. Uddissaka Cetiya – Images Memorial Stupa: A sacred display of various kinds of images of Buddha Gotama.
  •  A great and beautiful library, which will specialize in the study of Buddhist scriptures, while also being a center for chanting of the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka.
  • A center for studying, learning, practicing, and applying 40 Tranquility Meditation topics, 21 objects of Insight Meditation also known as Vipassanā Meditation, and the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Meditation (Dhamma practice – paṭipatti).
  • A center for both short- and long-term meditation retreats for everyone regardless of ethnicity, race, or religion.

The Extraordinary Benefits of Giving the Dhamma

Sabbadānaṃ dhammadānaṃ jināti.

The Buddha taught that the gift of the Dhamma excels all gifts.

Indeed, so long as this Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas exists in this world, so do the Dhamma.

Consider that if there is a person who will focus their mind to study, practice, and achieve Nibbāna because of this Dhammacetiya, that person then shares those benefits with countless others, for generation after generation. That person actively makes history.

So, what is the result of giving the Dhamma? Thousands and tens of thousands of people will increase their kindness and bodhi mind every day. Countless meritorious deeds will be done and boundless happiness will bloom all over this world.

The light of truth and of the Dhamma will pervade everywhere, dispelling the darkness in the hearts of so many people. That merit is both boundless and immeasurable.

My Dhamma friends, please accept my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude. Your interest, your support, and generous contributions will play a major role in helping the construction of this Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas commence soon and finish as quickly as possible. The road will not be easy, but all sacrifice towards this goal is worth it.

May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you and your family. May they provide you all with Health, Long Life, Beauty, Happiness, and Wisdom.

Sincerely,

Bhikkhu Ratanaguṇa

and the Dhammacetiya Construction Committee