Lama Ole Nydahl has visited Stupkalnis many times, and every time he blessed the current Stupa place. H.H. the 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje visited Stupkalnis in 2012 and suggested asking Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche about the type of and the place for the Stupa. In 2013, Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche visited Stupkalnis for the second time, and not only chose the place, but also the type of the Stupa – Buddha’s Descent from Gods’ realm. In the summer of 2017, Lama Ole Nydahl invited Nedo Kuchung Rinpoche to build and inaugurate the Stupa in Stupkalnis.

Stupas are monuments for peace in the world. They are constructions which express the pure nature of the mind in a perfect form.

Stupas have been built in Asia for centuries, while in Europe only since 1982. Stupas in Europe mean the strengthened transmission of Asian Buddhism coming to Europe and that the Dharma can grow here. Their symbolism is multifaceted: for instance, a stupa stands for various Buddha wisdoms, but it also may refer to the community of practitioners, the Sangha. Generally, it is said that the spiritual influence of a stupa is so great that those who revere them, help during its construction, or those who live in the vicinity, experience its positive effect as a source of peace, happiness, and prosperity.

Those who circumambulate the stupa clockwise while making wishes for the benefit of all beings experience a blessing, which enables one to live a long, meaningful, and exemplary life.

Stupa also purifies the atmosphere making it possible for realized teachers to be reborn there and that the Dharma (Buddha’s teachings) can grow.

Stupa brings peace and prosperity to the country in which it is built. It protects the location where it stands, such as a Buddhist center.

Lama Ole Nydahl and his late wife Hannah were the first Western students of H.H. the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. For over 40 years, Lama Ole Nydahl has taught Diamond Way Buddhism to tens of thousands of students and founded over 650 Buddhist centers worldwide. Lama Ole Nydahl specializes in the practices of Mahamudra (the “Great Seal”) in which a realized teacher can give an experience of the limitless nature of mind to the student, and Phowa—a rare, centuries-old method of conscious dying. He teaches his students to combine lay Buddhist practice with independent thinking and the maturity that comes through life experience. A recent winner (13th of June, 2015) of the UNESCO prize for Dialogue, Coexistence, and Peace, Lama Ole Nydahl also underlines the importance of democratic principles in the society, especially freedom of speech and women’s rights.

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He is the spiritual leader of around 900 monasteries, institutions and centers in 68 countries around the world.

Karmapa regularly visits Diamond Way Buddhist centers around the world. He has often given teachings and empowerments at the Europe Center in Germany, the main international meeting point for Diamond Way Buddhists. Lama Ole Nydahl describes Karmapa as being the guarantor for the authenticity of our Karma Kagyu lineage.

Rinpoche kindly accepted Lama Ole Nydahl’s invitation to build and inaugurate a stupa in Stupkalnis in 2022.

Nedo Kuchung Rinpoche was born in 1962 in India, and recognized by H.H. the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa as the sixth reincarnation in the Nedo Kulha lineage. Until the age of 18, Rinpoche was educated under the guidance of H.H. the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa in Rumtek monastery. He then studied for three years in Ladakh before returning to Rumtek for a three-year retreat, where he practiced the tantras of Marpa, the Six Yogas of Naropa, and various Mahamudra transmissions. When he was 25, Rinpoche was appointed Vajramaster of Rumtek monastery, and he remains today the main Vajramaster of H.H. the 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaje Dorje. Nedo Rinpoche is currently responsible for Shamar Rinpoche’s monks as well as all activities of the Karma Kagyu lineage in Sikkim.

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