Benalmádena Stupa is a

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

Benalmádena Benalmádena () is a town in Andalusia in southern Spain, 12 km west of Málaga, on the Costa del Sol between Torremolinos and Fuengirola. Benalmádena is rich in attractive beaches and interesting places like the Colomares Castle, the 33-met ...

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

in the

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

n region of southern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, overlooking

Costa del Sol The Costa del Sol (literally "Coast of the Sun" or "Sun Coast") is a region in the south of Spain in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of the Province of Málaga and the easte ...

. It is high and is the tallest stupa in Europe. It was inaugurated on 5 October 2003, and was the final project of

Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche (1918, Bhutan - June 10, 2003) was a master of Tibetan Buddhism, widely regarded in the Himalayas, with many students in both the East and the West. Overview As a young boy, he was ordained as a monk in the largest monast ...

Overview

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, a stupa is a monument which represents peace, prosperity and harmony, as well as being a place for

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

. Benalmádena Stupa (''Chan Chub Chorten'' in

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

) symbolizes

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

, the realisation of the nature of mind, and is one of the eight different forms that stupas are built. Whereas stupas are typically sealed structures, the Benalmádena Stupa is unusual as there is a 100 square metre meditation room and a room that can be used for exhibitions about

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

and Himalayan culture inside the structure. The walls of the meditation room are painted with the life story of the historical Buddha Sakyamuni. Bhutanese Lama

Lopon Tsechu Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche (1918, Bhutan - June 10, 2003) was a master of Tibetan Buddhism, widely regarded in the Himalayas, with many students in both the East and the West. Overview As a young boy, he was ordained as a monk in the largest monast ...

guided the ritual elements, while German-based Polish architect Woitek Kossowski, oversaw construction. The stupa was inaugurated October 5, 2003 by H.H. Kunzig

Shamar Rinpoche The Shamarpa (; literally, "Person (i.e. Holder) of the Red Crown"), also known as ''Shamar Rinpoche'', or more formally Künzig Shamar Rinpoche, is a lineage holder of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and is regarded to be the mind ma ...

, the second-most important teacher within the

Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mon ...

lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Also present was Lömpo Sangye Ngodup, a minister from the Himalayan Kingdom of

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...

Lama Ole Nydahl Ole Nydahl (born 19 March 1941), also known as Lama Ole, is a '' lama'' providing Mahamudra teachings in the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Since the early 1970s, Nydahl has toured the world giving lectures and meditation courses. With hi ...

and the Mayor of Benalmádena, Enrique Bolin. Sr Bolin was inspired by an other large Karma Kagyu Diamond Way stupa near Vélez-Málaga, Spain, and was instrumental in providing the land on which the stupa is situated. The stupa is run by the non-profit A''sociación Cultural Karma Kagyu de Benalmádena'', under the spiritual guidance of the 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje.

Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche

visited Spain for the first time in 1990, where he gave teachings and empowerments at Karma Guen, a Buddhist meditation centre near

Vélez-Málaga Vélez-Málaga () is a municipality and the capital of the Axarquía comarca in the province of Málaga, in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the most important city in the comarca. Locally it is referred to as Vélez. Vélez- ...

, about from Benalmádena. Rinpoche built his first stupa at Karma Guen in 1994, a symbol of peace and prosperity for Spain. Rinpoche went on to build 16 more stupas in Europe before his death in 2003. Rinpoche became a resident of Spain in 1995 and began visiting the country regularly, giving further teachings and empowerments. Tsechu Rinpoche guided this stupa project from the beginning but died near its completion. The final inauguration was performed by the 14th Shamar Rinpoche.Seegers, Eva, ''A Tibetan Stupa within the Flow of Cultural Transformations: The Opportunities and Challenges of Transplanting Buddhist Architecture from Asia to Europe'', Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University, volume 2, Spring 2017, p 72

References

External links

* *https://www.andalucia.com/benalmadena/benalmadena-pueblo/buddhist-temple {{DEFAULTSORT:Benalmadena Stupa Buildings and structures in Andalusia Stupas Tourist attractions in Andalusia