Stupas at Thekchen Choling (Singapore)

Above the main entrance to Thekchen Choling (Singapore) are located the eight stupas representing Buddha Shakyamuni’s Eight Great Deeds. Each stupa which is in the Tibetan style was gold leafed and decorated with semi-precious stones. Everyone who walks in to Thekchen Choling is thus blessed as if having had the representation of the Buddha’s mind of dharmakaya placed on your crown.

The Eight Great Deeds of Buddha Shakyamuni

Birth - Siddharta Lotus Stupa: This stupa commemorates Buddha's Birth. This was an event of immense importance because it was to pave the way for the Buddhadharma to spread in the world. When the Buddha was born, he took seven steps, proclaiming that this was his last rebirth. At every step he took, a lotus bloomed on the ground. The stupa was built at Lumbini.

Enlightenment: Enlightenment Stupa: This stupa commemorates Buddha’s enlightenment. The Buddha sat under a Bodhi tree near the river Nairanjana and discovered the truth. His enlightenment is traditionally represented as consisting of three forms of cognition or stages. In the first stage, he remembered all his numerous past lives. "I recalled my manifold past lives, i.e. one birth, two,...five,ten, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion...There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance...Passing away from there, I reappeared (in another rebirth)...Thus I remembered my manifold past lives in their modes and details. This was the first knowledge I attained in the first watch of the night." In the Second watch of the night, the Buddha achieved the ability to see the karma of all sentient beings. He saw how those who performed positive actions were reborn in happy states of existence while those who did negative deeds were reborn in states of suffering. In the third watch of the night, the Buddha fully purified all his defilements and realized the Twelve Links of Interdependent Origination and the Four Noble Truths. He was now a perfectly enlightened Buddha. The stupa was built in Bodhgaya to commemorate the enlightenment of Prince Siddhartha. The original stupa was built in the kingdom of Magadha, on the banks of the river Nairanjana.

Turning of the Wheel, Dharma Wheel Stupa: This stupa commemorates the first teaching given by the Buddha to the group of five ascetics in the Deer Park (Sarnath, India). These five ascetics were formally the Buddha's companions when he was practicing austerities. They initially did not want to pay any respect to the Buddha for they thought lowly of anyone who did not mortify their bodies in their quest for liberation. However, when the Buddha came to them, his calm and radiant presence was so compelling that they found themselves being respectful of him and attending to him. The Buddha then preached the Dharma to them and taught them the Truth. In time, they all became Arhats. The stupa is four levels to represent the four classes of tantra and with many doors symbolising the paths to liberation.

Miracles: Miracle Stupa: This stupa commemorates the time when the Buddha displayed miracles at Jetvana Grove at Sravasti in the process of turning people's minds towards the Dharma. Built in Sravasti, to commemorate 15 days of miraculous deeds of Buddha. The miracles included manifesting as fire and water, subduing black magic and the most powerful curses. He was able to subdue all those attacking him.

Descent from Tushita: God Realm Stupa: This stupa commemorates Buddha going to heaven to teach his mother the Buddhadharma. After the Buddha's mother, Queen Maha Maya, gave birth to him, she passed away after seven days and was reborn as a god in Tushita heaven. To repay her kindness, the Buddha ascended to this heavenly realm and preached the Dharma to her. This was also the time he gave permission for his figure to be drawn. He was teaching in the God realm for the human equivalent of six months. The Gods as an offering built the staircase to the Buddha. The Buddha went to the God realm to teach his mother who had felt great pride at having given birth to a Buddha, his teaching at the God realm was to subdue her pride. This stupa was built at Samkashya where Buddha returned to this world.

Reconciliation: Reconciliation Stupa: There was a time when Buddha was giving teachings and people saw him as a normal being and was criticised by his cousin Devadatta. This caused a division and caused everyone to leave the Buddha except for two monks. These two monks remained and received the advice of the Buddha to build the reconciliation stupa called the Light Ray, Loving Kindness and Relationship Stupa It was built at Rajagriha.

Complete Victory: Long Life Stupa Built at Vaishali, where Buddha meditated extensively It commemorates Buddha’s prolonging of his life by three months at the city of Vaisali when he was eighty years of age.

Parinirvana: Stupa of Parinirvana This commemorates Buddha’s passing beyond sorrow between two sal tress , built at Kushinagara.

The two main stupas at Thekchen Choling enshrine the relics of Geshe Lama Konchog. Immediately after Geshe-la manifested passing away, in order to bring about the cause for his swift return, Lama Dorje began the construction of a Dharma Wheel and Reconciliation Stupa. The Turning of the Wheel stupa was built to become the cause for Geshe-la’s swift return and that he would continue to teach as he did in his past lives.