A number of years ago Mahoney Architects was selected by Head
Lama Rinpoche Tarthang Tulku to design the Vajra Temple and
Padmasambhava Monument. These extraordinary Tibetan structures
are built in a secluded area in Sonoma County and are expected
to be completed in late spring. All construction labor is provided
free by devotees who live at the monastery site.
The Vajra Temple is due north of the main monastery complex. The temple is octagonal,
representing the natural eight-sided crystalline structure of the diamond (or vajra). The plan
and the doorways are oriented along a North, South, East, and West axis. The 116 foot
temple is now fully enclosed with its granite columns and copper roof in place. The walls
are made of a multifaceted glass block adding to the diamond-like quality of the structure.
The Padmasambhava Monument, named for the guru of this sect of Tibetan Buddhism, will be a separate structure inside the temple.
The monument is symbolic of the guru's body and for that reason is completely independent from the temple.
One of the remarkable elements of the monument is that it will hold 108,000 statues of Padmasambhava. The life-size statues are being
constructed on site and will be placed on multiple levels of shelving tiered inward so that the top tier is visible from the floor level. |
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