For more than two thousand years the stupa has stood as one of the most sacred forms in the Buddhist world. Its architecture is a teaching in itself — read from spire to base, it is the five elements and the whole of the path.
To circumambulate a stupa, to make offerings before it, or simply to rest in its presence, is understood to plant seeds of virtue and awakening for oneself and all beings.
A handful of practitioners hold the wish to build something of lasting benefit on the land.
A parcel beneath the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is dedicated to practice.
Weekly practice and teachings begin, and the sangha takes root.
Through years of devoted effort, the sacred stupa rises against the mountains.
Adzom Gyalse Rinpoche consecrates the stupa in a week of teachings and ceremony.
To honor his life, commitment and vision, we built a memorial stupa here — on the land at White Jewel Mountain. With the help of Khenpo Sonam, and under the guidance of Adzom Gyalse Rinpoche, we constructed the stupa and filled it with all the traditional sacred items: prayers, holy relics, offerings, and symbols of awakening. We performed a ritual sanctification, for blessings and purification.
On October 18, 2026, Adzom Gyalse Rinpoche will perform the full consecration ceremony where prayers and chants are offered. The stupa is thus “awakened” as a living being, not just a monument of stone, but a sacred site carrying the warmth, blessings, and presence of all the Buddhas.
For me, a stupa is a sacred monument, but it is also something very human: a place where the heart can truly rest. You don’t need to be a Buddhist to feel that.
Many people experience stupas as places where memory becomes tender, where grief softens, where something steady and peaceful seems to meet you. In many ways, this stupa is something Noah dreamed into being.
Ritual preparation of the grounds and the stupa.
The lineage blessings are invoked and installed.
The formal rite led by Rinpoche, with the community present.
The merit is dedicated to the benefit of all sentient beings.
The stupa is open to all. Four simple customs, followed the way you would walk the stupa itself, around, and around again.
Arrive gently, leaving hurry behind. The space asks only for presence.
Walk slowly around the stupa clockwise, as many times as you wish.
A butter lamp, incense, or a silent aspiration all are welcome.
Sit for a while, then dedicate the merit to the benefit of all beings.
Arrive gently, leaving hurry behind. The space asks only for presence.
Walk slowly around the stupa clockwise, as many times as you wish.
A butter lamp, incense, or a silent aspiration all are welcome.
Sit for a while, then dedicate the merit to the benefit of all beings.
Our own stupa, raised through years of devoted effort and consecrated in October 2026.
A beloved landmark of the valley, long a place of circumambulation for residents and pilgrims.
Smaller stupas and shrines dot the valley, each a quiet support for practice and peace.