Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Myers Flat, Victoria, Australia | Non-profit organisation

Great Stupa of Universal Compassion

Locality: Myers Flat, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 3 5446 7568

Address: 25 Sandhurst Town Road 3556 Myers Flat, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.stupa.org.au

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• Non-profit organisation
• Buddhist temple

25.01.2022 Who's tuning in to our virtual Vegecareian Festival 2020 next weekend?

25.01.2022 A year has already passed since the unveiling of the Sikh Ik Oankaar in our Peace Park. Final preparations are underway for the small anniversary event this Sunday, which we hope to be able to host publicly every year going forward.

24.01.2022 Do you notice anything different about The Great Stupa? A beautiful new shamboo has replaced the old one, to go all the way around the base. A shamboo is the yellow ruffled banner which is a traditional Tibetan decoration, representing the blessings descending on the temple. Thank you to our wonderful donors who sponsored our shamboo.

24.01.2022 Happening now! Virtual Vegecareian Festival 2020 has begun, join in here: stupa.org.au/vegecareian2020

24.01.2022 It's been a year since the top was lifted onto The Great Stupa! After 16 years in construction we saw the final 19 metres craned into place at the end of last year. The outside of the building is complete besides some artwork and decoration that will be added to each level. If you haven't seen it yet, we encourage you to come for a tour.

23.01.2022 We are so happy to be able to welcome back visitors from outside regional Victoria! With the easing of restrictions we are returning to our full operating hours and entry inside the stupa temple will be possible as of this Wednesday 11 November 2020. This means you can come and view the incredible Jade Buddha as well as other holy objects inside The Great Stupa.... From Wednesday our opening hours are: Weekdays 9am to 5pm Weekends and Public Holidays 10:30am to 5pm

23.01.2022 It's so nice to see many of you on the grounds again, we've missed you! If you're planning a visit, we're open for tours everyday: 9am to 5pm weekdays 10:30am to 5pm weekends and public holidays

22.01.2022 We are open! Get a takeaway coffee from our cafe and enjoy the peaceful surrounds. We can't wait to see you. Photo by Corey Barnett.

21.01.2022 So proud to share that we have made it to the semi-finals in the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Community Resilience Award, which forms part of the 2020 Victorian Regional Achievement and Community Awards. This recognises our efforts to conserve, treat and use water and sewage on site.

21.01.2022 Thanks to everyone for their love and support, many of you are asking when we're re-opening. We're looking for the first opportunity to do so. With restrictions remaining on tour group numbers, we're working through what this means for us. Hopefully we'll see those of you in regional Victoria soon, stay tuned ... Photo by Corey Barnett. See more

21.01.2022 Sneaky peak of the Heart Sutra granite wall that has arrived from Vietnam! This is our latest installation to go in our Peace Park. You will be able to walk around it, with the mantra in English on one side and Vietnamese on the other. It weighs a massive 15 tonne and will be assembled very soon.

20.01.2022 It's competition time! We’re giving one lucky winner a gift certificate to the value of $20, to spend in our beautiful gift shop or to grab a delicious bite to eat from StupaView Café when we re-open. To enter, like this post and tell us who you will be bringing with you on your next visit to The Great Stupa. The winner will be randomly drawn on Monday 7 September 2020. Gift certificates are now available to purchase at www.stupa.org.au/shop-gifts

20.01.2022 You might notice a new installation in our Peace Park! Today, each section of the Heart Sutra Wall was craned into place, the main granite mantra weighing in at 9 tonne alone. It will be cleaned and landscaped with a path going all the way around. Thank you to Sister Thang Lieu and the Auspicious Cloud Buddhist Meditation Centre

20.01.2022 Plan your next trip to The Great Stupa and our beautiful region, with the Victoria Government Regional Travel Voucher Scheme! You could be eligible to receive a reimbursement of $200 on your next trip. Apply for the travel vouchers now at business.vic.gov.au/travelvouchers

19.01.2022 "Real happiness in life starts when you begin to cherish others." - Lama Zopa Rinpoche

18.01.2022 Start planning your next visit to The Great Stupa with the Buy Now, Stay Later Package from Bendigo Motel Association!

18.01.2022 Do you find it difficult to meditate? Learn a grounding technique that will help you to focus, in this week's session of Meditation Monday with Tenzin Lekdron

17.01.2022 Thanks to everyone for supporting us on our first day open! It was so nice to see you all and meet some of your furry friends. We're now open everyday from 10:30am to 3:30pm.

17.01.2022 Guardians of The Great Stupa, our beautiful Tibetan Snow Lions. Captured by Corey Barnett.

15.01.2022 1000 Arm Chenrezig has now been fully sponsored! Thank you to all our wonderful donors . This is an image of the latest prototype by Mr Tin and his talented team of sculptors in Vietnam.

15.01.2022 Our beautiful blooming Manchurian Pear trees. These trees circle all the way around the stupa and are also memorials for loved ones. If you would like to enquire about our tree or wall memorials, please visit our website: stupa.org.au/memorials

15.01.2022 If you aren't able to visit us right now, stay tuned for a garden tour with Explore Bendigo coming soon, to bring our Peace Park to you

14.01.2022 On Wednesday 23 September we are re-opening our doors! We've missed seeing you all and can't wait to start welcoming back regional Victorians. Come dine-out at StupaView cafe for a delicious lunch or grab a barista beverage and explore our beautiful grounds. From Wednesday our opening hours will be 10:30am to 3:30pm, 7 days a week.

13.01.2022 Geshe Rapten plays a key role in our efforts to promote interfaith harmony. He helps us build stronger connections and understanding between different faiths in Australia. This important work will suffer if the Department of Home Affairs continues to reject Geshe Rapten's visa. For more information please visit our website: stupa.org.au///11/TGS_media_release_5_11_20_Letterhead.pdf

13.01.2022 It's an absolutely glorious day Grab a picnic rug and have some lunch or bring out the kiddos to explore. There's so much space in our beautiful gardens. We're open everyday from 10:30am to 3:30pm.

12.01.2022 For the first time ever, Vegecareian Festival 2020 will be virtual and it's happening this Saturday, November 21. Come together online for cooking demonstratio...ns, virtual animal blessings and to celebrate vegetarian cuisine from around the world. Follow Great Stupa of Universal Compassion for more information. See more

12.01.2022 Our gift shop has a beautiful range of artisan gifts, each one unique with its own story. Many items like our singing bowls, prayer flags and incense are handmade in Nepal. We have many other gifts for your loved ones including jewellery and local produce Shop now in time for the festive season, we're open everyday!

11.01.2022 In the heart of our Peace Park among the Bodhi Trees, with Quan Yin overlooking, these unique prayer wheels are available to sponsor. Thank you to the donor who has already sponsored a wheel, there are now only seven opportunities left. Handcrafted in Nepal by the finest artisans, they are inscribed with the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM in an old Tibetan script. Find more information on our website stupa.org.au/donations/peace-park-prayer-wheels

11.01.2022 Take a breath and relax into the last meditation session with Venerable Tenzin Lekdron. Learn techniques that will help you develop deeper meditations as you continue your practice

10.01.2022 It's a Public Holiday here in Bendigo tomorrow, and we are open from 10:30am to 3:30pm. Please be aware that our cafe will be closed. You're welcome to pack a picnic and find a spot in our beautiful gardens.

09.01.2022 How nice is this love letter to Greater Bendigo 'You and I' has been written and sung by the City's Intercultural Ambassadors and we absolutely love it Make sure you have the sound on!

09.01.2022 Mr Tin and his sculpting team in Vietnam are making huge progress on the 1000 Arm Chenrezig statue, which will go inside The Great Stupa next to the Jade Buddha. We expect it will arrive in the first half of 2021.

08.01.2022 Celebrating With The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion During the COVID-19 Pandemic In 1981, Lama Thubten Yeshe laid out the original plans for the Great Stup...a of Universal Compassion, an FPMT project near Bendigo in Victoria, Australia. On Tuesday, December 17, 2019, the community celebrated as the final pieces of the Great Stupa were lifted into place. Alyce Crosbie, marketing and events coordinator, shares that story and others in this update on activities at the stupa during 2020 and the Coronavirus pandemic. Raising the top of the stupa is a once-in-a-millennium moment in what we plan to be the 1,000-year life of the Great Stupa," said Ian Green, director and chairman of the project since its inception. "It must be what it felt like for the builders of the great cathedrals or mosques of the world when the final spire or domes were put in place. Two massive cranes lifted the final structuresthe sokshing, harmika, thirteen rings, and parasolinto place. The harmika and the thirteen rings alone weigh around 30 metric tons (33 US tons). The last 19 meters (62 feet) are completely decorated with traditional Buddhist artwork done by a team of local artists as well as custom-made works done in Nepal. For the past sixteen years, we have been focused on concrete and steel," Ian Green said. "But the top of the stupa will be fully decorated in the brilliant colors of traditional Buddhist iconography. It gives us a real sense of how spectacular the whole stupa will be when complete. The Great Stupa had been standing close to 30 meters (98 feet) high and has now reached its total height of 48 meters (157 feet). The top of the Great Stupa was unveiled in a spectacular ceremony one month later. The mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo, two local members of parliament, and Ian Green were hoisted 60 meters (197 feet) above the ground in a man cage from which they lifted a veil off the top of the stupa. The unveiling was part of the Lunar New Year celebrations held at the stupa in January and February, one of our three major annual events. Behind-the-scenes construction projects have continued during the COVID-19 pandemic. These included renovating and extending the gift shop as well as major earthworks for a sewage and water filtration system to make the site as self-sustainable as possible. Ian Green reported that the services works projects have been successfully completed even though progress was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said, "It has slowed down our work due to delays in provision of important component parts and competition for contractors due to high demand created by government housing incentives. At the same time the pandemic closures at the Great Stupa, which were over five months, did enable some major trenching that would have been difficult to handle if we had our normal number of visitors to the stupa." Ian Green said, "A new power house will be the next major project at the stupa. This will include provision for solar power, batteries, and generators." There is a twelve-minute video virtual tour around the Peace Park at the Great Stupa, highlighting the interfaith installations in the park as well as the different plant and tree varieties. This video is part of the Bendigo "Bloom" garden series created by Bendigo Tourism to showcase the beautiful parks and gardens in our region. Watch Alyce lead the "Bendigo Bloom - Peace Park Tour" at the Great Stupa for Universal Compassion: https://youtu.be/YbB81Zw8f0I We were preparing for an increase in visitors this year due to the completion of the outside of the building, but like most people we have felt the effects of COVID-19. We were hugely saddened to have to close our doors twice this year. This included canceling ILLUMIN8: Festival of Light and Peace, one of our three major annual events, when we celebrate the Buddha’s life on Saka Dawa with an amazing line-up of cultural performances and activities, light sculptures, food, and family fun. Our Vegecareian Festival, a major annual event at the Great Stupa celebrating vegetarian cuisine from around the world, was held virtually for the first time. The November 21 livestream included cooking demonstrations, virtual animal blessings, and self-care activities. Thanks to everyone who tuned in on Facebook! For those of you who didn't get a chance to join in, you can now watch the recording anytime on our YouTube channel. We look forward to seeing you and your pets for Vegecaerian Festival 2021. To learn more about The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion and the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace visit the website: https://www.stupa.org.au FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work. https://fpmt.org//celebrating-with-the-great-stupa-of-uni/ Photo: The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, January 2020. Photo by Alyce Crosbie.

08.01.2022 Work has commenced on the Nepalese temple in our Peace Park, nearby Quan Yin. This beautiful project was started some time ago by a local Nepalese family, in dedication to their daughter, Brishti, who passed away. The temple will house a statue of the Hindu deity Ganesh and be built in traditional Nepalese style. Come and watch the progress!

08.01.2022 Are you planning to visit us over the holiday season? We can't wait to see you The only day we are closed is Christmas Day. Our holiday opening hours are: Christmas Eve 9am to 5pm Christmas Day CLOSED... Boxing Day 10:30am to 5pm New Years Day 10:30am to 5pm All other times are our regular hours which are 9am to 5pm weekdays and 10:30am to 5pm weekends and Public Holidays.

07.01.2022 Who's bringing their furry friends along when we re-open? We can't wait to see you and your pets going for a walk around the grounds or stopping for lunch at StupaView cafe

06.01.2022 Along with our grounds, our cafe is re-opening tomorrow! Serving coffees and other barista drinks as well as some yummy lunch options, StupaView will be open everyday from 11am to 3pm

06.01.2022 Wednesday's words of wisdom "Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life." - attributed to the Buddha

06.01.2022 Even if you don't have a deep meditation practice, it's been proven to be very beneficial to have our attention in the present moment. Tune into the next meditation session with Tenzin Lekdron.

05.01.2022 How would you like The Great Stupa as your front yard? There are several accommodation options available to rent on site including a beautiful new studio appartment. If you, or anyone you know, is interested in becoming part of the peaceful community here, please email [email protected].

04.01.2022 Along with the local Sikh community, we celebrated the first anniversary of the installation of the Ik Oankaar.

04.01.2022 The Vegecareian Festival 2020 program is here! Join in online from 11am tomorrow for this amazing line up of presenters and demonstrations

03.01.2022 "Be wise. Treat yourself, your mind, sympathetically, with loving kindness. If you are gentle with yourself, you will become gentle with others." - Lama Thubten Yeshe

02.01.2022 How much do you know about our Peace Park? Let's take a virtual tour and explore the interfaith installations as well as the different plant and tree varieties.