The Deer Park Temples and Stupa
Deer Park has two temples on its grounds that are open to the public. The large temple with the gilded roof is the Main Temple (A), where Sunday and Thursday services, and yearly courses of lectures on Buddhist philosophy and practice are given. One may find it inspiring to climb the large stairways at the front of this building to enter through the traditional Tibetan temple doors at the top, but there is also an entrance at the base of the right stairway through which an elevator to the first floor and men's and women's restrooms can be accessed. The mezzanine level of the Main Temple houses residential quarters, and we ask that visitors refrain from venturing outside of the basement and first floor.
Just atop the right shoulder of the hill on which the Main Temple sits, situated in a cool grove of trees one will find the Kalachakra temple (B). The Kalachakra temple was erected as an open pavilion in 1981 to serve as the venue for the very first Kalachakra initiation given outside of Asia by His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. The structure was then converted into a closed, permanent structure, and was used as the Deer Park temple from 1981 until 2008. Since the construction of the Main Temple, the Kalachakra Temple has been used as a quiet space for silent meditation or prayer and the monthly family dharma group. Cushions can be found in the closets in the temple vestibule.
Just behind the Kalachakra Temple, one will find the Kalachakra Stupa (C), erected to commemorate the bestowal of the Kalachakra initiation on the site in 1981. The stupa is a shrine symbolizing Buddha's enlightenment, and is filled with sacred books, mantras, statues and prayers. A statue of Shakyamuni Buddha sits in a niche facing the East. The stupa is surrounded by two circumambulation circuits, which are meant to be walked in a clockwise direction while reciting prayers, engaging in contemplation or simply enjoying the beauty and serenity of the grounds.
Deer Park has two temples on its grounds that are open to the public. The large temple with the gilded roof is the Main Temple (A), where Sunday and Thursday services, and yearly courses of lectures on Buddhist philosophy and practice are given. One may find it inspiring to climb the large stairways at the front of this building to enter through the traditional Tibetan temple doors at the top, but there is also an entrance at the base of the right stairway through which an elevator to the first floor and men's and women's restrooms can be accessed. The mezzanine level of the Main Temple houses residential quarters, and we ask that visitors refrain from venturing outside of the basement and first floor.
Just atop the right shoulder of the hill on which the Main Temple sits, situated in a cool grove of trees one will find the Kalachakra temple (B). The Kalachakra temple was erected as an open pavilion in 1981 to serve as the venue for the very first Kalachakra initiation given outside of Asia by His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. The structure was then converted into a closed, permanent structure, and was used as the Deer Park temple from 1981 until 2008. Since the construction of the Main Temple, the Kalachakra Temple has been used as a quiet space for silent meditation or prayer and the monthly family dharma group. Cushions can be found in the closets in the temple vestibule.
Just behind the Kalachakra Temple, one will find the Kalachakra Stupa (C), erected to commemorate the bestowal of the Kalachakra initiation on the site in 1981. The stupa is a shrine symbolizing Buddha's enlightenment, and is filled with sacred books, mantras, statues and prayers. A statue of Shakyamuni Buddha sits in a niche facing the East. The stupa is surrounded by two circumambulation circuits, which are meant to be walked in a clockwise direction while reciting prayers, engaging in contemplation or simply enjoying the beauty and serenity of the grounds.
The new Temple which was opened officially in 2007 is being used extensively for large and small teachings and ceremonies, including long life pujas and tantric initiations. The Kalachakra Temple which is now only to be used for small, special events was initially built as an open pavilion for the Kalachakra initiation given by H. H. the Dalai Lama in 1981--the first such initiation bestowed in the West. The temple is furnished in traditional Tibetan style with many beautiful paintings (tankas) and tapestries depicting the life of the Buddha and other religious figures. The altar is enhanced by Buddha images, offerings and a complete set of the Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, the Kangyur and the Tengyur.
Stupas were the earliest physical representation for the remembrance of the Buddha, an elaboration of the funerary mounds which existed in India from earliest antiquity. They were venerated by pious Buddhists for centuries before images and other concrete representations began to be worshipped. In the Tibetan tradition, the stupa has come to represent the perfectly enlightened mind of the Buddha, and is a place of prayer and meditation for worshipers, who circle it in a clockwise direction. The stupa, located behind the temple and built by members of the Deer Park community, was dedicated by H. H. the Dalai Lama in 1989.
Stupas were the earliest physical representation for the remembrance of the Buddha, an elaboration of the funerary mounds which existed in India from earliest antiquity. They were venerated by pious Buddhists for centuries before images and other concrete representations began to be worshipped. In the Tibetan tradition, the stupa has come to represent the perfectly enlightened mind of the Buddha, and is a place of prayer and meditation for worshipers, who circle it in a clockwise direction. The stupa, located behind the temple and built by members of the Deer Park community, was dedicated by H. H. the Dalai Lama in 1989.