On July 21, 2001, Künzig Shamarpa Mipham Chökyi Lodrö consecrated the majestic statue of Shakyamuni Buddha in the Main Temple of Dhagpo Kundreul Ling, making it a powerful source of blessing for all who enter this unique site.
His arrival to perform the rabne, a consecration ceremony to ensure that “the deity remains perfectly,” marked the culmination of a traditional process that lasted several years.
Lama Kunkyab, who was in charge of decorating the temple at the time, explains that Lama Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche had consecrated the throne in a ritual using 108 vases for the nagas, 108 for the devas, and 108 for the norlas. The lotus at the base is filled with rice, wheat and plant substances. The soching, the tree of life in the vertical axis inside the statue, has a dorje at one end and a stupa at the other, both carved from wood; it is calligraphied with gold powder and prayers are embossed with natural pigments.
Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche donated precious substances, and precious stones were also received from donors. Rituals consecrated all these substances, as well as mantras rolled into large scrolls that were prepared months in advance and placed in various locations inside the statue, along with relics that had belonged to eminent lamas. During his visit to Kundreul Ling, the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa also participated in these consecration rituals.
For the statues to be authentic vehicles of blessing, they must be consecrated in the correct manner. From an external point of view, the statue is the image of the Buddha, but if it remains an empty vessel, it conveys less blessing. The Buddha’s mantras are one source of this blessing, and the soching, or tree of life, placed in the center of the statue is another. This is like a ‘tendrel,’ or ‘auspicious link,’ created by the quality of the external craftsmanship and the authenticity of the filling and consecration rituals themselves. This tendrel, created by this positive activity, is the vehicle for immense blessings. This is why the statue, filled with a large number of mantras, becomes the receptacle for the Buddha’s body, speech and mind, and thus for his blessings. In ancient times, statues crafted by accomplished masters were consecrated by the power of their samadhi. It was therefore not necessary to perform rituals. But times have changed, and today we must use mantras.
Künzig Shamarpa in an interview with the magazine Karmé Guendune (No. 13, September 2001)
Standing five meters high and weighing nearly a ton, the statue was designed and created by French artist Gérard Guinot in his studio in Burgundy. Inspired by ancient Egypt and the art of cathedrals, he discovered Buddhism at the Dashang Kagyu Ling temple in Burgundy, where he met Jamgön Kongtrul Rinpoche and Kalu Rinpoche, among others. He trained with Bhutanese sculptors. At the request of Jamgön Kongtrul Rinpoche, he created works for places associated with the lineage in the outskirts of New York, USA and in Rumtek, Sikkim, before creating the statue for Kundreul Ling.
At the request of Lama Gendun Rinpoche, he made a one-meter model for the Buddha of Kundreul Ling’s Main Temple.
He made comments and gave me advice, but not formal advice. It was more like elliptical advice, such as that the Buddha is seated on a stable discipline for the base. So I had to translate that into concrete terms.
What is the state of mind in which a statue is created?
You mustn’t imagine that you are in a state of meditation. No! It is deep motivation that makes it happen. And then you need patience, precision, and a keen sense that the statue is truly inspiring. When you craft a statue, there is obviously the external and technical side, but creativity is more about making it inspiring. A meditating being must, of course, emanate relaxation. For example, if the shoulders are a little tense, you can see it in the statue; good posture can be felt in the position of the feet and the hands.
The statue, made of gold-covered copper sheets, was created over the course of a year, in collaboration with Gérard’s brother, a Compagnon du Devoir (1) specializing in metalwork, in the Jura region. Due to its size, the assembly—a critical moment in the process—was done on site, with some difficulties encountered in getting the convoy into the temple. The large number of parts to be assembled required a lot of welding.
Technically, making the parts is not a problem. But putting them together to form a whole and make it inspiring is the hardest part. You have to adjust the pieces until they fit, explains Gérard.
The gilding, done on site by Céline, a resident at the time who is now a professional gilder, was applied to a red lacquer to make it last longer. The face was painted just before the consecration by the painter Denzong Norbou.
On the morning of the consecration, an orange light shone on the Puy-de-Dôme mountain range, a sign for Shamarpa that “Manjushri is visiting us,” recalls Kunkyab. Shamarpa received a large pearl from an Asian disciple, which he wanted to place between the Buddha’s eyes, in the location of the third eye. Kunkyab recalls,
To place this pearl, Gérard had to tap a little in that spot with his small hammer. We had rented a bucket truck, and Shamar Rinpoche wanted to go up himself to place the pearl with Gérard. So they went behind the curtain that was still hiding the statue to place the pearl.
Then Künzik Shamarpa led the rabne ceremony, in the presence of about a hundred monastics and the surrounding community. It began with ablutions and offerings. Then, holding a mirror reflecting the Buddha, Shamarpa stood in front of the statue and traced syllables on it with consecrated water. He then removed the katha placed before the statue’s eyes, and it was at that moment that the Buddha truly came to life.
Thus, Kundreul Ling’s Main Temple, one of the wishes of the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje to allow access to the authentic teachings of the Buddha in the West, is also a reflection of a dialogue between Asia and Europe, between Tibetan masters and European practitioners, creating many “tendrels” with the wisdom of the Buddha. Consecrated by Künzig Shamarpa, it is a reflection of the lineage’s ever-deepening footprint. For Gérard, this path allows him to unite his work with his spiritual quest:
It’s wonderful. One cannot help but notice that there is a connection between the mind that shapes matter and matter itself. There is no split. And that remains a mystery to me.
(1) French association and movement enabling youth to learn a manual craft. Over a five-year training period, apprentices regularly move to different locations in France and abroad, to discover different types of knowledge and techniques, and ways of transmitting them.
These photos come from our archives or were collected as part of the research for Dhagpo Kagyu Ling’s 50th anniversary. We have not been able to identify all the authors. The use of these photos is solely for informational purposes within the context of Dhagpo Kagyu Ling’s 50th anniversary celebration. Their use is limited to this event and our website and is not for commercial purposes.
Event
To commemorate this event, on Monday July 21 in Dhagpo Kundreul Ling, the wishing prayers of the Kagyu Monlam will be recited at the Main Temple from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
These photos come from our archives or were collected as part of the research for Dhagpo Kagyu Ling’s 50th anniversary. We have not been able to identify all the authors. The use of these photos is solely for informational purposes within the context of Dhagpo Kagyu Ling’s 50th anniversary celebration. Their use is limited to this event and our website and is not for commercial purposes.
