There are thangka painters who are detailing 100 lives of
the previous Shakyamuni Buddha. There are cabinet makers
One section of the wall mural
Maitreya Shrine
The construction work on the Maitreya Shrine is multifaceted.
There are thangka painters who are detailing 100 lives of
the previous Shakyamuni Buddha. There are cabinet makers
One section of the wall mural
Auspicious vases
who are preparing delicate, ornate frames for the 16 Arahats and 8 Bodhisattvas that will reside at the front of the Shrine on either side of the Buddha. There are statue makers who are assembling the massive Maitreya Buddha statue. The painting of the 18 sections of the ceiling is complete. Of these, 17 are different mandalas and one represents the hand implements of the 5 Dhyani Buddhas. The columns are exquisitely carved and painted.
The throne of the Maitreya Buddha statue was filled with a huge Dzambala vase, auspicious vases, earth vases and naga vases,
Carrying the Sokshing
each filled with the requisite mantras, chakras, precious stones, precious metals, etc. All these vases were prepared precisely according to the descriptions in the texts and were consecrated by doing respective pujas for many days by the Rinpoches along with our lamas of Benchen Monastery.
Rinpoches erecting the Sokshing
For the Maitreya Buddha statue itself, a Sokshing (life-force column) as well as mantra rolls were prepared. As for the Sokshing, all the requisite mantras were written in gold ink all over the column. Special substances, such as Body, Speech and Mind pills, Buddha relics and relics from Masters of the Kagyu and other lineages were placed on different parts of the column. As for the mantra rolls, the Maitreya Buddha mantra, names of the Lineage Gurus, and mantras of the divinities (Yidams), protectors and Dzambalas were rolled and wrapped with saffron cloth, a puja was performed and the mantra rolls were consecrated.
On the 27th of October, Full Moon Day, the Sokshing (life-force column) was brought from the old monastery to the Maitreya Shrine Hall in a procession led by both Rinpoches and the monks.
Eventually this column will be placed exactly in the center of the Maitreya Buddha statue, along with the rolled mantras, one Buddha statue given by H.H. Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, one Buddha statue given by H.H. Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorje, and one set each of the Kagyur and Tengyür texts. Also placed in the Maitreya statue will be many texts offered by different individuals.