Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche is a spiritual Guru, the author of the book titled Living Fully: Finding Joy in Every Breath and the president of the Universal Peace Sanctuary.
When the globe-trotting Guru was recently in Lumbini to lay the foundation stone of a universal peace sanctuary, Devendra Gautam caught up with him to discuss his journey, world peace, international tensions and ways to find inner peace—even in crowded settings that he frequently finds himself in, with friends and aides always in their toes to remind him of some or other important engagement. Excerpts from the interview:
What brings you to Lumbini?
From the foothills of the Himalayas to the United States, it has been a long journey. While spreading the message of peace, love and compassion based on Gautam Buddha’s teachings, I have traversed the length and breath of the US, a rarity even for most Americans.
While journeying around the world, many of my friends suggested: How about establishing monuments for world peace and spreading Gautam Buddha’s messages through them?
The suggestion sounded wonderful. A search for locations for establishing such a shrine brought me to Lumbini in Nepal, the birthplace of the Buddha.
While talking about the contributions of Shakyamuni Buddha, we tend to forget the sacrifices of Mayadevi, Buddha’s mother and the wife of Shuddodhan, the king of Kapilvastu.
She chose to give birth to Prince Siddhartha Gautam, who later transformed into Gautam Buddha, undeterred by a prophecy that she would die soon after childbirth. The prophecy came true.
The world would not have gotten its Buddha if Mayadevi had decided to choose her own life over her child’s. Like Mayadevi, mothers make great sacrifices, giving and nurturing life. Without them, life would not be possible.
The Universal Peace Sanctuary to be built in Lumbini is dedicated to Mayadevi; it is dedicated to mothers around the world; it is dedicated to world peace; it is dedicated to humanity as a whole and not just to one sect or the other.
Your dream project—Universal Peace Sanctuary—suffered delays during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, project work has resumed with the laying of the foundation stone for the sanctuary. How long will it take for this project to materialize?
It’s teamwork, you see. We need support from all quarters, including the media and donors, among others. Our aim is to build a superstructure with a very long lifespan, a structure that can withstand mega-quakes, so our team of engineers has designed it accordingly.
Talking about its features, the hall of the sanctuary will have room for 1500 people.
Also, we are building a monument for the whole of humanity and not just for some cast or creed.
Think about the impact such a monument built on the sacred land of Lumbini will have on Nepal’s economy as a whole, not just on the tourism sector. Ideally, the government should support such a project, shouldn’t it?
Rather than seeking support from any government in a deeply-polarized world, we are reaching out to the people for help. A large number of people from various walks of life turned up from far and near for the foundation stone-laying ceremony and laid stones. A huge turnout has encouraged us further.
Rome was not built in a day and I want this spirit of cooperation to continue as we move ahead with this project.
Developing a superstructure like this takes time, resources and cooperation from all sides. I have friends who are super-rich and willing to donate for this cause. But I have made it clear to them that I need unconditional support, whether it’s just a dollar or a huge sum.
As for the project completion deadline, we are working with the aim of completing this monument within three years.
Is any particular country supporting your project?
No. Nonetheless, we want selfless people from all walks of life to contribute to this project.
Your future plans?
The plan is to build similar shrines for the entire humanity around the world. At present, we have centers of faith for different sects and not for humanity as a whole. We want to change that by building monuments for all humans. The idea is to build universal peace sanctuaries the world over. You see, peace costs far less than war. The idea is to make peace more fashionable than war.
Please suggest ways to tame the monkey mind.
You don’t need to tame ‘the monkey mind’. The idea is to let it wander, to let it buzz with ideas. But you should keep a close watch over it.
Rather than taming the monkey mind, our focus should be on understanding it.
By understanding it right, we can choose right from wrong. That way, we will not do something that will make us repent later.
So, the challenge is to understand your mind. And meditation is the best way to understand it.
