The Function and Wonder of the Buddhist Stupa

The stupa holds an extremely important place in both the teachings and the architecture of Buddhism, and may be called the representative of Buddhist architecture.A stupa originally referred to a structure for enshrining the Buddha's relics and the like; later it came to refer broadly to the places of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, turning of the Dharma wheel and parinirvana, and even places enshrining images of buddhas and bodhisattvas, the Buddha's footprints, and the remains of patriarchs and eminent monks.Built of heaped earth, brick, wood and so on, it serves as a structure for worship and offerings.The most essential contemplation of the Womb Realm is the Five-Syllable Adornment Contemplation, in which the five Sanskrit syllables A, VI, RA, HUM and KHAM adorn the body.The five syllables represent earth, water, fire, wind and space, and are established below the waist, at the navel, the heart, the brow and the crown.From the five syllables arises the Five-Element Stupa of the Dharma Realm.The Five-Element Stupa is stacked from the bottom up: the earth element is a yellow cube, the water element a white sphere, the fire element a red regular triangular pyramid, the wind element a black crescent-bowl form, and the space element a blue wish-fulfilling jewel shape.The Five-Element Stupa integrates the five great elements of the Dharma Realm and is also the symbolic form of the five shapes of heaven and earth, with the function of balancing and purifying all energies; therefore the Five-Element Stupa represents the Dharma body of the Buddha.The Mahāpratisarā-dhāraṇī Sutra (the "Secret Treasure-Chest Seal of All Tathāgatas' Hearts, Whole-Body Relics Dhāraṇī Sutra") says: if a sentient being makes offerings to this stupa with a single stick of incense and a single flower and bows in worship, the heavy sins of eighty billion kalpas of birth and death are extinguished at once; in life one is spared calamity, and after death one is born in a buddha's family.If one is due to fall into the Avīci Hell, but bows even once to this stupa, or circumambulates it once to the right, the gate of hell is shut and the road to bodhi is opened.Wherever a stupa or its image stands, it is protected by the divine power of all the Tathāgatas.If one merely sees this stupa, all calamities can be removed; the Four Heavenly Kings with their retinues guard that person day and night, together with the twenty-eight divisions, the great yaksha generals, the sun, moon and five planets, and the banner-clouds and comets, which protect and uphold the person day and night.If one seeks blessings, goes to the stupa, makes offerings of a stick of incense and a flower, bows in worship and circumambulates to the right, then by this merit rank and glory come unsought, longevity and wealth increase without being prayed for, enemies and thieves are defeated without being pursued, and the curses of those who harbor resentment, undeterred, return to their source.Epidemics and evil qi are avoided without being driven out; a good husband and a virtuous wife are obtained unsought, and worthy sons and beautiful daughters are born without prayer.All wishes are fulfilled as one desires.How much more so for the multitudes who hear the sound of its bells, or hear its name, or are touched by its shadow: their karmic obstructions are all extinguished and their requests are granted.The Five-Element Stupa has the same efficacy as the Eight-Aspect Relic Stupa: circumambulation brings liberation, and touch brings liberation.How much more so when relics and all kinds of sacred treasures and nectar are enshrined within; its merit is therefore unsurpassed.The cosmology of Tantric Buddhism holds that the universe is constituted of six great elements: earth (earth), water (water), fire (fire), wind (metal), space (wood) and consciousness (yin-yang).According to the Mijiao Tongguan: "The first five great elements are matter (the Supreme Polarity), and the last one is spirit (the Limitless).Spirit and matter pervade the Dharma Realm and do not obstruct one another, and, following the gathering and separating of conditions, form all phenomena and dharmas; hence the name 'arising from the six great elements.'" The Womb Realm is earth, water, fire, wind and space, and the method of contemplating the Five-Element Stupa is the method of cultivating the Womb Realm.The practice of the Vajra Realm is the Five-Aspect Body-Accomplishing Contemplation, and the practices of the Womb Realm and Vajra Realm are the cause and effect of each other.At the very bottom of the Five-Element Stupa is a square, belonging to earth; next is water, a circle; next is a triangle, belonging to fire; next is a semicircle, belonging to wind; and at the top is a pointed oval, belonging to space.In fact the Womb Realm and the Vajra Realm can be converted into each other.Earth, water, fire, wind and space are five great characteristics, that is, the essence and spirit of everything in the universe, so this is said to be the synthesis of the material world and spiritual world of the universe, and it can also be called the consciousness of the universe.The nature of earth is solidity; in Buddhist teaching, the attribute of earth is faith, and your faith should be as solid as the earth.The attribute of water is softness, representing compassion; compassion belongs to water, and the compassion of water is benevolence.Next, the attribute of fire is diligence and courage; the triangular fire has the attributes of brightness, heat and diligent courage.Wind is the turning of the Dharma wheel; wind is rotation and wisdom, the use of the various wisdoms of the Five Wisdoms to turn the Dharma wheel.And what is space?Space may be called meditative concentration, the luminous essence, that is, the Dharma Realm.Space itself is the luminous essence, emptiness-nature and suchness, which can be attained only through meditative concentration; only after you enter emptiness can you realize emptiness.This is emptiness-nature, suchness, the Dharma Realm and the luminous essence.The five symbols of the Five-Element Stupa, earth, water, fire, wind and space, are the fundamental consciousness of the universe: the originally existing material world transformed into the spiritual world, namely solid faith, compassion, diligence, courage, and turning the Dharma wheel with wisdom, culminating in the supreme emptiness-nature and suchness.In the material world, in the Womb Realm, this is symbolized by the Five-Element Stupa; in the Vajra Realm it is symbolized by the five spiritual qualities, so the Womb Realm is practiced with the five-element stupa, and the Vajra Realm with the five-aspect body-accomplishing.Placing a Five-Element Stupa in your home or workplace can improve the surrounding magnetic field and purify interfering rays; if there is a sick person, it can also steady the body's magnetic field; and if karmic creditors are disturbing you, they can be invited to practice quietly inside the Five-Element Stupa, which not only resolves cause and effect but also liberates the deceased spirits, a merit truly immeasurable.