Visit to Buddhist Temple

April 25  Saturday

I had a difficult time getting to sleep last night - so I finished reading the book "My Name Was Mohammad."  I found it to be an amazing story.

We have tried to make arrangements to visit the Buddhist temple several times over the past few months, and our time was running out.  Today was the day.  The Copas picked us up at 9:15 a.m. for the beautiful 45 minute trip up the mountainside to the site.  Aristeu, Meri, and Natalya  brought their car and made the trip with us - no need to overload Copa's car today.



This Temple is located in "Tres Coroas" (Three Crowns) - a small town about an hour from Gramado) on top of the highest mountain in the area. We followed a 7 km narrow gravel road up the mountain, but it was worth it when we arrived.  The site for the temple was chosen because it most resembled Nepal where this faction of Buddhism originated. 

 At the entrance gate, we were instructed to give our car license number and how many people were in the car.  We were also instructed to watch the 8 minute video inside the grounds to learn why and how this place was built and to learn a little about Buddhism.  It explained precepts of the religion and talked about the décor coming from Nepal.  Our first stop was the structure filled with the wheels of prayer.  Each wheel would turn, and your prayer would be designated as a  bell sounded.

Wheels of Prayer

 The headquarters, called Khadro Ling, was founded in 1995 by the Tibetan teacher Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche (the precious one) and sits atop the mountain..  On the grounds of Khadro Ling there is a La Kang, a temple built and adorned in the Tibetan artistic traditions.  Besides hosting retreats and Buddhist ceremonies, the main temple and other monuments (like statues, stupas, prayer wheels and a replica of a Pure Land) are open for free public viewing.

When Rinpoche designed the temple, he did not have the explicit intention of creating a tourist attraction. However,  he always said he built the temple to positively inspire all visitors, regardless of their religious beliefs or traditions.

A community of Buddhist practitioners live in Khadro Ling.  They are responsible for maintaining the activities and facilities of the center through volunteer work.  As is common in some traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, the community is not monastic, but lay.  That is, people can maintain relationships, get married, have children, raise a family.

Today, the spiritual director of Khadro Ling is Chagdud Khadro , widow of Rinpoche, who was his student for more than two decades. She gives spiritual guidance to practitioners, conducts ceremonies, and makes administrative decisions day-to-day.  Lama Sherab Drolma, who was a translator and personal attendant of Rinpoche for over ten years, assists Chagdud Khadro with these tasks.  




Prayer flags

 Giant wasp nests on temple overhang

Sidewalk crossing for ants - no stepping
on the ants

It is a beautiful location, super organized, and transmitted peace and tranquility as soon as we arrived. All buildings are wonderful, with a wealth of details in the paintings that are impressive.   In addition to the architectural beauty, the panoramic view of the valley below is amazing.    In some places you interact with equipment to produce sounds and rotate the energies of the universe.
 
In addition to the religious buildings, there are housing units for people that live and/or visit the complex. 

Beautifully landscaped gardens, ponds, and open fields, make the
environment relaxed.  All life is protected, even ants and wasps.

This is totally out of context, but the link below is a good article on Canela and Gramado:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2014/12/21/in-brazil-a-rivalry-of-christmas-towns/