Maitreya Project Update

January, 2001

The Logistics of Site Management

Site management plans are being developed so the Project's whole forty acres will function well as a construction site. There will be a concrete batching plant, covered areas for stone work, bronze work, and steel reinforcement work, storage areas for materials and all of the attendant facilities and infrastructure for what is currently estimated at three thousand people working on site.

Land off-site is being sought for temporary use as accommodation for site staff. Soon the Maitreya Project offices will be vacated and the site will be handed over to our main contractor, Larsen and Toubro. Then the construction phase will move at the fastest possible speed.

Artist Denise Griffin works on the prototype

Further Refinement of the Statue Art

The prototype art for the statue, even though earlier thought finalised, has been changed. Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of Maitreya Project, wanted the right hand and forearm moved slightly to be even more expressive. To the concern of the engineers who have to design and support the structure of the forearm, Rinpoche asked Denise and Peter Griffin to bring it forward over the knee and to allow Maitreya's right hand to turn down slightly toward visitors. Peter and Denise worked intensively for six weeks to accomplish the changes and the result is beautiful.

New Levels of Design Detail

The design teams are working on new levels of detail. The lighting levels in the main temples, the design of the shrine rooms on the upper levels, the power supply which will be a combination of photovoltaic cells and a biogas converter, and systems for waste and sewage disposal are all being developed in increasing detail.

New Technology Development

The Project's technology has continued to evolve. A team of Indian digital artists and technicians are working in Birmingham in UK under the guidance of the Project's technical manager, Derick Smart, artists Denise and Peter Griffin and the engineers from Delcam, and their progress is good. The production of the bronze skin of the statue is similarly moving forwards.

New Activities

There is an increasing amount of activity in India. The architects are researching stone for finishes; the contractor is researching quarries for aggregate; steel suppliers for grades of steel, and other extensive searches are underway for supplies and skills. Samples of aggregate from around Bihar are being tested to see whether they are of the quality required for the high grades of concrete that will be needed to produce the 1,000-year design lifespan of the statue.

Fundraising Developments

The Project's fundraising activities continue to develop, as indeed they must. The recent fundraiser's coordination meeting in US proved very worthwhile and similar activities are planned for Europe in the spring.

The Project has launched a web-based fundraising and donations method. The different ways in which to help sponsor the Project are all on the Project's secure website. Donations are automatically receipted from the website.

Global Relics Tour

A relic from the collection Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director, has accumulated the most amazing collection of relics of Shakyamuni Buddha and other great Buddhist masters and saints. To date, Rinpoche has carried the relics around the world wherever he has gone but it is evident that it is such a priceless collection that to display them publicly will benefit thousands of people, Buddhists and non-Buddhists.

A relic tour is being planned that will travel the world until the Project is complete and the relics are installed in the 500ft / 152m Maitreya statue. The reli

cs will be exhibited in museums and other appropriate venues where people from all walks of life and traditions will have the opportunity to view the relics and learn more about Maitreya Project.