Maitreya Project Update - December 2005

I simply admire and appreciate those concerned people, especially the late Lama Yeshe and also Lama Zopa Rinpoche and many of his followers who are devoted and really putting effort into making this huge statue Now, in todays world, we really need the promotion of Maitreya, maitri loving-kindness.
His Holiness, the XIV Dalai Lama

Dear friends,

To bring you up to date with the progress of Maitreya Project, I am very pleased to send you our latest report.

In order to refresh your memory, or for those who are new to Maitreya Project, we have incorporated an overview of the Project in this report. The body of the report has been set up in a Question and Answer format which we hope will answer questions that arise as you read and clarify those areas that are of particular interest. If you have any additional questions and/or comments concerning Maitreya Project, we would be very pleased to hear from you.

We are aware that there has not been major news to share for some time I do assure you, however, that there is intense and ongoing activity, particularly in India, where we make daily progress towards the taking over of our site of 750 acres of land in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh. Maitreya Project is deeply involved in the administrative development of the newly created Kushinagar Special Development Area which extends to a radius of 7.5 kilometres (approximately 5 miles) around the Maitreya Project site. The extensive planning work involved is rigorous, although not really newsworthy in itself. We do feel, however, that we are making good and steady progress with our partners in shared vision, the Uttar Pradesh State Government.

As we fully expect the pace of our news to pick up during 2006, please do let us know if your email address changes so you will continue receiving updates throughout Maitreya Projects construction and development.

To contact us regarding the subscription list, please click on either the Subscribe or Contact link on the menu bar which appears at the top right of the this page.

With many thanks for your continuing interest and patient support,

Peter Kedge
Director and CEO
Maitreya Project

Maitreya Project is building a 500-ft/152m bronze statue of Maitreya Buddha, the Buddha of Loving-Kindness, to constantly remind the world of the importance of kindness, which is the basis of peace and happiness for individuals, communities and the world.

The Project intends to put loving-kindness into action by providing public spiritual, social, educational and medical facilities, and long-term economic benefit for the people of northern India.

The Projects charitable programs, combined with economic and infrastructure development, will make an enormous difference to thousands, perhaps even millions, of peoples lives.

Question: Why are you building such a huge Buddha statue?

The purpose of building a statue of Maitreya, who is the embodiment of the loving-kindness of all buddhas, is to increase peace, happiness, and prosperity, and for sentient beings to develop bodhicitta and universal responsibility, and to practice kindness, forgiveness and rejoicing in the good deeds of themselves and others.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director, Maitreya Project, from the book Lawudo Lama, Wisdom Publishing

World focus, inspiration, and Buddhist tradition are the reasons for the size of the Maitreya Statue. The Buddhist tradition has a long history of building very large Buddha statues the more notable a statue is, the more people will hear of it, see it, and have the chance to benefit from it.

It is important to remember that Buddhists do not worship religious artifacts expecting that they will receive special blessings directly from a bronze likeness of Maitreya Buddha, or any other religious object. Rather, the Buddha image is used as a supportive and inspirational tool towards the creation and spread of positive human qualities in this case, loving-kindness, along with associated mental attributes such as peace, compassion and wisdom. In this way, the Maitreya Buddha image is highly beneficial in that, as a form of spiritual support, it becomes a very powerful tool not because of the Statue itself, but because of the inner feelings of devotion experienced by the individual.

The intention is that the size and beauty of the Maitreya Statue will bring this stunning symbol of loving-kindness to the attention of millions of people around the world, inspiring kindness and thereby bringing greater inner and outer peace to individuals, families, communities and the world at large.

Question: Where is the Maitreya Statue going to be built?

The Maitreya Statue will be built in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh state, in northern India a region rich in spiritual tradition and the place where the historical Buddha passed away.

Kushinagars most famous site is Mahaparinirvana Temple, which was built to commemorate the place of the Buddhas passing. It contains the world famous 20ft/6m Statue of the Reclining Buddha, which dates back to the 5th century CE.

Other temples and stupas in Kushinagar mark places the Buddha visited, including the Ramabhar Stupa, where Buddha Shakyamunis body was cremated. Excavations have revealed the remains of at least ten different monasteries dating from the 4th 11th centuries CE and these are now enclosed in a park.

Today, many national and international Buddhist groups have spiritual centres in Kushinagar. Maitreya Project will highlight Kushinagar as one of the holiest places for Buddhist pilgrimage in the world.

Question: What sort of amenities will be found inside the Statue?

The Maitreya Statue and its throne building will provide temples, exhibition halls, a museum, library, audio-visual theatre and hospitality services. Additionally, the buildings and grounds of the Project will contain an extensive collection of sacred art, thus bringing attention to and supporting the already existing Buddhist pilgrimage circuit that is so crucial to the economic health of northern India.

Question: Who inspired building the Maitreya Statue?

Maitreya Project was inspired by the late Lama Thubten Yeshe, the well-known Tibetan Buddhist teacher whose life and teachings continue to inspire thousands the world over. Since Lama Yeshes passing in 1984, the project has been carried forward by his disciple, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of both the Maitreya Project and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT).

To create the greatest possible long-term benefit, the Maitreya Buddha Statue has been designed to last at least 1,000 years, enabling the Project's spiritual and social work to bring sustained benefit, not only to the region but also to the world community.

Question: What other benefits will Maitreya Project bring to the area?

Our aim is that the Statue and public services of Maitreya Project will bring about other economic, social and civic benefits in the region, thereby creating many additional long-term opportunities. As a result, the regions economy and civic life will quite naturally evolve and develop, eventually benefiting millions of people in India.

Maitreya Project has been working diligently with the state government of Uttar Pradesh to create a comprehensive Master Plan for the protection and appropriate development of the area directly adjacent to the Maitreya Project site the newly designated Kushinagar Special Development Area (KSDA), which surrounds the Maitreya Project land by a radius of 7.5 kilometers (approximately 5 miles). The intention is to ensure that any development that follows as a result of Maitreya Projects activities will be intentional and beneficial. It is within the KSDA that Maitreya Project will implement its extensive healthcare and education programs.

Thus, the Projects concept combines charitable, educational and medical facilities, and the enduring spiritual focus of the Maitreya Buddha Statue, to directly and indirectly foster whole-community economic and infrastructural development for generations to come. It is this view to creating sustainable, long-term benefit and progress which distinguishes Maitreya Project from most other charitable endeavors.

Question: How will Project construction affect the local environment?

Maitreya Projects commitment to environmentally sound and sustainable development is fundamental. The Project has commissioned full environmental impact studies. These comprehensive studies cover the areas of water collection, water use, recycling and drainage, air quality, waste treatment and disposal, tourism/traffic impact, and all other aspects related to the environment. The results of these studies have provided important guidance to the design process so as to ensure that the environment will in no way be compromised.

For instance, Maitreya Project will collect and store water during the monsoon for use during the dry season, thus ensuring that water drawn from the land will equal no more than would have been used by agriculture over the same area.

Also, a large proportion of the Projects power requirements will be supplied through the use of solar power. Other passive energy solutions will also be extensively employed. For example, the Project will utilize a natural ventilation system that is being designed to allow for the internal areas of the Statue to be habitable at any time of the year without total reliance on active systems of power generation (e.g. heating and/or cooling).

Question: What about education and healthcare programs?

Maitreya Projects hugely successful Maitreya Universal Education School in Bodhgaya will be the model for additional Maitreya Universal Education schools in both Kushinagar and Bodhgaya.

Public health programs of international standard that are centered around a modern teaching hospital will be created in Kushinagar and Bodhgaya, with the intention of supplementing those medical services already provided by the government.

Within a reasonable time-frame, both the educational and medical services will be developed and expanded in order to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

With specific regards to the Maitreya Project Universal Education School (MPUES) in Bodhgaya, the school has grown and developed to the point that it now provides free education and services to almost 500 children and adults, with classes from Kindergarten to Grade 12 (senior secondary level). The school also provides tuition for a group of students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts program at a local university.

The education provided is not mere literacy, but a high standard of education that is of great benefit to the students, their families and the community, both now and in the future. Additionally, the school places a strong emphasis on creative arts as well as meditation and yoga.

The academic program aligns with the most highly regarded Indian national curriculum. The quality of the MPUES program is reflected in the results of a speech competition, in English, held recently in Gaya. MPUES students competed against more than 35 students from all of the major fee paying English medium schools in Gaya, which included the children of professionals. We were delighted and encouraged that MPUES students took the third prize and two of the top eight places.

MPUES students enthusiastically engage in an extensive amount of social work outside of their regular school activities and are highly regarded within the Bodhgaya community for these activities.

Maitreya Project Universal Education School provides, without charge to the students or their families:

Wages and salaries for the teaching staff of 24 full-time and 7 part-time teachers plus 9 non-teaching staff. To ensure that school staff are able to maintain the highest possible standards, MPUES employs only well-qualified teachers (10 of the teachers have Masters degrees).
All teaching and learning materials required for the program. The school uses good quality textbooks and provides a library, computer room and science laboratory, along with arts and crafts materials.
Evening classes for adults and children who work during the day.
School and yoga uniforms for all the children who are in the day time program (320 students).
Residential accommodation and food for 6-7 boys and 2-3 teachers.
A complete and nourishing meal, at least once a day, for all of the children.
Expenses for children requiring medical attention at school or those with serious conditions for which the families need assistance.
Administrative, maintenance and all other operating costs.
Presently, the MPUE School in Bodhgaya is actively training teachers who will be our first staff members at the first MPUE School planned for Kushinagar. We expect to receive the first class of students in Kushinagar in 2006.

Question: When will Maitreya Project obtain the land in Kushinagar and what happens then?

In Kushinagar, we are very satisfied with the progress of Maitreya Project as we move forward on a daily basis through all of the legal and administrative procedures required before we actually settle onto the 750-acre/300-hectare site in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.

The land is now scheduled for handover to Maitreya Project in 2006. At that point in time, we will immediately implement the Project Preliminary Start-up Tasks, as outlined below. We estimate that these tasks will occupy our team on-site for 12 months.

Project Preliminary Start-up Tasks:

Erect boundary fencing and install the preliminary security system for the site
Mobilize the Design and Project Management Teams
Conduct environmental, socio-economic, geotechnical, seismic and topographical studies, specific to the Kushinagar site
Develop the Master Plan for the site, which will include technical and other information that will support the efficient and cost-effective progression of the Project
Carry out appropriate Scheme Design revisions as necessary based on the results of studies listed above.
Begin the detailed Foundation Design
Build construction yards, site offices, workers housing compound, management compound, guest houses, etc.
Proceed with the first phase of the Maitreya School facility
Proceed with the first phase of the Maitreya Healthcare facility
Proceed with the first phase of the Sacred Art program sourcing and procuring the many pieces of religious art to be incorporated in the Project

Question: What is the news from the Heart Shrine Relic Tour?

The Maitreya Project Heart Shrine Relic Tour continues to grow, bringing blessings to communities all around the world. To date, more than 1 million people have had the opportunity to be blessed by the Heart Shrine relics. Some recent events are detailed below:

In April 2005, the relics were displayed by Losang Drakpa Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and also during a retreat in Triang led by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. More than 35,000 people came to experience the blessings of the relics.
Over 10,000 people attended in Hong Kong, with visitors from as far away as Beijing, San Francisco and New York. The venue had to extend its hours in order to accommodate the line-up that went out of the building and down the street.
In Europe, at the Museum of Ethnology in Hamburg, more than 16,000 people came to view the relics and find out about the Maitreya Project. The program had meditations and teachings from the Thai, Chinese, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese Buddhist traditions. Viewing times were extended to 12 hours a day to accommodate the overwhelming number of visitors.
The chapel of Kulturhaus Helferi, in the old town of Zurich, with its vaulted ceiling and high arches provided an awe-inspiring setting for the relics. Robert Thurman, who has previously viewed the relics in Boston and Moscow, declared that Zurich was his favorite relic event so far. One day, Venerable Tendar (from Nalanda Monastery) stood at the threshold of the church gently beckoning those dressed in costume for a local Techno Music Festival to come and see what was inside. Jaws dropped as passersby would glance through the door of the church and see a golden Buddha gleaming with light, and clear cases filled with be-jeweled, glinting stupas surrounding it. Many festival goers came in to be blessed by the relics.
In Hamilton, Canada, Dekyi Lee Oldershaw organized an Animal Blessing Ceremony during the Heart Shrine Relic Tour event. Visitors brought their pets and led them around the relics.

As Lama Zopa Rinpoche has so succinctly stated, People are deeply moved when they come in contact with the relics... there are so many stories. This is definitely one method for bringing people to enlightenment. The Heart Shrine Relic Tour is fulfilling the intentions of the Buddhas and Masters who manifested as Relics for our benefit.

One lady in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, describes her experience:

The aura field that surrounds the relics is so powerful it seems to touch everyone who comes in contact with them I was fortunate enough to spend two nights sleeping in their presence and the experience was astounding. The first night I felt like someone was rewiring my circuit board. My dreams were disturbing, though not unpleasant, and I woke up feeling ready to tackle my self-grasping and ignorance. The second night was completely different, full of wonderful Dharma dreams (which I never experience) that left me floating for days...

The 2005 Relic Tour continues in North and South America until December. Plans for tours in 2006 are already underway. You can find other details and stories about the Maitreya Project Heart Shrine Relic Tour here.

Question: Whats new on the Maitreya Project website?

Maitreya Peace Meditation

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of Maitreya Project, continually reflects on how important it is to engage in inter-faith activities so that the practice of loving-kindness is shared with as many of our fellow human beings as possible, the world over.

In this regard, the Maitreya Project website, www.maitreyaproject.org, recently added a new feature the Maitreya Peace Meditation. This meditation on loving-kindness is suitable for everyone, irregardless of their particular beliefs.
The meditation is accessible from the Maitreya Project home page and is gently led by the voice of senior FPMT nun, Venerable Sange Khadro. This is a wonderful, yet easy method for developing loving-kindness and the cause of peace at any time 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.

Gifts and Souvenirs

Also new to the website is our Gifts and Souvenirs section. You will find the link in the menu bar located on the left side of the homepage. Here you can donate to Maitreya Project by ordering:

The Projects Maitreya tsatsa (clay impression of the Projects Maitreya Buddha Statue)
6-inch or 12-inch statue replicas of the 500ft/152m Maitreya Buddha Statue
Maitreya Project Heart Shrine Relic Tour postcards (set of 19 cards)
Maitreya Project and Heart Shrine Relic Tour posters
Maitreya Project DVD, which has three parts: an overview of the Project, a special section about the Heart Shrine Relic Tour, and the Maitreya Peace Meditation.

As these items are intended for fundraising, we have specified donation amounts. All donations, minus the actual cost of producing the items, will be used to build the Maitreya Project Statue and support Maitreya Projects charitable activities.

We thank all those who continue to support the Project and those who will support the Project in the future.

Addendum: Key Results in the Progress of Maitreya Project, to Date

A magnificent 750-acre/300-hectare site, generously offered by the Uttar Pradesh State Government at no cost to Maitreya Project, in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh State, in northern India. The site is adjacent to the Mahaparinirvana Shrine, which celebrates the spot where Shakyamuni Buddha passed away and reached Parinirvana, and the Ramabhar Stupa, which commemorates the place where Shakyamuni Budddha was cremated.
Uttar Pradesh has welcomed Maitreya Project with great enthusiasm and cooperation. In addition to the 750-acre/300-hectare land site, the government of UP is providing many other amenities.
The Memorandum of Understanding between Maitreya Project and the government of Uttar Pradesh envisions an area described by approximately a 7.5 kilometer radius around the 750-acre/300-hectare Maitreya site. This area has been designated by the UP Government as the Kushinagar Special Development Area (KSDA).
Maitreya Project has worked with the Uttar Pradesh State Government, together with advisors and consultants in India and overseas, to create a comprehensive Master Plan for the protected and appropriate development of the KSDA.
The KSDA will be administered by the newly created Kushinagar Special Development Area Authority. The KSDAA will be overseen by another newly created body, the Kushinagar Regional Commission. These bodies have effect in law and Maitreya Project has representation on these bodies. To achieve this, Maitreya Project has been meeting regularly, on a scheduled basis, with the appropriate departments in UP to create the municipal bylaws and planning regulations that will protect Kushinagar from possible opportunism as the benefits of the Project take effect within the surrounding communities.
Maitreya Project has the agreement of the Uttar Pradesh State Government to extend over time, the Projects social programs over the entire Kushinagar Special Development Area which currently is home to over 300,000 people.
Based on the highly successful Maitreya Project Universal Education school in Bodhgaya, teachers are currently being trained for the first MPUE school planned for Kushinagar. We expect to receive the first class of students in Kushinagar in 2006.
Maitreya Project has substantially completed the Scheme Design phase of the engineering work. The extensive work in the areas of research, design, development and planning for the 500ft/152m Maitreya Statue and its throne building, park and sacred art collection means that the Project is at the stage where detailed design and on-site work can begin as soon as March 2006.
Maitreya Project enjoys goodwill from millions of people all over the world who have now come into contact with Maitreya Project through promotion, fundraising, and the general, spiritual, engineering and technology media. Millions more have visited or heard about the Project through our very successful Maitreya Project Heart Shrine Relic Tour.
The Maitreya Project Heart Shrine Relic Tour has brought the blessings of the Heart Shrine Relics to well over 1 million people on four continents.
The schedule for the worldwide Maitreya Project Heart Shrine Relic Tour in 2006 is already well underway.
Maitreya Project already has substantial commitments from donor groups in Asia, Europe, and North America, which will cover approximately 50% of construction work.

Maitreya Project, Bodhgaya, Bihar, India

Maitreya Project still owns 30 acres / 12 hectares of prime land in Bodhgaya, Bihar State, in northern India. Administration, upkeep and planning for the development of the Bodhgaya site has continued. It will be used to bring great benefit through the development of a variety of Buddhist facilities.
The highly successful Maitreya Universal Education Project now provides free education and services to almost 500 children in Bodhgaya, with classes from kindergarten to Grade 12 (senior secondary level). The school also provides tuition for a group of students enrolled in BA courses at a local university.
The Maitreya Project has been honoured to produce three teaching events for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and has acted as host, providing accommodation and security for His Holiness the Dalai Lama at teaching events in Bodhgaya in 2003 and 2005.