Tibetan Prophecy: Stupas along the Rio Grande

Tibetan Prophecy: Tibetan Stupas along the Rio Grande

Many people are familiar with the prophecies of Nostradamus made more than seven hundred years ago, but few people are aware of the prophecies made by Padmasambhava (also known as Guru Rinpoche), the founder of Tibetan Buddhism, more than one thousand years ago.

When asked by his disciple when is the beginning of the Dharma-ending age, Guru Rinpoche replied; “When the Iron Birds are flying in the sky and the Iron Horses are running on the roads, we know that dharma-ending age has arrived. At this time, Tibetan Buddhism shall flourish globally. When the iron bird flies and the horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the world, and the Dharma will come to the land of the red men: The Western Countries

Guru Rinpoche further prophesied that in that era (or rather now), carriages do not require horses to move, they self-propel. Youngsters in that era step on something that shaped like a bullhorn and there are wheels underneath that allow them to skate everywhere. It is even stranger that people in that era do not need to leave their houses to know things that happen around the world, just by sitting in front of a mirror

Tibetan Stupas along the Rio Grande River. New Mexico and Colorado. A film by Ken Thornton

There are three basic reasons for building stupas. Burial stupas hold relics from the funeral pyre. Commemorative stupas mark the place of an event or occasion in the Buddha’s life. And, votive stupas are erected to make a dedication of good will or to accumulate merit. The latter type is a perfect outlet for lay people to connect with the Buddhadharma; in the past, it was primarily the laity who were involved in constructing stupas.

A fundamental significance of stupas in the West lies in the contrast between modern and ancient worldviews, specifically in how matter is viewed. Ancient people, living close to nature, viewed matter as living and fecund, as an accumulator of spirit. Modern people, cut off from nature, often view the matter as dead, something mechanical to be used or manipulated. The stupa is monumental architecture, emphasizing our connection to the spiritual by both its mass and symbolic shapes.