Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn The Art of Memory: Monuments Through Time | Page 16

Cemetery Services: Nirvana Stupa
by James Holman, Director of Cemetery Sales
Mount Auburn’s rece ntly e recte d stupa, a
memorial for a local Tibetan family, has quickly become
a source of inspiration and gathering for New England’s
Buddhist community. 
Sonam Yudon’ s five children, led by her two two eldest
sons Lama Migmar Tseten and Trinley Tsewang, dedicated the
memorial on November 24th, 2012 on the anniversary of
their mother’s death. The Nirvana Stupa, with its characteristic
dome-like structure, is the first of its kind in this region
and embodies the Cemetery’s commitment to serving a
diverse community.
Located along Mount Auburn’s Story Road, the stupa’s
scale deliberately captures as much of the viewer’s attention
as possible, establishing a landmark for the Cemetery’s
southwest corner. The careful siting of additional large-scale
monuments like the Nirvana Stupa to add new focal elements
and more diversity to selected locations within the Cemetery
landscape follows one of the recommendations of Mount
Auburn’s award-winning 1993 Master Plan. In addition, the
installation of a wooden bench near the Stupa for meditation
and rest reflects the goal to preserve the contemplative
nature of the Cemetery.
With a sixteen-part stepped configuration, the Nirvana
Stupa presents not one, but a series of stone planes directly
opposite the end of Ilex Path. Its sacred and traditional
form carved in New England granite reiterates the desired
function as a terminus. Two Tibetan mantras repeat on all
four sides: the Mother Tara mantra is to receive healing to
overcome suffering, and the Buddha of Compassion mantra
is to cultivate loving kindness, wisdom, and compassion.
Lama Migmar Tseten says of the memorial, “May whoever
comes into contact with this Nirvana Stupa further develop
these inner qualities of love, compassion, and wisdom.”
In addition to being a family memorial, the monument
is an object for prayer, meditation, and mantra recitation
for the Buddhist community.  The Nirvana Stupa is both
memorable and suited to its surroundings in Mount Auburn.
It represents the vitality of a truly diverse, non-sectarian,
and non-denominational cemetery.
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