The Story of the Amitabha Stupa, Sedona Arizona 1 | Page 4

The Story of the Amitabha Stupa T he Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park in Sedona, Arizona, is a place to touch the sacred and be transformed. It is the home of the Amitabha Stupa, a sublime form of sacred Buddhist architecture that both symbolizes and embodies enlightened mind. Set against Sedona’s majestic red rock spires and surrounded by 14 acres of high desert wilderness, the 36-foot-high Amitabha Stupa is an inspiring and rejuvenating place of spiritual refuge for people of all faiths. Visitors call it an oasis of solitude and a place of purity, promise and peace. Fully empowered and consecrated, the Amitabha Stupa is a living presence of awakened compassion. It radiates blessings unceasingly to increase happiness throughout the world and decrease suffering. It is said that all who see a stupa, hear of it or reflect upon it are forever changed by its grace. A sacred history Stupas have a profound spiritual legacy that goes back thousands of years. They exist in every Buddhist country and in every Buddhist tradition. Only in the last few decades have stupas come to the West. In the United States they are a rare treasure. Stupas are powerful agents of spiritual transformation. They have been built to increase well being and happiness; to protect beings from illness, poverty, plagues, famine and war; and to bring environmental stability and harmony to the world. A stupa can also awaken our deepest yearnings to connect with our true nature. Every architectural feature of a stupa has meaning and significance, expressing the many The Buddha is the original dimensions of mind and reveal- architect of the stupa. ing the path to transformation and awakening. The stupa symbolizes the interplay of the five elements, the Four Immeasurables, the Eightfold Path, the Six Perfections—all the stages and qualities of enlightenment.