International Temples Project (ITP) Day
On the first Saturday in November, Kadampa Centres worldwide celebrate the International Temples Project.
Special events are held to raise funds for the project and prayers are made for the success and flourishing of Kadam Dharma in order to bring about world peace.
The following extract from a talk by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso explains the importance of temples and how they benefit all living beings in this and future generations:
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‘According to Buddhist view, especially Mahayana Buddhist view, a Temple is a representation of Buddha’s Pure Land. Statues or images of Buddha are representations of Buddha’s body, stupas are representations of Buddha’s mind, and Dharma books are representations of Buddha’s speech. These are holy, precious objects.
For these reasons I recommend building Temples as one of the best ways of benefiting other living beings.
The main function of a Temple is that those who see it or develop faith in it will receive special blessings.
Whoever sees a Temple or an image of Buddha will receive the blessings of Buddha. There is no difference with regard to Buddhists and non-Buddhists – anyone, whenever they see an image of Buddha, or a Temple, will receive blessings.
Therefore I can say that from my side, or from our side, this is the best public benefit or public service.
We accomplished this Temple so that even people who have no interest in teachings will receive some benefit from Buddhism – anyone, any being.
It doesn’t matter whether they have faith or not. Whoever sees a representation of the Pure Land of Buddha, and representations of Buddha’s form body, mind, and speech, will receive blessings.’