General Spiritual Director
Meditation Changes Everything Dharma tour in Germany (II)
Nov 9, 2024
Local people agree to a Kadampa Temple at Tharpaland KMC
Wonderful news! Tharpaland KMC has received approval from the local administration to build a five-tier Kadampa Temple for World Peace on the site.
Based on this a Temple Site Development Plan will be drawn up over the next 12-15 months.
Watch the local TV report the development. See below for a transcript of the video.
Please note, the video expires at midnight on Dec 13.
Transcript
One, two, three, four, five … a five-tiered roof, the five stages to enlightenment. And on top a lantern, 15 meters high. Maybe soon this will be the new landmark in Sommerswalde, Oberkrämer, as yesterday evening the representatives of the local council have decided the development plan for a big Buddhist Temple.
Schloss Sommerswalde, where Marxism and Leninism was taught in GDR times, has for many years been a centre of Buddhism and the Temple a long-cherished dream.
This is how the Buddhist Temple will look like. A small community in Sommerswalde practices Buddhism and now wants to show this to the outside. This is the plan, says the Spiritual Teacher of the Buddhist community, Ananda.
Gen Ananda On this site will be a corner of the Temple. Therefore unfortunately the historic boiler house most-likely will have to be demolished. The whole building will be a modern building but based on a traditional design for a Buddhist Temple.
RBB: What does that mean?
Gen Ananda: it's based specifically on the Temple of Buddha Heruka, or a so-called heavenly mansion.
RBB: The Buddhist meditation centre already exists for many years but you cannot really recognise it from outside so far.
Here is the so called “red townhall”, the “mosque” - a garden house, the previous manor, a copy of the “Berlin Reichstag” and soon a Temple? This is what the local council has decided about last night. For some people this is a question of belief.
Plentz: 21 people have voted for it, it has been pre-voted before. 2 abstentions from the Left party and I was the only one who personally voted against it due to faith reasons. Nevertheless yesterday I stood up saying that I share and cherish that we have religious freedom in our country. But in the depths of my heart, I am one of those Christians in Germany who say that the Christian value have carried us.
RBB: The place hopes that it becomes more like a centre of attraction for believers and tourists through the Buddhist temple. The prayers of the Buddhists have been heard. This is what they are pleased about.
