The 108 Stupas Project
One hundred and eight
snow-white stupas.
One Catalan mountain.
A multi-decade Nyingma Vajrayana project, in its foundation phase.
In the tradition of Buddha Shakyamuni, in the Longchen Nyingtig lineage of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. An offering by Orgyen Yenten Dorje, a disciple in the lineage.
· · ·
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Concept visualisation — final formation and typology await formal lineage authorization
§ I · The Stupa
The Buddha directed his students to build stupas. Even a child, heaping sand into their shape, plants a seed that ripens into full awakening.
What is a stupa
A stupa (Tibetan: chörten) is not a monument. It is the three-dimensional embodiment of the enlightened mind of the Buddha — a sacred structure whose every proportion, every material, every filling is prescribed by tradition. Correct thigse proportions. A full sokshing life-tree. Complete zungdrup — relics, mantras, medicines, wealth-vases. Nothing decorative.
The teaching
In the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, the Buddha, in the final days of his life, directed his followers to build stupas over his relics — places of pilgrimage, refuge, and blessing for all beings. In the Lotus Sutra, Chapter II, he taught that even children at play, piling sand into the shape of stupas, “have all attained the Buddha way.” The merit of building a stupa is called inconceivable.
Why one hundred and eight
One hundred and eight is the traditional count of the kleshas — the mental afflictions the practitioner works to purify — and of the beads of a mala. To build 108 stupas as a walkable mandala on a single Catalan mountainside is to render an entire path of purification into architecture. A multi-decade undertaking, phased construction, one stupa at a time, in the Longchen Nyingtig lineage of the Nyingma school.
§ II · Lineage
Dzogchen Shri Singha — Longchen Nyingtig — Nyingma.
The stupas rise inside a specific transmission line. The Nyingma school is the oldest of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Its innermost teaching is Dzogchen — the Great Perfection. The primary terma cycle carried by this project is the Longchen Nyingtig, the Heart Essence of Longchenpa, revealed by the terton Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa.
The project is founded by Orgyen Yenten Dorje, a disciple in the lineage. Its establishment as a Spanish Comunidad Religiosa is in preparation. Its formal recognition within the specific transmission will follow in due course.
Nothing on this site is a substitute for a teacher, for empowerment, or for the primary texts. It is only a signpost.
§ III · Architectural Vision
Snow-white stupas, gathered on a slope — a geometry that adds to one hundred and eight.
Inspiration
The Qingtongxia formation
The 108 Stupas of Qingtongxia, in Ningxia, stand in a triangular formation of twelve rows — 1 + 3 + 3 + 5 + 5 + 7 + 9 + 11 + 13 + 15 + 17 + 19 = 108 — climbing a slope above the Yellow River. An apex at the top. Perfect symmetry. Winter-solstice sunrise alignment.
The formation is our reference, not our lock. The Catalan site, its own topography, and the direction of the lineage will shape the geometry that is actually built.
Character
Snow-white, in the Nyingma tradition
Each stupa freshly lime-plastered snow-white, with the traditional proportions of the Nyingma school: broad bumpa dome, square harmika, thirteen rings of the chattravali, gilded spire. Materials rooted in Catalan vernacular masonry — local granite and dressed stone terraces, roof slate, timber doors, bronze hardware — meeting Himalayan sacred architecture.
Pending lineage authorization
What we do not yet decide
The final stupa typology — whether all 108 will be Enlightenment Stupas (Chanchub Chörten), or the Eight Great Stupas typological array, or a Longchen-Nyingtig-specific mandala — and the final walkable mandala layout, remain the direction of the lineage. This is the correct order.
Small-stupa module — plan, elevation, section, and iconometric components (concept — final typology awaits lineage authorization).
Solar alignment
Winter-solstice sunrise — the first light of the shortest day
The pyramid is oriented so that on winter-solstice sunrise — the first light of the shortest day of the year — the sun rises along the axial stair, crossing the summit stupa at about 120° from true north (east-southeast). This is why the site must sit on a south-facing Catalan slope: only that orientation carries the geometry. The alignment is in echo of the 108 Stupas of Qingtongxia, whose apex is set to the same solstice axis.
Working drawings — concept phase
Not final construction documents — sketches held in dialogue with the lineage.
These early studies express the intention only. Real construction documents will be produced by a Catalan arquitecto colegiado engaged after land is acquired, in ongoing dialogue with lineage direction on typology, mandala, and dedication.
§ IV · The Land
Rural Catalonia. A quiet south-facing slope in the Pyrenean foothills.
Catalonia was chosen for specific reasons: Llei 16/2009 on centres de culte — unique in Spain — creates a workable path for religious sites; Spanish Buddhism holds notorio arraigo since 2007; there is an existing Nyingma Tersar community; and the geography allows for the siting conditions the tradition asks for. No land is yet acquired. The active search is gated on entity registration.
Siting criteria
- ·Rural Catalonia · 10 to 20 hectares
- ·South- or southeast-facing slope
- ·400 to 1,200 metres elevation
- ·90 to 180 minutes from Barcelona
- ·Receptive Pla d'Ordenació Urbanística Municipal (POUM)
- ·Feasible water and electricity extension
- ·Proximity to existing Buddhist centres in Catalonia
Target comarcas
Mid-altitude Pyrenean foothills (preferred)
Berguedà · Osona · Garrotxa
High-altitude Pyrenean
Pallars Jussà · Pallars Sobirà · Alt Urgell
Closer to Barcelona
Garraf · Anoia · Bages
§ V · The 25-Year Path
Four phases. No dates. No counters. No performance of progress.
Two decades — measured from the day land is acquired — is longer than most public plans. We do not know when Phase II will open. We know only that Phase I is where we are, and that each phase must be entered honestly.
The Buddha told the parable of the fool who wanted his builders to construct only the top floor of a three-storey house, skipping the two below. The builders replied that it was not possible: the top rests on the ones beneath it. So it is here. One stupa at a time, in order, without shortcut.
- I
Foundation (current)
Formal blessing and lineage authorization from the founder's teacher, to be named in due course. Preparation of the Comunidad Religiosa under Spain's Registro de Entidades Religiosas. Quiet identification of founders and professional counsel. First scouting of Catalan comarcas.
- II
Authorization & Land
Lineage authorization letter received. Comunidad Religiosa registered. Land acquired in a receptive comarca of the Catalan Pyrenean foothills. Architectural plans submitted and approved. Vajracharya designated for the consecrations.
- III
Construction begins
Foundations laid according to lineage tradition. The first stupa consecrated. Sacred artisans begin the making of tsa-tsas, thangkas, sokshing and zungdrup materials. The pilgrimage site takes its first form.
- IV
25-year manifestation
All 108 stupas built and consecrated according to Longchen Nyingtig specifications. A place of pilgrimage, retreat, and refuge for the sangha and for all beings.
§ VI · Frequently asked
A few honest questions.
How long will the project take? +
Comparable projects — the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya in Colorado (13 years), the Benalmádena Enlightenment Stupa in Spain (3 years from association to consecration), the stupas at Karma Guen — followed phased schedules. This project plans a 20–25 year horizon measured from the day land is acquired, one stupa at a time.
Is there a registered entity yet? +
No. The Comunidad Religiosa under Spain's Registro de Entidades Religiosas is in preparation. Until the entity is registered and has opted into the Ley 49/2002 patronage regime, no donations can be lawfully accepted.
Where will it be built? +
In the mid-Pyrenean foothills of Catalonia — a south-facing slope of 10 to 20 hectares, 400 to 1,200 metres elevation, 90 to 180 minutes from Barcelona. No specific parcel has been identified. Land search begins once the entity is operational.
Who will own the site? +
The registered Comunidad Religiosa, once formed. The founder will not personally own the land. Governance, succession, and dissolution rules will be defined in the entity's statutes.
Who is the spiritual authority? +
The project rests in the Longchen Nyingtig lineage of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The specific master under whose blessing the project is being prepared will be named on this page in due course, once formal authorization is granted.
Can I visit, attend a retreat, or donate now? +
Not yet. There is no site, no calendar of events, and no vehicle to accept donations. The best way to follow the project is to subscribe below. Non-financial help — introductions to Spanish legal counsel, Catalan landowners, arquitectos with religious-site experience, or European stupa-builders — is genuinely welcome.
§ VII · Support the project
There is nothing to buy. There is nothing to give money to. There is only a project, and the invitation to walk beside it.
No donations are being accepted at this time. Only correspondence, subscription, and the doorway of conversation.
Help us build
We are looking for advisors, introductions, and companions. In particular:
- A Spanish abogado in ecclesiastical or religious law
- Catalan landowners or agents in the mid-Pyrenean comarcas
- An arquitecto colegiado familiar with religious sites
- An accountant familiar with Ley 49/2002
- Anyone who has helped build a stupa in Europe — your experience and counsel would be deeply welcome
Stay with us
Leave your email. We will send you a short welcome, an introductory booklet on the project, and — from time to time — quiet updates as the work progresses, with the blessing of the lineage.
The 108 Stupas Project is not yet a registered religious entity. There is no vehicle to accept anything but words at this time. We are not asking, requesting, or fundraising. When the entity is formed and the Ley 49/2002 patronage regime is active — this section will change. Until then, this page holds only the teaching, gratitude for your attention, and the doorway of correspondence.
§ VIII · Contact
The one door. Everything else waits.
For any purpose whatsoever — a question, an introduction, a kind word, a professional interest, or simply to sit briefly at the edge of the project — a single email address opens the whole door.
We will reply from Catalonia when we are able. Some replies take a week. The project is small and quiet by design.
Or send us a note here
Prepared as an offering by Orgyen Yenten Dorje, a disciple in the Longchen Nyingtig lineage of the Nyingma tradition, for the benefit of all mother sentient beings.