Located in the Terai of southern Nepal, Lumbini was the birthplace of Shakyamuni Buddha over 2500 years ago. Today, it is one of four most significant pilgrimage sites for the 500 million Buddhists around the world. The Buddha’s birthplace and extensive surrounding area is a UNESCO World Heritage site, housing monasteries from many Buddhist traditions and countries.

Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche’s father, first envisioned the construction of a “Thousand Buddha Temple” in Lumbini that would have a monastic community and welcome the hundreds of thousands of international pilgrims who visit Lumbini each year. In September 2011, under the direction of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, construction began.

The Thousand Buddha Temple was designed in traditional Tibetan style by a team of world-class architects and engineers. The design incorporates modern materials in construction, such as the aluminum frames, double glazing, and solar coating in the temple’s soaring windows.

The temple is breathtakingly beautiful, with three primary floors representing the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya, the three dimensions of enlightenment. Housing three massive Buddha statues, an awe-inspiring library, and showcasing traditional stone workmanship, this Thousand Buddha Temple will be a place of pilgrimage and practice for centuries to come.

We need your help to bring Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche’s and Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche’s visionary plan to completion. With your generous support, we can swiftly complete this temple so that the monastic community can take up residence and begin to study, contemplate, and meditate. From here, the light of wisdom will shine throughout the world.