My visit to the Amitabha Stupa in Sedona several years turned out to be one of those epiphanies that shift the direction of one’s life. I knew little about Buddhist tradition and even less about Buddhist architecture. I learned from some research that stupas originated in India nearly 2,600 years ago, before the Parthenon was built. They represent the Buddha’s presence and the mind of enlightenment. The Amitabha Stupa glows in the Arizona sun like something from another dimension. It’s 36 feet tall and filled with rolls of prayer mantra, grains, medicines, objects of beauty, and even meteorites. I was told that these protect and replenish the five elements of earth, air, fire, water, and space.
This area is considered by many to be consecrated ground. The stupa and its surrounding peace park serve as a beacon of compassion designed to help people overcome the misery and delusion of attachment, which is the main cause of suffering. Often, the will to believe leads to action, which in turn shapes reality. This seems especially true in Sedona, a place that emanates powerful energies of different kinds. Along these very lines, the stupa inspires visitors to offer healing prayers for the betterment of humanity.
Following traditional observance, I walked three times clockwise around the stupa and focused my thoughts. Then, I sat in front of it on a low platform and reflected on my life from as far back as I could remember to that moment. My mind flash through a reel of ruinous and beautiful events. At a certain point, I just let it all go and sat silently in the present. I stayed like this for around five minutes. I finally offered a whisper of thanks to the pinion pines, crimson rocks, and fresh air. I didn’t want to leave. It was my first unprompted meditation. Some of my friends and family have had similar experiences somewhere along the line. Others haven’t. I know it did me some good. I’ve been working on it ever since.
