Peace Pagoda

Peace Pagoda

What is a Peace Pagoda

A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa.

A Stupa is a buddhist structure, symbolizing Buddha himself and his doctrine, the Dharma. A similar structure was used a long time ago, to bury emperors in India. During the time of early Buddhism, the Stupa was used to store relics of the Buddha and later those of enlightened monks; so it became the ritual center of the Buddha worship.

A Peace Pagoda is constructed mostly like:

decorative tower
dome, mostly white
Buddha-Avatar
staircases around the building

The Stupa has a manifold symbolic meaning:

floor plan		– the wheel of dharma – a lotos flower – a mandala
entire construction		– the mountain Meru with the world tree – the three jewels – the five elements – Buddha sitting on a throne
dome		– the cosmic egg – the mother's lap

Goals of Peace Pagoda

Peace Pagodas were built as a symbol of nonviolence and as a spiritual base for the world peace.
Their contribution should be for all people to seek for peace together – regardless of origin and religious beliefs.

They also serve as a pilgrimage site and as a venue of events, celebrations und ceremonies.
Most Pagodas are open to the public and have many visitors each year.

Civilization is not to kill human beings, not to destroy things, not to make war;
Civilization is to hold mutual affection and to respect one another.

– Nichidatsu Fujii
The first Peace Pagodas were built 1947 as a symbol of peace, in the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, by the monastic order Nipponzan-Myōhōji.

150.000 people were killed there by Nuclear Bombs during World War II, mostly civilians.

The Peace Pagoda contains ashes of the historical Buddha and thousand stones, each stone representing a prayer for peace for the residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

What is a Peace Pagoda

A Peace Pagoda is constructed mostly like:

Goals of Peace Pagoda