multicultural

A spire to faith and commitment

In Buddhist cultures, a ‘stupa’ is a focus of meditation, a structure that houses sacred objects. They’re a fairly common sight in Asia — in western Canada, not so much.
That’s why it was so gratifying to photograph the dedication of such a place this spring, as the local Sri Lankan Buddhist community came together to unveil the spire topping their very own stupa here in Winnipeg.

The ceremony marked many years of work by the ‘sangha’ -the community of monks, nuns and lay people - at the Mahamnevnawa Buddhist Meditation Centre who organized and built the structure themselves. Having also photographed the ceremony last fall when monks placed sacred objects inside the stupa, it was great to see how far the work has come to arrive at this point.

The weeks and months ahead will see finishing touches put on the site, but the structure itself now stands as a beacon of Buddhist faith, and a place for both the Sri Lankan community and the wider interested population to come to contemplate and be inspired.

Crowds of people surround the white and gold bell shape of the new stupa in the emerald green field of the temple grounds.
A man and a woman clasp their hands in a prayerful gesture as flower petals adorn the white ledge of the stupa structure.
The photo is divided in half - on one side, small girls and children bow in respect to the stupa structure. On the other half of the image, saffron robed monks place lights upon the ledge of the structure.
Children in their colourful coats walk past a line of Buddhist monks all in saffron robes as they carry lanterns to bless the stupa structure.
A line of 9 Buddhist monks stands in prayer to bless their temple's new stupa structure. Lay people stand behind them, also with their hands clasped in prayer.