PROMOTING WORLD peace and fighting hunger are the main reasons behind plans to build the first Buddhist monument in the Algarve.
The monument, known as the Stuppa, will be located at the top of Serra do Caldeirão, near Loulé and is expected to be finished in 2009.
The decision about the location was made by several Buddhist monks who travelled from different parts of the world to study the region.
The highest spot of Serra do Caldeirão, known as Malhão, represents the Mú for the Buddhist community, which is the ideal location to concentrate positive energies.
The Stuppa will be a mausoleum in the shape of a tower. The one in the Malhão Buddhist Centre is to be five metres high and pink granite will be used in its construction. Inside will have statues, cereals, medicinal plants and semi-precious stones.
The monument is already being prepared by the Buddhist community for future visitors, especially items like the prayers bundles or roll and mantras, which are religious poems written exclusively by Buddhist monks.
After it is finished, the monument will be hermetically sealed and Buddhists believe that having participated on its construction or simply touching it brings good fortune and means a person is blessed.
For more information about the Buddhist community in the Algarve, visit http://www.okc-net.org/. The website is in French and Portuguese only at present.
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