This Buddhist retreat center is located near Red Feather Lake outside of Fort Collins, CO. The purpose of our trip was to photorgraph the Grand Stupa of Dhamakaya which 'liberates upon seeing'. The Stupa is impressive and quite a surprise as it appears from almost out of nowhere when one 'rounds the bend' along a flag adorned path.
There are pine trees, lots of grass and a few trees that I could not identify that were still waiting for their spring leaves.
Patches of snow, some dry grass and clear sky.
We read that one should follow the flags along the path to get to the Grand Stupa. The flags were pretty ragged, but we managed just fine. This images reminded me of J.R. R. Tolkien's well known saying, "Not all who wander are lost."
A most interesting pause before climbing the steps. People leave all sorts of offerings.
A chuckle is a good thing before entering the Stupa.
This is the back. The detail and ornateness is complete . . . even with a broom and dust pan!!
Diane captured a symbolic cross over of prayer flags and jet trail.
Once inside the Stupa we notice a young woman meditating. We were quiet while appreciating the sense of scale she provided.
The backlit ceiling was impressive and the whole room was very well lit.
In case you are wondering, this is the extrude filter in Photoshop. Diane says it is easy to do. Hmmmm . . . we shall see after she teaches me if I agree with her!
We waited quite a while for the room to be empty so we could walk closer to the front and around the sides without distracting or disturbing any person who had come to meditate. Notice the small alcoves around the room. Each one had different items, as shown below.
If you look closely, there is a card with the image of St. Francis on it.
Detailed Buddha in one of the alcoves.
Detail along the wall.
This is the quiet season for the Center. In summer there will be many educational classes, tents raised and a busy cafeteria. For now, we were content to enjoy the solitude that we found there. Thanks for sharing with us.