Casa Tibet Laredo - Laredo - Things To Do Reviews

Casa Tibet in Laredo and Nuevo Laredo is bringing the Heart Shrine Relic Tour on December 7, 8 & 9th, 2007. This auspicious event will take place at Laredo Center for The Arts in the upstairs Mezzanine Gallery.

The purpose of the Relic Tour is to inspire people of all different spiritual traditions and paths to come together to experience the blessing of the Holy Relics. Keep in mind that Buddhists do not worship religious objects, rather, they are used as inspirational tools towards the creation and spread of positive human qualities – in this case, loving-kindness, along with associated attitudes such as peace, compassion and wisdom.

The relics to be showcased in Laredo, were found among the cremation ashes of Buddhist masters and, includes relics of the historical Buddha and the Buddha’s closest disciples as well as other well-known Buddhist masters from Chinese, Indian and Tibetan traditions. The Relics resemble beautiful pearl-like crystals. Buddhists believe the relics embody the master’s spiritual qualities of compassion and wisdom and have been deliberately produced by the master so that all may share in their blessing.

This is a rare opportunity to view Buddhist relics as they are usually enshrined and rarely even visible to the public. In fact, the vast collection includes authenticated artifacts dating back to more than 2,500 years. What's more, these relics have been salvaged from Tibet, which were previously protected and kept for thousands of years before the Communist occupation in 1959.

Visitors often report experiences of inspiration and healing when in the presence of the relics. While some are inspired to pray for world peace and to develop their inner wisdom, others are overcome by emotion as the powerful effects of the relics open their hearts to compassion and loving-kindness.

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Maitreya Project's Founders:
Maitreya Project was conceived by the late Lama Thubten Yeshe, a well-known Tibetan teacher who devoted his life to making Buddhism available to people worldwide. His main disciple, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of Maitreya Project has carried forward his vision.

Maitreya Project's Mission: Maitreya Project is based on the belief that loving-kindness is the main cause of peace and that inner and outer peace share a cause-and-effect relationship. Actions motivated by loving-kindness will lead to inner peace for the individual and outer peace for the family, community and world.

Maitreya's Project Vision and Goals:As its focus, Maitreya Project is building a magnificent bronze statue of Maitreya
Buddha in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, northern India, adjacent to the holy sites of the historical Buddha's passing away and subsequent cremation. Kushinagar, while rich in spiritual heritage, is one of the poorest regions in India. By locating Maitreya Project in this area, the lives of millions of local people, now
and for the foreseeable future, will be positively affected through the manyopportunities generated by the Project.

Why Build Such a Large Statue?

The intention is that the size and beauty of the Maitreya statue will bring this sacred symbol of loving-kindness to the attention of the majority of people in the world, thereby creating an inflow of pilgrimage, tourism and investment in the region and inspiring an appreciation of kindheartedness, leading to inner and outer peace. Therefore, World focus, inspiration, and Buddhist tradition are the reasons for the scale of the Maitreya Project statue. The Buddhist tradition has a long history of building very large Buddha statues – the more notable a statue is, the more people will hear of it, see it and have the chance to benefit from it.

Social Programs in India that will Translate into Loving Kindness: To create both immediate and long-term benefit, Maitreya Project is providing arrange of social programs, particularly in the areas of education and healthcare. Over the years, both the education and healthcare programs will be developed and expanded in order to meet the needs of many communities in northern India.

Maitreya Project Education Program: The first Maitreya Project School is already well established in Bodhgaya, Bihar, located in northern India, where approximately 500 impoverished and underprivileged children attend classes, from Kindergarten to Class 12. No fees are charged and the school provides uniforms, books and meals, as well as some healthcare and residential accommodation. The Bodhgaya School will serve as a model for other Maitreya Project schools in Bihar and the Kushinagar Special Development Area. Teachers for the first Maitreya Project School in Kushinagar are currently engaged in teacher training at the school in Bodhgaya.

Maitreya Project Healthcare: The Project will also provide health care, developing over time, a healthcare network in order to provide primary, secondary and general hospital care, free of charge to local people. This modern health care system will be centered on a teaching hospital of international standard located within the Kushinagar Special Development Area.