Lesser known facts and legends about Beybou Chorten.

1. The last major reconstruction of Boudha Chorten was entirely sponsored by Bhutan’s first King Ugyen Wangchuck – and the works were overseen by Lama Sonam Zangpo as a young disciple of Togden Shakya Shri. (See last picture)
2. During consecration 100 million Buddhas descended and dissolved into it. Thus it is the most sacred monument in all three strands of Buddhism.
3. Boudha is the biggest stupa in the World. It has inspired several statues built in Bhutan, such as Chorten Kora, Chendepji, Kurizam, and Tama.

The background story of the Wish-fulfilling Beybu Chorten.

There are many legends, myths, history and stories around this magnificent chorten at Boudha in Kathmandu, that it is left to the devotee as to what to believe. As a Bhutanese, and thus a Guru Rimpoche fan, I choose to believe it as a wish-fulfilling Jarong Khashor.

In a terma scripture discovered by Tertön Lhatsön Ngönmo, ‘The Legend of the Great Stupa Jarungkashor’, Guru Rinpoche tells the story of a local Tamang woman, Aum Jazam whose real name was Samvari, who wished to build a stupa to house the ashes of Buddha Kashapa remains (Sangye Osung). She approached the king for land as large as a buffalo hide, which the King granted. She then sliced the hide into a thin string and made it as long as possible and used it to measure the perimeter boundary of the land – on which she decided to build the stupa.

However, when the local community found that out, they reported to the king of the trick, and to take back his permission, as the feat would also embarrass the Royal Court. The King’s reply was: ‘Let it be done’ (jarung) slipped from my tongue (kashor). The king speaks but once!”. The stupa then came to be known as the Jarung Khashor.

With the help of her three sons, Aum Jazam, enshrined the relics of the Buddha Kashhyapa in the central pillar and began building the stupa. However, she passed away before the stupa was complete.

The sons did complete the stupa and each made some aspirations during the consecration of the stupa. The eldest aspired to be reborn as a Dharma King. The second wished to be a great scholar monk. The third aspired to be a powerful tantric yogi. And the fourth to be a minister to coordinate all religious activities of his elder brothers.

All their wishes were fulfilled. The eldest brother was reborn as Tibetan Emperor Trisong Deutsen, the second as great scholar Shantarakshita, and the third as Guru Padmasambhava.

Interestingly bad wishes are also granted if made at this Stupa. The donkey, who believed that he did all the hard work, was upset that he was not invited to the consecration. So he made a wish that he be the one to destroy all the religious legacies of the four brothers. The donkey was later reborn as anti-dharma King Langdarma.

However, as the donkey was making that bad wish, a crow witnessed it and aspired to be the one to put an end to any anti-dharma elements. He would be reborn as Lalung Pelgyi Dorji and he would be the one to assassinate the anti-Buddhist Langdarma.

The Boudha chorten would, therefore, become known around the Tibetan Buddhist world as a wish-fulfilling stupa. And “the most sacred monument in Tibetan Buddhism” according to my lama. And because the stupa is so big, your wishes can also be as vast, and as crazy as you can possibly think.

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻