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Offerings

A Single Contribution Makes a World of Difference

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Your contribution for the creation of a stupa (a sacred Buddhist monument) honoring the life and teachings of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, will be of vast benefit to innumerable sentient beings. We are committed to protecting the environment and creating a peaceful place where all are welcome. Visitors from the greater Chicago area and from all around the world will visit for pilgrimage, inspiration, meditation, retreat, study, and meditation practice.

We are currently in Phase 2 — construction of the main building, the Stupa Temple. Please consider offering your generous support at any level for this project to promote peace and harmony across the globe.

All contributions, large or small, will help accomplish our goal. Monthly gifts are especially beneficial as they enable us to plan and budget our activities over time.

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Donor Recognition

  • Donors of $5,000 or more will have their names listed on the stone inscription pillar in the courtyard.
  • Donors of $100,000 or more will have their names inscribed on a memorial plaque at the entryway of the stupa building.

Planned/Legacy Giving

Making a planned or estate gift is a thoughtful and meritorious way to donate to support Karmapa Center 16, and you don’t need to be wealthy to do so.
  • If you live in the United States, you can quickly create a Will or Revocable Living Trust through the FreeWill platform (freewill.com). There is no charge for this service.
  • Another way to give is to name Karmapa Center 16 as the beneficiary on any of your assets—bank account, brokerage account, stocks, mutual funds, retirement account, or life insurance.
  • Contact us! If you would like to discuss planned giving options or if you’ve already included a gift to Karmapa Center 16 in your will or another type of beneficiary designation, please contact lmarvet@karmapacenter16.org to ensure our records are up-to-date and so we may thank you.
learn more about the Stupa Project
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Generosity Is Both Noble and Wise

If beings knew, as I know, the results of giving and sharing, they would not eat without having given. — Gautama Buddha

Making contribution to the Stupa Project or any of our Dharma activity makes you a part of our family. Generosity creates a strong link between the place, the dharma, the supported individuals and sponsors. Please donate today, it takes just a few easy steps!

  • Check your motivation

    Our attitude is a key attribute of all our actions and it has a direct impact on our future. When you support dharma, please make sure that your motivation is pure and vast.

  • Chose the most convenient option

    We make offerings to fullfil our different needs or occasionally to support our new goals, projects, family plans or loved ones. That's why we try to offer a variaty of options to chose from. Please pick one that suites you best.

  • Can't contribute now? Keep it in mind for the future

    Even if you cannot donate today, please remember our projects in the future. Karmapa Center 16 welcomes your consideration of a legacy gift.

  • Tax deduction

    Donations to Karmapa Center 16 are tax-deductible in the US to the extent provided by law. EIN# 47-2608572

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Other Ways to Support

Buddha Statue
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Bhadrakalpa Buddha Statue

As long as the prayers of the Thousand Buddhas of this Bhadrakalpa (auspicious aeon) remain unfulfilled, the teachings of the Karmapas will remain uninterrupted. — Prayer by His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa.

As part of rebuilding Rumtek Monastery, also known as Dharma Chakra Centre, His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ranjung Rigpe Dorje, enshrined a thousand Bhadrakalpa Buddha statues. To follow this lineage tradition, a thousand Bhadrakalpa Buddhas will be placed around the 16th Karmapa’s Parinirvāṇa Stupa at Karmapa Center 16. You can join in this precious opportunity and be part of establishing the presence of these statues in the hall of the Stupa Temple.

With a donation of $1550 USD, you can sponsor one Bhadrakalpa Buddha Statue. Your donation not only helps in the construction of the main hall, it also contributes to the continuation and flourishing of the Karmapa’s spiritual legacy. The sponsored Bhadrakalpa Buddha statues will be permanently enshrined in the main hall with the Parinirvāṇa Stupa.

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Tsa Tsa

In addition to a Parinirvāṇa Stūpa Karmapa Center 16 will create a space dedicated to Tsa Tsa offerings. Crafted from clay, mixed with relics of a deceased, Tsa Tsa are like small stūpa and offered as a way of honoring and remembrance of a friend or relative.

The space for the Tsa Tsa will be located at the lower level of the Stūpa Temple, immediately beneath the Stūpa of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa. Placing a Tsa Tsa in this space supports those who have passed on to the next life by receiving the blessings of the lineage of the Karmapas, which is a very rare opportunity. 

Those represented by the Tsa Tsa as well as those who have a direct or indirect connection to the Karmapa lineage will continue to receive blessings throughout the year due to the twice daily pujas performed with the heart of devotion by the KC16 sangha (monastic community) under the guidance of Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche. Rinpoche will also be presiding over the practices and offerings to the community during the Qingming Festival, KC16’s Annual Parinirvana Anniversary of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa on November 5, along with other special Buddhist occasions such as Saga Dawa and Lhabab Düchen, all sources of great blessings.

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Gawu

We would like to share a wonderful opportunity to be a part of Karmapa Center 16’s auspicious Gawu Offering project. In the Vajrayana, there is an old tradition of putting various precious objects and blessings into a "Gawu" (a small protective locket). This auspicious locket offers protective power that comes from the Mahamudra and Dzogchen lineages.

Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche has collected nearly 100 sacred objects, over a number of years, from many great Mahamudra and Dzogchen masters and has made them into these limited-edition, protective Gawu. Wearing your Gawu day and night bestows the blessing from the centuries-old lineage, helping your body and mind to become peaceful, and helping you to overcome all suffering.

We hope you will be part of this project by purchasing an auspicious Gawu.  Each Gawu is available for $185 USD. All proceeds benefit  Karmapa Center 16’s Stupa Project.

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Butter lamps

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Parinirvana Day of the First Karmapa

Dedicated puja

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Bird feeder

Bird care

We dedicate a lot of time and effort to care for all the various birds at the center. This is out of compassion, in general, and specifically because of the connection of the 16th Karmapa with birds. More about that can be found in this story: The Joy of Birds.

Please consider connating to this practice.