THE BUDDHIST MEMORIAL COLUMBARIUM

The opening of IBPS Buddhist Memorial Columbarium is a reality of the Founding Master Hsing Yun's idealism on "Humanistic Buddhism" in which our needs after this life can be taken care of. As we are aware, all human beings cannot escape the experience of life and death. In contrast to our lives in the present that command respect, people should also be provided the same honor and dignity after death.

Amidst the misty dust, the duality of existence, where, then, is our destination? It is natural for us to honor our loved ones in a peaceful abode and to remind future generations the importance of having proper memorial rites for ancestors as a traditional gesture of filial piety.

Where, then will I find familiar voices and faces, gain solace and comfort?
Why, then, do I not plan ahead to provide the deceased a serene and majestic pure land?

As all beings are equal and regardless of where we live while alive, the awe-inspiring feelings of being part of the majestic Buddhist Columbarium for the departed will be as noble and respectable as that of past emperors. Ven. Master Hsing Yun called this memorial columbarium "The Rose Mausoleum" in Chinese to honor the departed a stately tomb that was only befitting the past Chinese emperors.

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The decision to build a Buddhist columbarium in the west is to not only meet the needs of overseas Chinese and cater to those who do not speak the English language, but also add cultural diversity to the beautiful Rose Hill Memorial Park. In addition, it embraces the magnanimity that each ethnic group shares in life and death in which the cultural gap is bridged as we strive to actualize the spirit that represents the Buddha's Pure Land of equanimity and non-hindrance.

Located on 2.5 acres, at the highest elevation of Rose Hills Memorial Park, the monumental Buddhist pagoda is surrounded by the picturesque scenery of rolling hills and meandering valleys sure to please heaven and earth. The grand three-story structure is supported by crimson pillars and golden glazed tiles replicating the architecture of ancient Chinese palaces. Being the first of its kind in North America fully enriched with traditional cultures of China, the main entrance is adorned by the four heavenly guardians who protect sentient beings against all evils.

Throughout the surrounding elegant mottled marble walls are 60 images of Buddhas, an embodiment of acceptance to all. Neatly organized and stored within and outside the main pagoda are 20,000 vaults and niches. Individual and family size niches are available with three types of vaults - marble, glass and bronze. The pagoda groves are decorated with 1,600 little pagoda shrines designed for those who prefer individual stupas for themselves as well as their families. Pine trees on top of the hill, flowering shrubs and flower pavilions in the park for people to rest indeed accentuate the ideals of Ven. Master Hsing Yun's garden of the pure land.

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Upon reaching the Columbarium's hill top mount, both the casual visitor and the Buddhist devotee enter a pure land of healing beauty and quiet inspiration arising from the natural surroundings composed of rolling hills, grassy meadows and paved walkways wandering through lush gardens and arbors. The sound of Buddhist chanting for the living and the deceased continues throughout the day along with offerings of incense, flowers, lights and fruits. Areas for the Buddha Shrine, Sutra Reading Hall and Rest Lounge provide the living descendants a place to visit and rekindle their remembrances and respect.

Monastics perform morning and evening chanting services everyday to transfer the merits to the deceased. In addition, the Memorial Columbarium provides services such as transferring of urns from one location to another and performs Buddhist traditional rites. In the event of Buddhist occasions, Hsi Lai Temple will prepare Dharma services in dedication of the deceased to gain the path of righteousness.

Vaults in the main pagoda and pagoda groves will be jointly administered by the management of Hsi Lai Temple and Rose Hills Memorial Park for the purchaser who is given the Deed of Grant. In addition, all legal documents will be filed with the governmental body that has jurisdiction over this establishment. The park is maintained by specialists who adopt cutting-edge technology and techniques that provide the most efficient and prompt service to all.

Situated within the Rose Hills Memorial Park, the Buddhist Memorial Columbarium is accessible by the 60 and 605 freeways. From the main road of the park entrance, it leads directly to the Columbarium that is both convenient to motorists and pedestrians.

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Why do Buddhists Wish to be Interred in or Near a Pagoda?

Pagodas originated from pre-Buddhist traditions and were originally burial mounds marking the graves of religious and political leaders and reminding people of the leader’s power.  They were integrated into Buddhism after Shakyamuni Buddha’s final passing or parinirvana as symbols for his continuing presence in the world.  Although their early hemispheric shape was sometimes interpreted as a symbol of the cosmos or of the mythical Mount Meru, the center of the Buddhist understanding of the cosmos, they gradually became reminders of his teachings which intended to stimulate spiritual progress among the living toward liberation.

Equally if not more importantly however, the pagoda universally remains as both a place where spiritual progress can occur for the living and the deceased and as a symbol architecturally of that progress.  As a cross is often placed upon the grave of a Christian as a symbol of the assurance of his resurrection upon the Second Coming of Christ, the pagoda is a symbol for the Buddhist of the stages of spiritual progress leading to Enlightenment and ultimate freedom symbolized by the pinnacle of the pagoda.. In the Mahayana tradition, while enlightenment is a personal goal of one’s spiritual practice, it is also a cosmic process that benefits all sentient beings.  The pagoda is a symbol of that individual and cosmic liberation.

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