Cloudy in Beijing Blogging about my time in China

Back to the Stargate

According to the Chinese media reports, this is the world's tallest stupa.

It's located in a rural county a ways from Xi'an, and the structure reaches almost 500 feet. Earlier this month, it was unveiled to the public.

I passed by it a month ago while visiting the nearby Buddhist temple. The stupa was still under construction, and thus off limits. Now tourists are free to come in.

It's English name is Palms Together Dagoba, and the structure basically resembles two hands in prayer. But like I wrote before, this monument looks more like it belongs in a science-fiction movie, or the Las Vegas strip.

Stupas are Buddhist structures that contain ancient religious relics. Usually they look more like mounds, and are also very old. Though this particular stupa has none of those two traits, it does
house a very special Buddhist relic: an actual finger bone to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of the religion.

The interesting thing I found about the stupa is that it feels like you have to take a mini-pilgrimage to get there.

In order to reach the stupa, one has to walk along a concrete pathway that stretches for over half a mile. Golden Bodhisattvas flank you on both sides, inspiring worshipers to stop and pray with their incense sticks. Along the way are exhibits detailing Buddhism history and culture, though I don't know if I understood them.

"From beginningless time until now, all living beings have mistaken themselves for things," one sign read in English.

I know little about Buddhism, but while I was walking up the stupa, I wondered if the architects tried to envision what attaining Nirvana might be like when they built this place. The long pavement road is like a grey cloud in Heaven. The giant statues sit solemnly as if they were meditating gods. The pagoda at the end is enlightenment. And food stands are located to your right in case you are thirsty.

This place is certainly grand. But there was one thing that shocked me. To enter the place costs 120 RMB, or $17, a hefty sum of money and something my students would never dare pay.

The reason for the high cost is because the makers of the place decided to lump together the major surrounding tourist attractions into one big venue. An all or nothing approach.

I read a news report this would be temporary, and that they might eventually scale down the ticket price or even cancel it.

Nevertheless, I couldn't help but feel like I was ripped off. By a Buddhist shrine of all things. Nirvana my ass. (No offense)