Instant Car-Ma
Pagoda Progress Pictures
by Dr. Schlock.

The Buddhist stupa form of architecture is said to have been prescribed by the Buddha Sakyamuni himself. It serves as a sacred structure intended to act as a "broadcast tower" for positive spiritual energy. In Asia, thousands upon thousands of stupas have been constructed over the 2500 years of Buddhist history, mostly following rather faithfully the traditional design popularized in Ashokan India. The pagoda--a multi-roofed tower as developed in China, Korea, and Japan--is directly derived from the finial structure of rings and umbrellas which surmounts the stupas built in the Himalayan countries.

Dr. Schlock was inspired to build a stupa on top of his Buddha Buggy, Rhonda the Honda, as an act of devotion. Our photographs capture the early stages of construction, as of March 19, 2000. Schlock's pagoda--named the Seattle Dharmadhatu Stupa--now rises some 53 inches from the top of the car's roof, as seen here. The finished version includes strings of colorful prayer flags running from hood to pinnacle and down again to rear spoiler on both sides. The building's design is based on the traditional stupa form as interpreted in Nepal over the centuries--somewhat closer to the gradual dome of the Indian stupa than the more cylindrical shape of the common Tibetan stupa, or chorten-- but enhanced with eclectic elements from India and China as well.

Photo of rough pagoda fitted onto car's roof

Like the traditional temple buildings of Asia, the Dharmadhatu Stupa houses sacred relics in its cubic chamber atop the dome, the Buddha-eyed harmika (reliquary). This space will enshrine mystical mantras and sacred objects blessed by Tibetan monks in Dharmsala, India. Eighteen miniature statues  placed at strategic points will decorate the pagoda, and mantras and mandalas will weave a circle of "sacred space" around the car wherever the Wheels of Dharma may take it to. A 13-inch porcelain Amitabha sits in a gabled niche at the front of the dome, with a gilded mandala behind his head. The finished construction is painted white with red and gold accents and blue Buddha eyes. The spindle on top of the pagoda will be composed of the customary 13 golden rings, symbolizing the 13 steps of the Path to Enlightenment, and rising to a climactic pinnacle--a flame-shaped mandala centered on the Wheel of the Dharma. For parades, the stupa is rigged with fluttering prayer flags and twirling pinwheels and blasts Bodhisattva over the heads of the adoring crowds.

All photos shown on this web page are copyright © 2000 by Larry Neilson.


STUPA  FACTS and  FIGURES:

Kredits: Koncept and Karpentry: Schlock.
Thanks to Kim David Hall (hardware engineering); Steve Anderson (sculpting dome);
Bert Bradley (carpentry consultation and tools); Far East Handicrafts (design assistance);
Terry Robb for sound advice and wiring wizardry;
and special thanks to Lobsang Lama for architectural and spiritual advice.