Buddhist constructs stupa to save Almaty from quake

    By Assemgul Kassenova
    An architectural-sculptural monument called a stupa has been built in the Raiymbek village. The structure will allegedly protect Almaty from earthquakes
    Kazakhstani citizen Aleksander Gritskov built the structure, Tengrinews.kz reports.
    He initiated construction of a stupa, as.
    Gritskov studied in the tantric monastery in Dharamsala for five years and went to Mongolia to get the needed relics to “energize” the stupa. He explained the construction of the stupa in the Raiymbek village started in July 2012 and was recently completed.
    He said Tibetan stupas looks like a small houses without doors with another house with a Buddha-aspect on the roof. The Buddhists are confident the stupa has a magic power and can calm down wild powers of nature, including potential earthquakes.
    Gritskov said the earthquakes stopped in Dharamsala after a stupa was installed there. “We want to believe that there will be no cataclysms, including earthquakes, in Almaty after the construction of a stupa in Almaty,” Gritskov said. He noted he bought special Tibetan dogs to protect the stupa in the village.
    He added that stupas should not be a mass produced, as they require a sincere and self-giving intention. “If, for example, people want to build a stupa in the north to avoid floods, we will support this, but the desire has to be sincere,” Gritskov said.
    The stupa was built in Kazakhstan under supervision of Professor of Buddhist philosophy, Tenzin Thinley, www.tengrinews.kz said.