A Tibetan Stupa within the Flow of Cultural Transformations : The Opportunities and Challenges of Transplanting Buddhist Architecture from Asia to Europe

Abstract

1.Introduction 2.The Tibetan Type of Stupa, the Mchod rten in Nepal 3.Contemporary Tibetan Stupas in Europe-A Brief Summary 4.The Stupa in the Rhododendron Park of Bremen, Germany 5.The Stupa as an Exhibit within the Asiatic Landscape 6.Construction History of the Bremen Stupa 7.The Symbolism of Stupa in this Extraordinary Context 8.The Stupa and the Garden of Human Rights 9.Some Conflicts & Political and Economic Aspects 10.Transformations on Many Levels 11.Concluding RemarksStupas are among the key visual representations of Buddhism, having developed from ancient reliquaries into complex structures with deep, multilayered symbolism. What happens when these outstanding pieces of Buddhist material culture travel to other continents, especially when non-Buddhists build them on public grounds? Do their spiritual values, symbolic meanings, and religious significance remain unchanged, or are altogether new levels of meaning added? This essay participates in ongoing debates over the transformation of art and architecture within cultural flows between Europe and Asia. Based on a case study of a Tibetan byang chub mchod rten (Enlightenment stupa) in a public park in Germany, it addresses some of the key issues and discussions that arise when an ancient tradition is emplaced in a new cultural context