There is a story of our Tara retreat center and the Thousand Stars Foundation in the January 2008 issue of the Metanexus Institute's Global Spiral Magazine: www.metanexus.org
Mantra Stupa—Hua Hin, Thailand
Homage to you whose face is radiant like a thousand stars.
—Prayer to the Twenty-One Taras
The images above are taken of the interior and exterior of a mantra stupa at the Tara Khadiravana Buddhist Retreat Center in Hua-Hin, Thailand. This site is operated and maintained by theThousand Stars Foundation—a nonprofit group that fosters ties between the Theravadan Buddhism of Thailand and the Vajrayāna and Bön Buddhism of Tibet.
Khadiravana is a Sanskrit word meaning "Khadira (Acacia catechu) forest". This pastoral setting in the Prachuab Khiri Khan Province is consecrated to Tara, the female Buddha of compassion, and is believed to be her abode on earth. The mantra stupa is composed of colorful prayer flags imprinted with prayers to Tara and the various Buddhas and Boddhisattvas, which the Tibetans believe are carried to every corner of the world when the wind blows.
The Thousand Stars Foundation, headquartered in Nonthaburi, Thailand, serves to preserve and protect the religion, language and culture of the Tibetan people and to promote dialogue between the various forms of Buddhism. In addition to maintaining the Retreat Center, the Foundation offers courses in the Tibetan language, publishes books and hosts conferences on Tibet and Buddhism, supports a primary school and nunnery in Tibet, and hosts a Buddhism and science dialogue group that is part of the Metanexus Global Network.
To learn more, visit http://www.thousand-stars.org
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