In 1977 the Venerable Lama Karma Thinley Rinpoche was visiting at the Monastery, and a few years later was instrumental in offering the idea of a 25 foot high concrete Buddha statue to H.H. XV1 Karmapa. His Holiness presented Karma Choeling with a small statue made by him, to be put in this statue.

When the Twelfth Kenting Tai Situ Rinpoche visited in 1988, he blessed the site chosen 9 years earlier, and we were able to get started. By then we had mastered the intricacies of beaurocratic manoeuvring, and had all the necessary approvals. Vast amounts of steel and concrete were placed in convoluted formwork. The first year saw the foundations and throne roughed out, including the two rooms (later to be sealed) underneath.

Another summer came and the formwork leapt up to shape the torso. Generally, most parts were formed around tied steel, then concrete was pumped in. The arms were fun. The Lamas made the fingers and toes out of clay, from which we made moulds of fibreglass, so we could pour them in concrete. They had steel sticking out the ends. Whilst welding up the steel fingers to the hand, it looked like a take out from the original "Terminator" movie. We left two more doors, to get into his torso. When it came to the head, Lama Samten was determined to have a cube. So we put up this enormous cube on top of Buddha's shoulders. It was about 10 tons, and required extensive scaffolding. We provided the Lamas with an air driven chisel, and left them to it.

First lines were drawn with chalk, then they started whittling. Over the next two months, they carved one side of the face, the lines still being visible on the other. Having finished one side, they started the other. During four months of whittling, at least four air chisels worn out. After the face was more or less finished, we started plastering, to form the robes. We mixed in oxide to colour the concrete, arriving at a colour that the Lamas liked.

Not long after this, H.H. Dalai Lama came, for an amazing two hour visit to the Monastery. During this visit, he performed the 'wisdom eye-opening' ceremony and dedicated the statute for world peace.. It was winter, it blew and rained. We had draped the head in cloth, with a complicated system designed to draw back the covers at the strategic moment. This was actually achieved, doubtless due to divine intervention, by monks swinging on ropes!

Having basically got the Buddha right, outside, the serious work got under-way, inside. The life tree was fitted, all the holy objects collected over all those years were installed and the back doors also sealed. The head was the most special of all, and here finally went that little statue from His Holiness XV1 Gyalwa Karmapa. In 1993 the final consecration ceremony was performed, thus fulfilling the wishes of His Holiness XV1 Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpay Dorje.

The base still remains unfinished, and the Lamas had become dissatisfied with the face. They subtly reshaped it. The cause of the less than perfect work to date had been the rush to finish in time for H.H. Dalai Lama's visit. This time, both Lamas worked very carefully to get the tiniest detail exactly according to tradition, and expressed solid satisfaction upon completion. Leaving the face still unpainted, they next turned their attention to the lotus petal throne.

Much discussion about how to make the petals, eventually solidified into soft shapes, lovingly moulded out of local clay, complete with grass reinforcing. The lamas had decided on two layers of lotus petals, 16 in each layer. A big circle outside, and a smaller, higher circle inside. So they made, in clay, a sample of each size lotus petal. When these clay "plugs" were made, we layered them with fibreglass to produce strong moulds, which were each then cut in half: so now we had four moulds in total, each mould forming half of one lotus petal. Next concrete and steel mesh were layered in the moulds, to produce the final result; concrete "half" petals. This last operation was repeated sixteen times over the next few months!

Meanwhile, between casting petals, the two shrine rooms (Zambalha & Mahakala) inside the base were cleaned out and the shrines prepared. Inside everything is covered with material, and ornamented with symbolic objects of every description. Eventually, on a most auspicious day, the last pujas were perfomed, and the last exit finally sealed with another foot of concrete and steel.

Outside, the big lotus "halves" were mighty heavy when we came to lift them up. There was also a lot of discussion about how to fix them in position. Each big petal finished up with five separate restraints, all carefully buried afterwards to protect the metal from corrosion. Behind the petals, the concrete was filled in to provide gentle slopes for drainage.

After these were all fitted, Lama Samten took off on his tour around New Zealand, and Lama Shedrup continued with the plastering of the base, complete with the eight auspicious symbols. At the same time, extra concrete has been used to make some "mani stones". Some of these are about the size of brief cases and have No 8 wire handles. Lama Shedrup spent many months carving in fresh mortar, intricate scenes and symbolic shapes, and colouring them with oxide.

We are still not finished; there is the hillside behind, which is to have numerous caves with little statues of the 16 Arhants and the landscaping in the front.

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