The Great Paia Lha Bab Peace Stupa, is the gateway to the Maui Dharma Center and is dedicated to the legacy of the late Lama Tenzin (1938-2001), the first full-time resident teacher of the Center.

Ground breaking for the Stupa began in April of 2005 and was completed in time for His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama's historic visit to Maui in the Spring of 2007. The Stupa was consecrated by His Holiness on the morning of April 24, 2007 before five hundred invited guests.

The present resident teacher, Lama Gyaltsen brilliantly directed the construction of the Stupa from conception to completion. An impressive accomplishment after just arriving to the West a few years earlier. A magnificent symbol of peace and love, many people from around the world visit the Stupa every day. This outdoor shrine is a sacred spiritual monument, an architectural expression of the Buddha's teachings. It stands twenty-seven feet high, has a large mani prayer wheel and has become the scared landmark for the humble seaside village of Paia.

In the summer of 2010, the Center rededicated its commitment to building a new, larger Tibetan-style temple. The vision to build a new Temple on the grounds of the Maui Dharma Center began over a decade ago, before the death of Lama Tenzin. His untimely death and the time it required for Lama Gyaltsen to arrive as the new resident teacher delayed the construction effort. During this interim it was overwhelmingly decided to build a stupa first, as a tribute to Lama Tenzin.

As the Great Paia Lha Bab Peace Stupa serves as the gateway to the Center, the new temple will be its nucleus. Work has begun to lay the preliminary ground work for the building of the temple, and like the construction of the Stupa, many, many hands and a substantial monetary commitment will be needed for its completion. A master plan and a capitol campaign will be developed and announced over the coming months. The Center invites everyone from all walks of life and from every corner of the earth to help with this heartfelt and valuable project.

This stone marker was blessed by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in April, 2007
as the sacred site for the new temple.