Temple for Peace, Buddhist monastery in Aubry-le-Panthou, France

Temple for Peace is a Tibetan-style temple under construction at Aubry-le-Panthou in Normandy, designed by Lama Gyurme after the Samye monastery in Tibet. Its five levels total 3,600 m² over a 700 m² footprint: the ground floor and first-floor gallery for Theravada, a Mahayana temple on the second, a Vajrayana temple on the third, and a small pagoda of enlightenment with the five dhyani buddhas on top. The photograph shows the red frame, white walls, tiered dark roofs and black railings of the rising structure.

The project received approval from French authorities and backing from a prominent Buddhist spiritual leader. The construction was financed through community donations and artistic activities.

The monastery serves as a meeting point for people from different spiritual backgrounds. Here, Buddhist practices are shared alongside other forms of cultural expression and artistic creation.

The site is a construction project, not an open complex: only the foundations were completed, in 2011, and the main structure is still to be built. The Peace and Light Festival, held since 2006 at the Pagode de Vincennes in the Bois de Vincennes, raises funds for the work; the 2019 edition took place at Vajradhara-Ling in Normandy.

Lama Gyurme conceived the project after finding Second World War remains near Vajradhara-Ling and visiting the Omaha Beach cemetery, which led him to build a place dedicated to peace. He presented the plan to the 17th Karmapa at Tsurphu during pilgrimages in 1995 and 1998.