Rinpoche would like all centers involved in building stupas to know that the two curved banners adorning the top of stupas are an important aspect of the construction and should not be omitted, as they represent the two wings of the path.

These banners are shown in the line drawings in Benefits and Practices of Statues and Stupas, Part 2: Building and Blessing Holy Objects (2006 edn, pp. 115–121) and are not in many of the color photographs of FPMT stupas. Please refer to these line drawings when looking for a visual reference of how to build a stupa.

Rinpoche also said that the decorations along the bottom of stupas can and should be much more elaborate than those pictured in the line drawings and more like those shown on the color pages.