AKIPRESS.COM - 
A 177-foot-tall (around 53 meters) statue of the standing Maitreya Bodhisattva will be built in Mongolia under the spiritual direction of the Dalai Lama, reports Lion's Roar.
The project is set to be completed by 2018 and the builders, the Grand Maitreya Project, are currently holding a funding campaign to help finish its construction.
The project aims to rebuild Mongolia’s ancient culture and history of Tibetan Buddhism. The statue is meant to act as a beacon of peace, following Mongolia’s complicated history of anti-Buddhist campaigns.
The Grand Maitreya Project itself is indicative of a cultural divide finally being bridged. A stupa will be connected to the statue, housing interior teaching and meditation levels, holy relics and other artifacts. The Dalai Lama has selected sacred relics of the Buddha from his personal collection to be enshrined inside the Maitreya statue.
The statue’s construction site is located in a place known as Heart Hill, just outside of Mongolia’s capital city of Ulaanbaatar. The center will represent non-sectarian and international Buddhist communities. The project also hopes to offer free meditation training and educational services for people of all faiths and backgrounds.Related news: