Spring 2023 Newsletter
The swan’s progress… A swan appears to make no effort as it glides on a lake. Yet, all the while, it is paddling away invisibly under the surface.
In the same way, the Mikyo Dorje Institute project team has been working hard in ways that are not always visible to move the project steadily along.
Sharing the vision
The team designed and produced a beautiful leaflet outlining the proposed development which was put into the hands of His Holiness Karmapa, by Lama Jampa and Benie.
The website is almost ready for sharing we hope before spring has fully bloomed.
Finding a property
Our current priority is to identify a suitable property for the Institute. As Chogye Trichen Rinpoche (1971) states in the Gateway to the Temple,
‘A plot of land possessing good signs and characteristics is the foundation from which all happiness is produced, whoever wishes to build a temple on such a spot should first take possession of the land’.
In recent months, we have:
Developed a detailed and inspiring presentation about the Mikyo Dorje Institute, to share with councils.
Contacted senior planners and business development managers across Staffordshire and neighbouring authorities
Given presentations to senior members of Stafford and other Councils at which we shared Rinpoche's and Lama Jampa’s vision for the Institute
Initial feedback from Stafford and Shropshire Council was extremely positive – they were excited by the project and keen to build a relationship with us.
A very encouraging start!
Fundraising
We have had an initial meeting with the regional manager for Triodos Bank, who was enthusiastic about the project, as it aligns with the bank's ethos of financing projects which benefit people and the planet. He gratefully accepted a copy of the artist's impression of the Institute, which he said would go on his office wall.
Our fundraising consultant has advised us that projects such as ours are usually funded by people within or closely connected to the core community itself.
Over the past year we have contacted over eighty people from across Dechen to share ideas and inspire them to get involved. It has been encouraging to see how many people have offered to contribute time, skills and resources to the project.
If you haven’t heard from the team and would like to get involved, do email us at info@mikyodorje.institute
Costs to date
Initial seed funding for the Mikyo Dorje Institute development has been donated by people within Dechen, inspired by the vision and by recognising the need to resource this early phase. In 2021 and 2022, a total of £23,154 has been spent on the following items:
Website development
Hosting a stall at the Staffordshire County Show
Commissioning the painting and printing copies of it
Consultancy fees:
Architectural consultant - helped developed site specification and overview of building functions
Fundraising consultant - advised, and trained the team in ways to involve people and contributed to our case for support
Land agent - provided links to council staff and is looking for a suitable property.
Next steps
Key next steps for the next 12 months are:
Identify a suitable site / property;
Undertake site surveys
Work with architects and other professionals on conceptual designs
Work with local authorities on planning approval
Develop and submit pre-planning application to local authority
Costs for this phase of the project have been estimated to be around £100,000.
Thanks to the continuing generosity of people in Dechen, the Mikyo Dorje Institute has a current bank balance of about £40,000.
If you would like, or know somebody that would like, to offer their time, skills or resources to support the project, please get in touch at info@mikyodorje.institute
Preparing for take off....
Soon our swan will spread its wings and fly!
Kagyu Dechen Buddhism Trustees
12th March 2023