A question that, for now, remains partly unanswered is how the land will be managed. That will become clearer when we know what type of land we have, how many acres and who has come forward with ideas, energy and a wish to be involved.

I had a meeting a couple of days ago at which Sanghadeva put forward his own area of interest. Here are his thoughts:

“Some members of the Sangharakshita Land Project steering group met recently to discuss various issues. One of these issues was ways that the project could create an ongoing source of income. The running costs will be considerable and it is essential that this issue is given thorough consideration. I am keen to try to contribute an idea that might, in time, be able to generate a pretty good income stream.

“I have been creating a garden here at Madhyamaloka for the past ten years and have discovered that I have some skill in landscape and planting design. This makes me reasonably confident that I could transfer these skills to a bigger canvas. I proposed to the meeting that at the new land project I design and create a significant garden which might generate enough interest to invite public visitors. We could also provide a plant/garden centre and tea/gift shop creating an excellent opportunity to create a very good Team Based Right livelihood situation. It would also be possible to set up a mail order plants business, which would imply creating a plants nursery.

“It would also provide an excellent interface between the public and the TBC. Personally I am not interested in living in a Buddhist enclave and feel that interaction with the public in a beautiful ‘secular’ environment which is known to be run by Buddhists could be a very important contribution to the profile of our Movement (and Buddhism generally). I envisage this garden and any associated businesses would be set well away from the Study Centre and communities so the there should be no compromise to the privacy our core activity areas.

“The meeting asked me to come up with a more detailed plan. I must say that I am very excited about the possibility of helping to manifest something of great beauty that can also generate an income for the Project and I do sense that this idea could go quite some way to making a significant contribution to the overall project. Of course it is something that we could all enjoy whenever we visit the Project.  I hope this idea is one that will capture the imagination of people who might be able to contribute skills or even stimulate some to set about acquiring the sort of skills that will be required.”

You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned money yet! Last week we had two days of discussion at Madhyamaloka as you can see in the photo. Dhammarati took it so he’s not in the pic and  Suvajra joined us for puja so he’s there behind the puja table (cushion).

We met to explore the various strands of the project so far via reports and discussion. Karunika had prepared a long list of questions he thought needed answering in order to proceed. This gave us focus and led to discussion that was practical, reflective and inspiring. We all felt that we were getting a clearer picture of what the project actually is and the steps we need to take to move it on.

For example if or when we find a possibly suitable site that’s on the market we have to act decisively if we’re not to miss it. But there are many people involved in the decision and so we could potentially be hampered by the practical difficulties of getting all the key decision makers to visit the site. It could take months! So we ironed out a ‘streamlined process’ to make sure enough key decision makers would be involved without crucial weeks being lost.

Oh, I still haven’t mentioned money. Naturally this project will unfold over many years as Order members choose to develop the project so our concern right now is having enough money for the initial purchase, renovation and/or new build of phase one and on-going running cost.

The running cost is, as always, the most challenging element because that figure is based on a ‘business plan’ which is dependent on several currently vague factors like – how many people will live there, how much money the new dharma training centre will generate, which other projects will be associated with the land bringing in income. Without knowing where the land is, how big it is, what sort of buildings are involved, when it’s going to happen, etc it’s hard to develop a dependable business plan so that’s work in progress.

But the money for the initial buy and first phase development is a little easier to clarify. We have to work with what we’ve got. And what, you may be wondering, is that! Well, the project is being initiated by the charity ‘FWBO Central’ and it owns three properties made up of two community buildings and Madhyamaloka itself. These three buildings are estimated to be worth around two and a quarter million pounds. There is a further six hundred thousand pounds given to Bhante by Windhorse:evolution for the library project. So we have around three million in the pot some of which has be reserved for initial running cost shortfalls and a few other things. Of course we will need to find more money but at least we can make  a serious start. However it’s no good having all that money locked away in properties because if we do find land that we want to buy we need cash in the bank. After much deliberation the meeting agreed that we had to recommend putting the two community buildings on the market as soon as possible. This is a painful step as it means a number of people lose their homes (unless they can buy the buildings themselves) and a regular rental income for the charity is lost. But we cannot proceed without that money. Madhyamaloka won’t be sold at this stage not least because it’s where Bhante lives and we need to ensure that he is not disturbed. A key aim of this project is to allow a seamless move for him from his current home to the new project.

A few more million pounds would be most welcome though. There is so much to be done. We concluded our two days together with a puja calling upon the lineage of the gurus to grant their blessings. The puja was dedicated to yellow jambhala.

The Prosperous Deva-king of the North

And Great Dharma Protector of the Buddha Path

Showers us with countless riches and treasures,

Fulfilling all wishes with prosperity abound.

Om! Jambhala Jalandraye svāhā!