aBodhicharya UK AWAKEN THE HEART BY OPENING rHE MIND Trustees Annual Report Year ending 31 December 2023. Welcome to our fourth annual report, to be filed with the Charities commission on 18 July 2024. Our Purpose The purpose of Bodhicharya UK is to advance the understanding and practice of the Buddhist faith and philosophy by promoting the Bodhicharya principles of healing, helping and harmony. We do this by: lal providing meetings, teachings and retreats,. Ibl encouraging and participating in interfaith and intercultur31 dialogue; Icl promoting and supporting well-being in body, mind and spirit; and Idl supporting the relief of those in need. The trustees take account of the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit in all of its activities. Chairperson's Statement We registered the Charity in August 2020 and like everyone else we endured a long period of lockdown and reduced activities. It was a useful time to put in place good administration processes and policies for our work, and also marked the great shift to remote video access. to meetings and events, which has been so instrumental in expanding the number of regular activities and widening participation. Since emerging from lockdown, the Bodhicharya UK Team and the work we do has grown and gone from strength to strength. Sadly and most notably, our Treasurer, sangha member and friend, David Fry, passed away in October 2023. The wisdom and kindness with which he helped support and guide the early development of Bodhicharya UK will be sorely missed, as will he for the person he was. As with every ending, there is a new beginning, and we are very pleased that Jay Rao from Bodhicharya London stepped into the Trustee Treasurer role in January 2024. Some more highlights of our activity to date include.. Creating better communication networks and collaboration between Bodhicharya groups in the UK. This has included more online activities and a greater awareness about them across all groups.
aBodhicharya UK AWAKEN THE HEART BY OPENING rHE MIND Bodhicharya UK becoming an official member of Medway InterFaith Action IMIFAI, Bodhicharya Kent becoming an active part of Medway's Interfaith Community which has raised the profile of the Buddhist faith amongst MIFA members. A great example of encouraging and participating in interfaith and intercultural dialogue. Supporting Green Tara Animal Sanctuary by way of donations and purchasing chicken coups for the sanctuary's rescued chickens. A great example of helping others- in this case abandoned animals. Sponsoring the write up of a new Dharma book by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche on death and dying, the first of many such projects we hope to help with in support of the Buddhist tradition. Establishing collaborative links with other Buddhist traditions, including the Western Chan Fellowship and the Jodu Shinshu Tradition via two faith leaders also operating in Kent, namely Stuart McLeod and David Quirk-Thornton, with a view to share a dedicated space for the study and practice of the Buddha Dharma. Taking part in the Medway Faith Leaders's Forum in Medway, Kent, which aims to increase understanding and collaboration between faith groups and also create a Faith Covenant to help better represent the needs of faith communities within the Local Authority. Creating collaborative links with the Local Authority in Medway. Kent, for the proposed establishment of a Bodhicharya UK Centre in conjunction with the Western Chan Fellowship and the Jodu Shinshu Tradition. The Centre is envisioned to be a place of healing, helping and harmony where Bodhicharya UK can carry out its objectives for the benefit of the local community and visitors to the area. Hosting retreats and teaching events by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche and other Bodhicharya teachers in 2022 and 2023. This year Bodhicharya Kent celebrated its 10 year anniversary with Ringu Tulku Rinpoche in collaboration with the International Dzogchen community, E-vam Institute and The Meridian Trust. A great example of providing Buddhist meetings, teachings and retreats. The creation of a Dharma School outreach team. Due to receiving many requests from schools to "visit your Temple" sent to Bodhicharya Kent's email inbox in Medway, a team of volunteers from Bodhicharya Kent and London created the Dharma School outreach programme, which has delivered classes in Buddhism and meditation. • Hosting an online teaching series with Shri Dharmakirti who resides at the Bodhicharya Retreat Centre in Sikkim, India, offering a chance for support f rom Bodhicharya UK.
aBodhicharya UK AWAKEN THE HEART BY OPENING rHE MIND Launch of the Dharma Support Project which aims to support people in their study and practice of the Buddha Dharma as well as help people attend course5 or training that supports their spiritual, emotional and physical well-being or that of others. Bodhicharya UK funded a place on a residential retreat in March 2024 in Kent and funded one year's access to the Ringu Tulku Archive for an individual.. We extend our thanks and gratitude to our Patron Ringu Tulku Rinpoche for his continuing inspiration, guidance and support, and to the Medway Mayor at the time, Madame Mayor Nina Gurung (now Councillor Nina Gurungl, for her continued encouragement and support in the endeavour to establish the new centre. Our success is also directly linked to the hard work of our core team, group leaders and network of volunteers and friends throughout the UK who are too numerous to mention. We have made steady progress in difficult times, and I'd like to personally thank everyone for their time, energy, commitment and consistency in moving us forward and helping fulfil our objectives and vision for the benefit of all. Over the next 12 month5 we plan to: Continue collaborating with Medway Council, The Western Chan Fellowship and the Jodu Shinshu Tradition to establish a Bodhicharya UK Buddhist Centre in Medway Make Bodhicharya London as a branch of Bodhicharya UK Host retreats and teaching events by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche and other Bodhicharya teachers in the UK Offer Bodhicharya UK'S donation platform to all Bodhicharya groups in the UK when they host Ringu Tulku Rinpoche. to increase awareness of and donations to the charity Create a Legacy Fund option for donors to Bodhicharya UK Continue to develop the Dharma School outreach team and offering Continue to support Green Tara Animal Sanctuary Thank you all for an inspiring and beneficial start to the Bodhicharya UK project. I look forward to continuing our work together over the next 12 months and fulfilling the charity's objectives for the benefit of all.
aBodhicharya UK AWAKEN THE HEART BY OPENING rHE MIND Administrative Details Charity registration number 1190768,. constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Principle address.. 43 Trinity Road, Gillingham, Kent. ME71JA Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity.. Cesare Saguato (Chairl Jay Rao (Treasurer) Sally MacKinnon Stuart Mccleod Michele Sisto
aBodhicharya UK AWAKEN THE HEART BY OPENING rHE MIND Annual accounts for Bodhicharya UK Year ending 31 December 2023 Year ending Year ending 2023 2022 Receipts Donations 8,744 8,865 David Fry Book sponsorship 1,500 Centre Fund 500 Green Tara Fundraiser 1,153 2024 Retreat deposits Book sales 600 38 24 Total Receipts Payment5 Rent 12,535 8,889 1,080 920 Event Costs 2,930 3,884 2024 event costs 600 Book costs 103 356 Subscriptions Admin 50 290 224 Total Overheads 5.003 5.434 Donation to Mary Heneghan- David Fry book Donations to Rigul Trust Donations to Shri Dharmakirti 1,500 175 1,667 204 Donations to Green Tara 674 Totsl Donations Total Payments Surplus for the year ending 31 December 2023 or year ending 31 December 2022 3,371 8.374 849 6.283 4,161 2,606 Cash balance at l January 2022 or l January 2023 Cash balance at 31 December 2022 or 31 December 2023 L 10,906 6,745 4,139 6,745
aBodhicharya UK AWAKEN THE HEART BY OPENING rHE MIND Notes These accounts are prepared on receipts and payments in line with Charity Commission guidelines. Donations are from online donations, meetings, larger events and direct gifts. AdmInisttiVe expenses relate to the cost ()f providing IT. online meetsnÈ platform costs and PayPal charges. The work of the charity is undertaken by volunteers. No Trustee, official or other person working on behalf of the charity received any emoluments for the work. Declaration The trustees declare that they have approved the accounts above Signature= Full name.. Jay Rao Position.. Treasurer Date.. 14 July 2024