Temple Project
From Vision to Manifestation - A Sacred Vision Becomes Reality
Dear Dharma Friends and Supporters, We are overjoyed to share that the Peace Mandala Temple is now moving from the planning stage into actual construction. After years of careful preparation, we stand at the threshold of manifesting Lama Dawa Rinpoche’s lifelong dream: a permanent home for the monumental three-dimensional Vajrakilaya Peace Mandala that will benefit beings for centuries to come.
The Sacred Land
The temple sits atop a high bluff overlooking the Upper Mississippi River Valley, in the Lansing Wildlife Management Area, in Lansing, Iowa. The ridge itself is shaped like a giant p’hurba pointing due east toward the Mississippi River – a natural geomantic formation that Lama Dawa recognized as the perfect seat for the Vajrakilaya Mandala, where the rising eastern sun will bathe the mandala in first light each morning. These bluffs have been revered for millennia, home to ancient Native American effigy mounds and petroglyphs. The land itself seems to welcome the temple with open arms.
A Temple Built to Last – and to Protect
Lama Dawa’s foremost wish has always been durability and his single non-negotiable requirement: the structure must be very strong and protect the mandala for as long as possible, even in the face of forest fires, tornados, and Iowa’s brutal winters. The building had to be extraordinarily resilient, and every decision has flowed from that intention.
Because we are inside the protected Lansing Wildlife Management zone, the county and the Iowa DNR imposed strict limits on location, height, and visual impact of the building. We have been working closely with Allamakee County and the Blufflands Protection Program to meet their regulations while honoring the natural beauty of the ridge.
Engineering and Accessibility
In addition, soil borings and samples are complete. All entrances, ramps, and bathrooms are fully ADA-compliant. A state-of-the-art fire-suppression system and fire-resistant exterior cladding have been specified.
EcoCor – The Perfect Builder
After being turned down by several local commercial contractors who were not comfortable working with Vastu requirements, we cast the net wider and discovered EcoCor, a Buddhist-owned company in Maine, and North America’s first certified Passive House component manufacturer outside Europe.
Using low-carbon, zero-VOC materials, they will prefabricate the walls and roof in their factory using their innovative panelization process, then ship the panels to Iowa, where the main structural components can be assembled in a matter of weeks. The result: a net-zero-ready, fire-resilient, extraordinarily quiet sanctuary that will protect the sacred mandala for generations.
Where Things Stand
- Final architectural drawings, structural engineering nearing completion
- Soil analysis and geotechnical report: finished
- Surveying and work with county commission office for permits
- EcoCor contract: ready for signature with initial 20% deposit due immediately
What is Next
- Hiring a site manager and local contractors to oversee the foundation work, road and retaining wall construction, the outer stonework, roofing, interior walls, flooring, electrical, plumbing and septic systems, solar panel installation.
- Hire Bhutanese artisans and craftsmen to build a traditional shrine, assemble the mandala, and build a glass-encased cabinet for the mandala.
- Final Landscaping
- Final consecration ceremony with Gyepa Rinpoche and his monks in 2027
Because of your unwavering generosity over the past years, we have reached this milestone with zero debt. Every donation, large or small, has brought us to the moment when cranes will rise above the bluff and the first panels are set in place. We are no longer dreaming.
Your faith and generosity have carried us to the edge of manifestation. Soon after, the Vajrakilaya Peace Mandala will be enthroned in its permanent home on the ancient bluffs, radiating peace and protection across the continent.
We are profoundly grateful for your faith in this vision. Together we are creating something rare and precious: a fortress of compassion built to withstand time itself.
From right to left, Jon Lipman, James Plaugher, Khandro Kunzang, Bernard Stahm
With boundless joy and gratitude,
The Peace Mandala Temple Team 