IF YOU ARE NOT A BUDDHIST…

Why would you support the construction of a Tibetan Buddhist meditation center in the heart of Ashland?

Kagyu Sukha Chöling’s (KSC’s) presence enriches and benefits the entire community.
All Buddhist practice and study converges on a single purpose: the development of individuals with an ever-expanding capacity to benefit others. This collective intention, coupled with Buddhism’s ecumenical perspective and tradition of service, commits the Center and its members to making a positive contribution to the community and to all whose lives it touches.

The new KSC building will be “green”.
The new Meditation Center will be built on principles of sustainability and renewability, making it one of the first such mixed-use buildings in Ashland and serving as a model for others to follow.

Buddhism excludes no one.
The teachings of the Buddha are universal. They offer methods that anyone of any faith-or no faith-can apply to lead a peaceful, happy, meaningful life. These days, non-Buddhists are increasingly incorporating Buddhist ideas and practices into their own lives. In this spirit, Kagyu Sukha Chöling (KSC) welcomes everyone.

Its teachings develop compassion and promote peace.
The Buddha taught specific methods to develop compassion and loving kindness, qualities that do not adhere to any dogma. They are human traits that allow us to bridge differences in race, ethnicity, religion, and nationality. Compassion and loving kindness are the direct antidotes to prejudice and aggression, encouraging our innate impulse toward altruism and kindness, and nurturing our commitment to peace.

Anyone can learn and benefit from Tibetan Buddhist meditation techniques.
For over twenty-five hundred years, simple and practical Buddhist meditation techniques have helped people calm the mind. A calm mind reduces daily stress, cultivates inner peace, encourages contentment, and reduces suffering. When we are calm, our problem-solving abilities improve, and we cope better with life’s demands. On a deeper level, the Buddha’s teachings and practices for developing wisdom lead to a profound understanding of the nature of mind and the world of phenomena. For those on a spiritual journey, Tibetan Buddhism offers unique, powerful tools to progress along the path.

Meditation has a positive effect on both body and mind.
Research indicates that meditation develops a positive state of mind and promotes physical health. As a result of such findings, neuroscientists, along with experts from medicine, psychiatry, psychology, and molecular genetics, are taking a keen interest in the effects of meditation on the brain itself and on the subjective experience of meditators.

Buddhism and science have many areas of agreement.
The natural meeting ground between science and Buddhism is an active frontier of research today. In fact, the study of mind and consciousness has become a recognized branch of science. Since 1987, symposiums of distinguished physicists and others have met with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, to examine the many correspondences between Western scientific inquiry and Buddhist contemplative philosophy. The commonality that has emerged-especially in relation to quantum physics -presents fertile ground for those whose primary interest in Buddhism is intellectual.

The Center’s resident teachers are American.
KSC is fortunate to have two highly trained resident teachers directing the Center. Lama Pema and Lama Yeshe are both American women, an advantage that allows them to communi-cate Buddhist thought directly and clearly, without the barriers of a foreign language and an unfamiliar culture. Largely because of their knowledge, communication skills, and personal qualities, within seven years KSC has grown from a few practitioners into a robust Tibetan Buddhist community.

The New Center will draw great Buddhist teachers to Ashland.
Because of its ties to an old and respected tradition, the Center will attract visits by meditation masters from all over the world. Generally, one must travel far to encounter these exceptional teachers. KSC will bring them here, to our small town of Ashland, where many visitors will gather to hear them.

Very simply...
The new Kagyu Sukha Chöling Meditation Center will offer a refuge from life’s hectic demands. It will be a place of beauty to sit and refresh oneself or, in difficult times, to help find within a measure of serenity.