Update on Future Lamas

 Dear Members of the Sangha, 

At the request of the board of directors, we write to describe the status of the eventual transition to new lama leaderships at KSC. 

All of you will know that we have steadily diminished our teaching at KSC over the last five years. We no longer teach in Eugene monthly, and as of this year, have taught our final retreats in that area. We have discontinued teaching classes and one practice group, and we have fewer pastoral meetings than in earlier years. 

This has allowed us the time and energy for study in order to teach the remainder of the lama-led schedule 

– two Sunday services, practice groups, annual retreats and some pastoral counseling meetings. It remains our honor and pleasure to do so, and we hope that our capabilities will support that well into the future. 

KSC is fortunate to have many friends who come regularly as guest teachers, enlivening the program and deepening the dharma available at the center. In addition, we are extremely fortunate to have Associate Lama Liza teaching classes at KSC, as well as creating and leading new meditation programs and offering pastoral counseling meetings to the sangha. To have Lama Liza, a three-year retreat graduate, interested in teaching the dharma, and choosing our town and center as the preferred locale for her step into teaching, is a great gift to us all. 

As well, Devon and Craig Hase continue their long home retreat while residing at KSC. In respect for that retreat, we have recommended they teach only rarely at the center, but they remain a rich resource for future teaching events. 

In summary, the teaching resources for our center are rich, and we are grateful that, even though we teach less than formerly, there are local and visiting teachers upon which KSC can and does rely. We hope to teach for a long time into the future, as it is the model with which our teachers inspired us. As for a future lead teacher (or teachers) for KSC, discussions continue between the lamas and the board. We have not entered the process to seek candidates, but have a mature policy, including several ways to invite and secure sangha input, that will aid in that process when it feels time to enter it. 

We have entered our summer retreat, a time of rest, wider horizons, personal practice, and inspiration. We wish all of you the best of summers – deep joy in the beauty and freedom offered by the natural world, relaxation in the warmth of the season, time with friends and loved ones within the relative safety of the outdoors, and of course, we wish you good meditation practice, as always. 

Lama Yeshe and Lama Pema