With Lama John Makransky and Paul Condon Saturday, April 17: 9:00am – 12:00pm | 2:00 – 5:00pm Sunday, April 18: 9:00am – 12:00pm

This program will explore ways of accessing and settling into our innate awakened awareness through practices adapted from Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma Dzogchen) with support from modern psychological science. By participating in an empowering field of loving spiritual connection, we can become increasingly receptive to the unconditioned openness, wisdom, and compassionate energy of our buddha nature. Yet parts of us, often unconsciously, tend to prevent us from more fully accessing such qualities of awakening. This is true even for long-time practitioners. To address that, we will focus on ways that healing powers of our buddha nature can help harmonize all parts of ourselves with that nature, so our innate capacities for compassion and wisdom can unfold more freely. Throughout the program, we will also explore how several leading theories in modern psychology can inform and empower this process of awakening, such as attachment theory, internal family systems, and emotional granularity. No scientific background is assumed; these terms and concepts will be introduced in accessible ways.

This retreat is both for practitioners who identify as Buddhists and for people of all backgrounds who seek an accessible way to cultivate unconditional powers of love, compassion, and wisdom for action. Guided meditations, explanation of key principles, and group discussion will clarify and empower our collective practice.

SUGGESTED DONATION Your extra donation makes these events available to others., and contributes to the dana for the teachers and KSC.
$125 Sponsorship fee
$95 Regular fee
$65 Reduced fee
$_____ My best offering

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

*All fees include $5 for credit card processing. If you prefer not to use a credit card, please print the online registration form, fill it out, and send with a check to KSC, 109 Clear Creek Drive #102, Ashland, OR 97520.

John Makransky, PhD is a Professor of Buddhism and Comparative Theology at Boston College, and senior advisor for Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche’s Centre of Buddhist Studies in Nepal. In 2000, John was ordained as a Lama, a meditation teacher of innate compassion and wisdom, within the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. As a meditation teacher, John is known for guiding participants in their discovery of underlying powers of love and wisdom. John developed the Sustainable Compassion Training model (SCT), to empower increasingly inclusive, unconditional love and compassion, beyond "compassion fatigue," for Buddhists and for people in caring roles and professions.

Paul Condon, PhD is an assistant professor of psychology at Southern Oregon University, and a Fellow of the Mind & Life Institute. Paul’s research examines the contributions of psychological science to modern meditation programs in dialogue with contemplative traditions. Paul has collaborated closely with John Makransky to develop Sustainable Compassion Training, a system of compassion and mindfulness practices adapted from Tibetan Buddhism. His research also examines the impact of meditation on compassion, prosocial behavior, and emotion. At SOU, Paul teaches Health Psychology, Sustainable Compassion, Stress Management, History of Psychology, Statistics, Writing & Research, and General Psychology.