INTERVIEW WITH NELL LEFEBVRE
Nell LeFebvre has been with KSC since 2006. At the time she joined, she had recently returned to Southern Oregon, and was living in Medford. Nell took refuge in Woodstock, New York at KTD, the North American seat of the Karmapa. KSC, also Kagyu, felt like a natural connection for her. A little over 6 years ago Nell moved to Portland, but has stayed connected to the center. She recently retired from the board after 8 years.
Nell feels a warm connection and comfort with Lama Yeshe and Lama Pema. “Their teaching styles connect with the way my brain works -- organized and progressive -- and I really appreciate that. They are always available for questions and dialogue. Their motivation is simply for you to understand and deepen your practice.”
For many years, Nell has been the head of ceremonial arts and is currently co-leading with Sara Smith. “When I attended KTD in Woodstock, I spent a lot of time with the head of ceremonial arts and learned various traditions from her.” Shortly after Nell became involved at KSC, she asked the lamas if they would consider teaching a course on ceremonial arts, including shrine care, understanding sacred implements, and how to make tormas. The lamas agreed and developed a curriculum. There is no other center that Nell knows of that offers a similar course. Nell is also involved with hospitality, which involves helping to arrange visiting teachers’ quarters, meals and other needs.
Even though Nell lives 5 hours away, and has been in Portland for over 6 years, she is still very connected to KSC. “These are my lamas and my sangha. I’ve been to other centers, and have never experienced the warmth and openness we have at KSC. I can’t imagine it any other way. Being able to do the weekly practices on zoom, I’ve been able to stay connected despite the distance. I think we all feel a part of something bigger and we support each other in our practice. It’s so important to every part of my life.”
Mingyur Rinpoche made a last minute visit to KSC in April, and talked with a part of the sangha, and Nell made a special trip down to Ashland to attend the talk. Because of space considerations during COVID, only the board and limited students of the monthly practice groups were able to attend, however the recording is available on the KSC website using this link:
https://www.kscashland.org/guest-teacher-resources?rq=mingyur%20rinpoche
What were the themes of Rinpoche’s talk?
Rinpoche spoke mainly about meditation and awareness. He explained that there are two main types of meditation -- object and subject oriented. Object-oriented meditation focuses on something tangible, such as the breath, a statue, or a sound. Subject oriented meditation is focused directly on awareness. In his teachings, Mingyur Rinpoche emphasizes the value of understanding awareness. He told a story of a sign he saw on the back of a truck: anything…anytime…anywhere… Awareness is the essence of any kind of meditation. It’s always there, with us at any time. We can always check in with it.
Rinpoche also spoke about our basic innate goodness -- our buddha nature. We often don’t acknowledge the original purity that we all are.
Some people are confused about his laughter. I think he’s light hearted and genuinely happy and it comes across in the way he teaches. He wants people to understand.
What part of his teaching was most meaningful to you?
Awareness. It’s something I try and do as I’m going through my day -- to just move into a moment of quiet awareness. I always enjoy any teaching that has to do with that.
If you are interested in participating in Ceremonial Arts or Hospitality please contact the center at (541) 552-1769.