News About Samadhi & the CCN

Dear friends,

I’m writing to share some exciting developments about Samadhi.

Many of you know of our close relationship with the Contemplative Consciousness Network (the CCN), founded in 2011 by my dear friend Elizabeth West. The CCN was initially established to promote and organise Lama Alan’s activities in the UK and Europe, and to pass on his transformative teachings—the teachings which I have been passing on in our sessions together.

Over the years, the CCN’s form has evolved, but its core vision remains. Recently, Marie and I have been managing both the CCN and Samadhi’s operations and activities. In the latter half of 2024, during discussions about how best to serve our community, both organisations agreed that rather than duplicating efforts, it might be more effective to merge.

After consulting Lama Alan, who gave his blessing and recognised the thriving community at Samadhi, both our boards decided to proceed. In December, CCN’s board opted to dissolve, transferring its assets to Samadhi, a process we expect to complete in the coming weeks.

What to Expect

Day-to-Day Activities
Our classes, gatherings, and retreats will continue as usual, run by the same people, with no changes to our board or general operations.

Samadhi will continue some CCN legacies, such as the London study/retreat days, certain online seminars, and the annual week-long summer retreat traditionally led by Lama Alan. In future, we plan to invite him and other familiar teachers to lead this retreat each August.

New Teaching Archive
In time, an online archive of teachings from Lama Alan, Eva Natanya, Glen Svensson, and others will be integrated into Samadhi’s website. We’ll create a simple ‘pathway’ to help you explore this content according to your interests.

Wider Community
CCN’s international mailing list will also become part of Samadhi, so we may see more of our dharma siblings from across the world joining our sessions. Some have already been attending our Sunday meetings since last year, and it’s been wonderful to welcome them.

Together, we have created such a strong and nurturing community. I feel delighted that we may be able to share this more widely, especially as good companionship is such an essential part of our practice, yet not easy to come by in today’s world. 

I believe this development is both positive and encouraging, and will allow us to grow further. I don’t foresee it altering the core spirit of Samadhi or creating anything that feels unfamiliar to you.

If you have any questions, we invite you to reach out to us here by email, and we’ll be happy to help.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this update. Manu and I, and the rest of the Board, are deeply grateful for your ongoing support and dedication. 

I look forward to continuing to support one another in practice and friendship,

With warmest wishes,
David