The Buddhist concept of Thabs la mkhas pa — “skill in means” — came to life this month during the Bhutan Innovation in Pedagogy and Leadership Workshop, the first initiative of its kind for Bhutan’s monastic community. The inaugural workshop was convened in Thimphu, from October 9th to October 13th, 2025.

Organized by the Khedrup Foundation in partnership with the Generative Contemplation Initiative at the University of Virginia and funded by the U.S. State Department, the three-day program gathered 30 Khenpos, Lopens, Trulkus, Rinpoches, monks, and nuns from across the country. Some participants journeyed for days to attend, reflecting the deep interest in strengthening monastic education for a changing world.

Unlike conventional leadership or education workshops, this gathering did not introduce external frameworks. Instead, it asked a profound question: How can Buddhist wisdom itself guide innovation in teaching and leadership?

Rather than adopting external models, the workshop encouraged participants to co-create distinctively Bhutanese and Buddhist approaches to teaching, leadership, and community engagement. It invited reflection on how Bhutan’s religious institutions can navigate rapid global changes with awareness, discerning what to embrace and what to release, guided by the principle of karma, ethical responsibility, and intentional action.

This workshop marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration to equip Bhutan’s spiritual leaders with the tools to serve future generations — not by replacing tradition, but by empowering it with creativity and foresight. It also underscores one of the core missions of Khedrup Foundation: to create skillful, modern methods to connect with diverse communities and make Buddhist teachings more accessible and relevant, using world class connections.