The Goodman Lectures have been organized to honor the life and commitment to the Dharma of Prof. Steven D. Goodman (1945–2020), a long-time Khyentse Foundation friend and advisor. According to the Khyentse Foundation: “During his many years of service to different academic institutions and Buddhist communities, Prof. Goodman’s wisdom and humor buoyed his students and colleagues. His commitment to making the fruits of Buddhist studies available to a broad audience was unshakeable. The Goodman Lectures are inspired by Steven’s enduring vision of making academic talks sponsored by Khyentse Foundation available to all.” (Khyentse Foundation)

The first lecture will be by Donald S. Lopez, Jr., the Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the University of Michigan on  12 June (10:00 EDT; 16:00 CET; 19:30 IST; 22:00 CST). The lecture will be titled “Reason and Revelation in Buddhism,” and will be introduced by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. Details and a registration link for future talks will be announced by email and on social media near the beginning of each month.

Steven D. Goodman worked as a translator for a number of prominent Tibetan Buddhist teachers, including Dzongsar Khyentse, Tenzin Wangyal, Bhaka Tulku, Thinley Norbu, and Lama Tharchin.

He served as a founding member of the Working Committee for the project 84000: Translating The Words of The Buddha in addition to his work as an advisor to Khyentse Foundation. He was also a founding board member and president of the Buddhist Film Foundation.

At the time of Goodman’s passing in 2020, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche said in a statement: “Steven had all the requisite academic knowledge and achievements, and he was also one of those very, very rare scholars who looked at Buddhism directly for what it truly is. And so he dared to go beyond both the subjective and the objective. Steven Goodman’s passing is a major loss for Buddhism in America, and especially for the study of Tibetan Buddhism in the West.” (Berkeleyside)