Here's a piece of an email lama Michael sent to me after I sent him a long bitchy letter detailing all the objections I laid out in my last post, and added that I felt that saying all that in public would be heresy --

Having said all the above, I also don't have any sense at all that what you're saying is heresy... It seems nearly axiomatic to me at this point that humans really do hate diversity of all kinds. Perhaps it's a reminder of impermanence and the possibility that things are not as they seem. Therefore, it shouldn't come as a surprise that there are individuals who can't help themselves even in the context of working in the Dharma; they will shun diversity of all kinds.

Here's a deal for you. Voice your position (and it doesn't have to be a fixed position) as stated above whenever the spirit moves you. When you're done, tell people that I encouraged you to say those things because I, as Resident Lama, was afraid to say them myself. I'd support you in that. The act of solidifying our opinions and shunning diverse views (without even the benefit of consideration sometimes), is a much deeper level of confusion than that which arises from embracing diversity. That's my solid opinion.

Knowing Michael, I'm sure he meant this quite literally. Whatever impulses toward conformity there may be at KCC, they certainly don't emanate from the top.