The Karma Institute
In June of 1992, Benson Medina and Bill Bjornstadt were meeting with Mark Hughes at his home in Sherwood, Oregon with the interest of starting a seminar company to promote balanced living. Upon searching for a name, Bill suggested Satori, meaning “the awakening”. The three agreed and The Satori Institute was formed. After several workshops, both Bill and Benson moved onto other ventures and Mark continued to offer seminars and family retreats in Oregon and California until May of 2008.
Mark had always attributed much of his philosophy and natural knowledge to his mother who he claims was an exceptional parent. She neither raised her voice nor her hand. She didn’t believe in punishing or scolding. She respected her children and believed in their ability to make good choices. In late 2007, Mark felt a shift in his awareness and concluded that it certainly was important to have moments of “awakenings” as suggested by Satori but now he was recognizing the importance of taking action or just embody life by “being”. The Karma Institute was formed in honor of Mark’s mother, Karma Jean Cullimore Hughes. In May of 2008, The Karma Institute received a non-profit status as a 501(c)3 organization, committed to sharing the principles of living an awakened life by being in the highest integrity of rightful living.
The sole purpose of The Karma Institute is to provide family education to all families regardless of race or economic status. Because of Karma’s love for parenting and her belief in strong family values, The Karma Institute has programs and services devoted primarily to Family Education and Divorce Recovery. These services are delivered by keynote speeches, brown bag presentations, weekend workshops and week-long retreats.
The Karma Institute is a 503(c)3 organization, a project of the National Heritage Foundation. Mark Hughes is the manager of this Congressional District Program. All non-profit administrative and accounting duties are performed by The National Heritage Foundation. Donations contributed to The Karma Institute are tax deductible. Donations of $250 or more will receive receipts directly from The National Heritage Foundation. These donations go towards supporting programs offered by The Karma Institute and for scholarships for individuals and organizations that might not benefit from these programs without this financial support.
Fees paid for services offered by The Karma Institute are not tax deductible but are directed to the scholarship fund as well as the donations. We receive a portion of our income, directly or indirectly, from the general public, public and private foundations, and government grants, and therefore encourage those that have the ability to make contributions to do so for the benefit of those that cannot.