Explore the rich origins of mindfulness by delving into the historical, cultural, and spiritual roots of Buddhism. This workshop offers teacher trainees a foundational understanding of the Buddha-Dhamma, tracing the practices and teachings that have shaped mindfulness for over 2,500 years. By grounding your teaching in this wisdom, you will feel confident in honoring the lineage of mindfulness while inspiring students to embark on their own journey of investigation and insight.

Imee is recognized as a leading mindfulness teacher in the Philippines and across Asia. She is the founder of Mindfulness Asia and Nibbāna Forest Refuge. She is a co-founder of the Philippine Insight Meditation Community and Katahimikan; Philippine Day of Mindfulness. She is a mentor for Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach's Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program and the Power of Awareness at Sounds True, an authorized teacher at UCLA Health, a Cross-Cultural Mindfulness Teacher and Board Member of Braided Wisdom, and a visiting teacher at East Bay Meditation Center. She is a founding Advisory Council member of the Global Compassion Coalition. 

Learn more about Imee at https://www.imeecontreras.com/

00:28 - Sean Fargo introduces Imee
04:40 - Imee checks in with the group and guides a meditation
16:20 - Imee introduces herself and today’s topic
23:40 - Imee’s teachers and how they help her weave classical Buddhism, nature and heart-based practice
27:35 - Imee tells the story of the Buddha and the four sights
30:30 - Discovering the middle way
31:52 - Mara and the Buddha’s enlightenment, with earth as witness
35:00 - What the Buddha learned - the four noble truths
36:00 - The Buddha as someone who attains awakening via their own efforts 
38:40 - Why it is important to learn the history of Buddhism as secular mindfulness teachers 
45:30 - Imee shares slides on the historical spread of Buddhism
50:00 - Vipassana and its origins
56:37 - Imee responds to a student comment on recognizing the teacher as “just like me”
58:55 - Introducing the Buddhist origins of mindfulness to secular audiences 
01:08:24 - Mindfulness as connecting more deeply to nature and our true nature
01:10:40 - Contemplating nature and the body in (trauma-sensitive) meditation
01:19:32 - QUESTION - How can we meditate in nature when all nature has been negatively impacted by human beings? 
01:32:42 - When nature is in/out of balance, and when we are in/out of balance
01:38:50 - Three questions to reflect upon as you connect with nature
01:45:16 - Imee reads a poem by Mary Oliver
01:46:49 - Why we might let our hearts break open
01:51:52 - Dedication of the merit