About Our Programs

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CMM programs arise out of the mindfulness movement in North America. We offer space and programs to help people integrate mindfulness meditation and its benefits into their lives. While we are a secular organization, we acknowledge and honour that the practice of mindfulness is rooted in the Buddhist tradition that has been held by monastics, scholars, and lay folks for thousands of years. As such, certain phrases, terms, and at times, iconography have made their way into Western language, the mindfulness movement, and CMM's online profiles. Some of our teachers lean toward the Buddhist tradition and others are certified in Western Mindfulness Teacher Training. We make no claim to be a Buddhist organization or affiliate and we welcome all traditions and mindful practices. Our aim is to encourage and help people to live with greater freedom from stress and with compassionate connection to themselves, their families, and their community.

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A Brief History of Mindfulness

  

The mindfulness practices becoming mainstream in North America stem from the 2,600-year-old practice espoused by the historical figure, Gautama Siddharta, the Buddha. He taught in an oral tradition for forty years and those discourses have been transmitted, transcribed, and translated by monastics, scholars and lay practitioners across the millennia. Over the past several decades, they have manifested here whey they are practised in traditional and secular forms and are also being augmented, tested, and verified by neuroscience. Since the Buddha’s time, Buddhism took many forms as it traveled from culture to culture. It is taking shape now in North America in both secular and spiritual forms. Buddhism teaches the truth of the human condition, what causes us to suffer, and the release from that. Paramount also are the divine emotions – loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity – and these are treasured in every spiritual tradition