Our Community
Our headquarters reside on land which is named for the Ute Tribe
Land acknowledgment
Mindful Summit County’s headquarters reside on land which is named for the Ute Tribe and is the traditional and ancestral homeland of the Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute, and Ute Tribes. We recognize and respect the enduring relationship that exists between many Indigenous peoples and their traditional homelands. We respect the sovereign relationship between tribes, states, and the federal government, and we affirm Mindful Summit County’s commitment to a partnership with Native Nations and Urban Indian communities through research, education, and community activities.
Lineage of Mindfulness
We honor the crucial legacy of Buddhism in the practice of mindfulness and acknowledge all of the teachers who have kept the lineage and teachings alive over many thousands of years. The practice of mindfulness traces to the Pali words sati, which in the Indian Buddhist tradition implies awareness, attention, or alertness, and vipassana, which means insight cultivated by meditation. We acknowledge that similar breath-attention techniques are also found in Tibetan Buddhism and in the Japanese Zen meditation practice of zazen. All three strands of Buddhism influence approaches to mindfulness today. Historically, in Asian Buddhist cultures, monks and nuns practiced meditation, not the broader population. For the ordained seeking the path to enlightenment, mindfulness was part of a larger meditation practice as an instrument to facilitate non-self-awakening.
For a more in-depth historical perspective, read The mindfulness movement: How a Buddhist practice evolved into a scientific approach to life
Respect and Confidentiality
Each course is held in a container of respect and confidentiality. Everything you share remains confidential between the course participants. By participating, you agree to hold course materials and participant communications confidential.
Supportive & Inclusive Space
It is our highest priority and commitment that our courses be as supportive and inclusive a container as possible for all participants, one that centers and honors the experience of Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQI2-S folx, and other systemically and/or historically marginalized folx. This is an actively antiracist space, and we work to hold a space of firm and clear allyship and one that will be welcoming for anyone, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, class, and identity.
If any aspect of the course materials feels uninclusive or in some way harmful, please email us at hello@mindfulsummitcounty.org and it will be addressed immediately. We will receive feedback, acknowledge our mistakes, and make changes for future courses. Your experience will be honored and respected.
Community Agreements
1. Non-Judgment
We agree to practice for the sake of practice without criticism, praise, or apology. We commit not to comment.
2. Shared Responsibility
We agree to take responsibility for the impact of our words, actions, and energy. Together, we will create a community defined by authentic inclusion. We agree that everyone matters, those within this circle and those without. Everyone. We speak and act accordingly: without racism, sexism, nationalism, ableism, ageism, fatphobia, homophobia, transphobia, or other forms of bias. If we stumble, we will acknowledge our mistakes and apologize. When we stumble, we will stumble toward each other.
3. Self Care
We agree to attend to our own physical and emotional needs. While we are creating a brave space that is safer than most, we are ultimately responsible for choosing and managing our own level of comfort.
4. Confidentiality & Consent
We agree not to retell other stories. If we wish to speak with someone about their practice, we will ask permission first, prepared to gracefully accept their decline. We agree not to offer unsolicited advice.
5. Kindness
We agree to practice radical kindness with each other and with ourselves. We will practice including ourselves in the circle of kindness we will be helping to create.
Borrowed and adjusted from River Writing