Our guiding principles

The following principles guide our conduct:

• Listening – we ask often, listen carefully, and are open to the views of others, even when they differ from our own.
• Practice – we use the word “practice” because we recognize that none of us are masters; rather, mindfulness requires the consistent humility and continual striving of the beginner.
• Inviting – we try to grow a mindful community, not by proselytizing, but by sharing ideas, creating opportunities, and inviting  people to practice.
• Openness — we believe mindfulness can support, complement, and be a part of existing faiths, cultures, and belief systems and that there are multiple paths to mindful living.
• Questioning — we are open to testing our own beliefs, actively considering other points of view, and exploring the growing body of empirical evidence about mindfulness and its effects.
• Roots in Hawaii – we believe that living on islands is conducive to practicing mindfulness and we care about Hawaii. We use Hawaiian words when they describe ideas and experiences that are unique to these islands, and that are not fully captured by words in other languages.

Results we hope for

Some of the changes we hope will result from growing and sustaining a community of mindful practice include:

• Greater peace, joy, clarity, and effectiveness in our own lives
• More honest and respectful discussion, more productive civil discourse
• A greater alignment between community values and the way our institutions work
• Greater satisfaction, confidence, health, and vitality among Hawaii’s people

We recognize the importance of empirical validation and strive to measure results whenever possible.  We also recognize that some results may be difficult to measure and only realized in the long term. Our primary goal is to expand the practice of mindfulness across Hawaii – a practice we believe enhances the work of all who seek to build healthier communities.