Welcome friends.
Five sanghas from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have come together to create this special lineage story series. Read more about us. And, we are delighted to be partnering with IMS Online to bring this to the wider sangha. We offer a warm prairie welcome to all practitioners!
Our vision is to have our teachers share stories about their teachers, to honour our gratitude to the Asian roots of the practice; to give a sense of these teachings being handed down, generation to generation; and to give current practitioners a sense of carrying this precious gift forward.
Our collective practice is primarily rooted in the Burmese and Thai Forest lineages through Mahasi Sayadaw and Ajahn Mun, and, is also influenced by many other traditions. We will build a virtual lineage image as we go along, to create a visual sense of our practice and its roots.
All sessions are being held 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm Mountain, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Central
Click the individual sessions below to see time conversion for Saskatchewan or other locations.
Click images or names for details about upcoming sessions.
Support our teachers and this project.
October 10, 2024 – Guy Armstrong
Guy will be talking about the Asian masters whom he has met and practiced with, in both the Thai and Burmese lineages.
Ajahn Buddhadasa was a meditator, scholar, and the abbot of Wat Suan Mokh in southern Thailand. Pa Auk Sayadaw is a master of concentration and insight meditation whose main monastery is in southeast Burma.
Guy will use stories, teachings, and photos to convey the essence of these impressive teachers. He will also give a special presentation overview of the lineages of IMS to help put our stories in a larger context.
Registration for this program is through the IMS Online Learning Center.
You can register individually for each session, or for the bundle for all previous and upcoming sessions (to April 2025):
https://ims.dharma.org/bundles/lineage-stories-2025
Save the dates:
January 23, 2025 – Thanissara, Kittisaro, and Yong Oh
These beloved teachers will share stories of their beloved teachers from the Theravada Thai Forest Tradition as well as exploring how the Theravada and Mahayana traditions balance and support one another. This session will also explore how our lineage and practice support wise and strong action in our world for climate, peace, and social justice.
April 10, 2025 – Carol Wilson, Alexis Santos, and Neesha Patel
Our Burmese lineage has been greatly influenced in a very unique way by Sayadaw U Tejaniya, a former householder and businessman who trained under the late Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw, and who now teaches at the Shwe Oo Min Dhamma Such Forest Meditation Center in Yangon, Myanmar. Carol, Alexis, and Neesha will share stories of this living master and give us a sense of how our collective practice has benefitted and is now shaped by his perspectives.
Previous sessions
Recording available: October 12, 2023 – Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg
These two co-founders of IMS (Insight Meditation Society) will share stories of Dipa Ma (1911 – 1989), Anagarika Munindra (1915-2003), and other beloved teachers.
Recording available: January 11, 2024 – Rebecca Bradshaw, devon hase, Jessica Morey
These friends will share memories of Sayadaw U Pandita, and also explore the connections between Theravada and Tibetan practices.
April 11, 2024 – Roxanne Dault and Tara Mulay
These friends will describe the Mahasi Method and how it has been passed on through Sayadaw U Pandita.