In the 1970s, a wave of teachers began introducing Theravada Buddhism and the practices of Insight Meditation and Mindfulness to the Western world. Among them was Robert Beatty, whose work has touched thousands of lives. His approach is grounded, compassionate, and rooted in the understanding that spiritual practice must meet people in the realities of their everyday experience. Over decades of teaching, he has combined traditional Buddhist wisdom with Western healing methods, creating an accessible and sincere path toward awareness and growth. His teaching style reflects humility, warmth, and humanity, encouraging genuine self-reflection. Through humor, movement, poetry, and honest dialogue, Robert helps others explore life's joys and challenges with openhearted presence. Robert’s long journey as a teacher and student began through deep relationships with his mentors. For 43 years, he studied under Ruth Denison, one of the pioneering female teachers in the Burmese lineage of U Ba Khin. Ruth authorized Robert to teach in this lineage in 1982, confirming his place in the evolving Western Buddhist movement. His studies extended over ten years of exploring non-dual spirituality with Matthew Flickstein. In Burma, he was ordained as a novice monk by Tangpulu Sayadaw, immersing himself in meditation practice. He also spent time in India under the guidance of S. N. Goenka, Bhikku Rastropol, and Anagarika Munindra. These teachers shaped his understanding of the mind and the path toward liberation. Before his life as a teacher, Robert’s curiosity about the world led him across continents. At the age of 21, after earning his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Chemistry from McGill University in Canada, he joined the crew of an ocean freighter. During the next five years, he lived and worked in various countries, including Australia and Switzerland. During a Goenka retreat 1972, he experienced a profound opening through meditation—a moment that redirected his life completely. Although he later became a monk in India, health complications required him to disrobe and return home to Canada. The environmental destruction Robert witnessed during his travels stirred a lasting concern for the planet. When he pursued his Master’s degree in Environmental Studies at York University in Toronto, he began exploring how mindfulness and psychotherapy could work together to foster awareness and compassion. His academic focus centered on how humans could live more responsibly within nature and in harmony with one another. This question remained central to both his professional and spiritual life. In 1979, Robert settled in Portland, Oregon, where he earned his Master of Social Work from Portland State University. He worked in addiction recovery as a Relapse Specialist and Meditation Teacher at Springbrook NW, and later as a hospice social worker at Providence Willamette Falls Hospice. These experiences deepened his understanding of impermanence and the human capacity to face life’s most difficult transitions with peace and presence. Robert founded the Portland Vipassana Sangha in 1980, which evolved into the Portland Insight Meditation Community (PIMC) two decades later. With encouragement from Ruth Denison, he helped the community acquire a church that became a center for classes, retreats, and spiritual growth. For over twenty years, he guided the sangha, taught new generations of teachers, and created a space for mindfulness to thrive in the Pacific Northwest. In 2024, he stepped away from PIMC to focus on one-on-one teaching and consultation. https://speakerdeck.com/robertbeattybuddhist