Lama Adam's "Letters to My Former Self" — Presentation for Cheetah House

A message from Lama Adam: I recently gave the most personal talk of my teaching life. If you only watch one thing from me, please make it this. It was hosted by Cheetah House as part of their series called Letters to My Former Self. (https://cheetahhouse.org) In it, I speak for the first time about the harm I experienced during my three-year retreat, and in the years that followed while serving as a teacher. It’s a story of spiritual striving, blind spots and betrayals, and the long, often painful work of walking a well-worn wisdom path without losing yourself along the way. This isn’t just about me. It’s for anyone who’s struggled with a practice, questioned a tradition, or been hurt by the very community they turned to for refuge. It’s a roadmap for healing—personal and collective. And it offers concrete tools for practitioners, teachers, and entire communities to do better: to teach more safely, more humanely, and more wisely. If this talk moves you, I hope you’ll consider taking action by supporting Mindfulness For Life. (https://mindfulness-for-life.org/donate) We’re extending that same trauma-informed care to frontline care workers and community advocates—especially those in immigrant and refugee services. These are people working at the edge of burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral injury—holding the line where systems have failed. We’re offering them free, one-on-one support. But we need your help. If the values in this talk resonate with you—if you believe mindfulness should serve healing, not bypass it—please consider donating today. We’re aiming to raise $5,000 to fully fund this initiative. Donate now at https://mindfulness-for-life.org/donate. Help us turn mindfulness into real-world care—one relationship at a time.