This is the first talk of a two-part talk titled "Mindfulness, Insight, and Compassion." According to Jenny Wilkes, "mindfulness" is becoming such a commonly used term that its depth and liberating potential may be underestimated or misunderstood. The Buddha's teaching on establishing mindfulness (the Satipatthana Sutta) invites us to cultivate mindfulness both "internally" i.e., a deep awareness of our inner experience in order to cultivate liberating insight; and "externally" i.e., an open-hearted awareness of others in order to cultivate an ethical and compassionate response. The two-part talk explores how together these can support our mindfulness practice so that it becomes, as the Buddha described, a "direct path to awakening."