Florida Community of Mindfulness

Introduction to Yogacara and The Transformation of Mind (2017)

August 3, 2017 

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner introduces the Yogacara tradition's understanding of the structure of our mind and how it functions.  He explains how understanding how the mind works in this way can help us be clear on how we need to work with our minds in order to free ourselves of suffering and develop a happy mind.

Mindfulness as the Basis for Healing, Transformation and Unconditional Love (2017)

July 30, 2017 

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner explains that both happiness and unhappiness are conditions of our mind. He says that mindfulness is essential to develop so that we can be aware of whether we are cultivating wholesome or unwholesome mind states.  In this way, we can be sure to cultivate only wholesome mind sates which give rise to a happy mind.  He goes on to explain how we must practice where we are in our spiritual development, not where we wish we were. Although the path is about cultivating the skills that can take us from where we are now to where we want to be, we must begin with acceptance and unconditional love toward ourselves, exactly as we are right now.

Stopping the On-going Flow of Delusion - Pause, Stop, Retreat (2017)

July 2, 2017

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner shares that in this fast-paced world filled with constant activity and stimulation, it has become essential for our mental health to find ways to take a break from the momentum of it all. He suggests taking one day a week where we step away from all of our usual responsibilities, disconnect from our devices, and reconnect with what it means to be a human being while nourishing ourselves with the simple activities of life. Fred also relays the importance of checking in throughout the day to see what the quality of our mind is in order to maintain our mental health in the midst of this modern world.

The Essential Instruction Watch Your Mind (2017)

June 24, 2017

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner comments on 3 Zen anecdotes from the 8th Century that point toward the importance of turning our attention inward if we want to transform. He explains how watching the mind will reveal to us what our mind is doing that is causing us suffering and give us the ability to recondition our minds.Without watching the mind and what is unfolding within it, we will be continually driven by our conditioning and causing ourselves suffering.

The Meaning and Practice of Interbeing (Tiep Hien) (2017)

May 7, 2017

In this talk given after the 2017 Order of Interbeing Retreat at the Florida Community of Mindfulness, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner shares about the meaning of Interbeing and the meaning of the original Vietnamese name for the Order: Tiep Hien.

The Order of Interbeing, or Tiep Hien, is an Order within the Buddhist Lineage founded by Zen Teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.

Fred begins by sharing how the primary aim of the Order, and of meditation and practice, is to help people get in touch with reality. He shares that although most of us think we are in touch with reality, we are really in touch with our thoughts and stories about reality and live in a self-constructed mental reality. Fred urges us to go deeper than these stories and to touch the reality of life and the reality of who and what we are directly.

Fred then shares that another aim of the order is to help people realize the qualities of an awakened mind. These qualities, like compassion, patience, mindfulness, and loving-kindness can only be realized if we live them. We need to get these practices inside and bring them into all the interactions of our life. Only then can they work their magic and transform our minds.

Fred goes on to explain how the precepts of the Order, the 14 Mindfulness Trainings, help us to accomplish these two aims.

Cultivating the Mind of Patience and Acceptance (2017) (3 of 3)

Three-day Retreat | April 2017

Members of the Florida Community of Mindfulness retreated together in April 2017 with Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner to study and practice the Buddhist teachings on cultivating the mind of patience and acceptance.

Cultivating the Mind of Patience and Acceptance (2017) (2 of 3)

Three-day Retreat | April 2017

Members of the Florida Community of Mindfulness retreated together in April 2017 with Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner to study and practice the Buddhist teachings on cultivating the mind of patience and acceptance.

Cultivating the Mind of Patience and Acceptance (2017) (1 of 3)

Three-day Retreat | April 2017

Members of the Florida Community of Mindfulness retreated together in April 2017 with Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner to study and practice the Buddhist teachings on cultivating the mind of patience and acceptance.

Rejecting Reactivity - Clarity and Insight as the Path Forward (2017)

Tampa | February 5th, 2017

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner shares that in order to gain clarity and insight in these times of reactivity, we need to begin with cultivating understanding of those with different views, looking deeply into the causes and conditions that created the current situation. With this understanding we can experience open heartedness and compassion, while also gaining clarity and insight surrounding wise action that may be available. For example, in times such as these we may see that a movement for uplifting the values of love and compassion in people's hearts, of helping people to see everyone as their brother or sister, would in the long-term be more beneficial than continual conflict over policies. When such values are held dear by many, wise policy that supports the health, well-being and dignity of all beings will flow more naturally.

A Mind of Goodness or a Mind of Negativity - It's Up to You! (2017)

Tampa | January 22, 2017

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner explains that although we all want to be happy, most of us spend a lot of time using our minds in ways that cause us to suffer. He encourages us to look deeply inward in order to see what kinds of "seeds" we are cultivating, and to ask ourselves whether they will bear positive or negative fruit. To simply try and "fix" our issues and then expect to be happy is not realistic. We must realize what causes afflictive mind-states to arise in the first place. Then we need to stop cultivating them and start cultivating positive mind-states. Fred also makes a connection between the cultivation of negative mind-states in the individual and the greed, anger, and violence that plague our society. If we want our world to be one of peace, where people treat each other as fellow human beings, then this can only come about by cultivating peace and compassion in the minds of individuals.