Florida Community of Mindfulness

The Practice of Gratitude (2014)

Tampa | November 30, 2014

In this talk to students of FCM, Fred teaches that gratitude is a view of life that results in a feeling of openness, warmth, ease, fulfillment and wellbeing. We can learn to generate this view by reflecting on the innumerable acts of kindness that have been given to us in this lifetime, from the gift of life given by our parents and ancestors, to the many who have provided shelter, food, healthcare, friendship and many other types of love and support in our lives. The opposite is to live with a view of ingratitude, or dissatisfaction with life, a view that results in a feeling of aloneness, separation, and constriction. This opposite view is very focused on "self," whereas a deepening practice of gratitude helps us dissolve this sense of separation and realize our interconnection with all of life.

Taking Your Practice to Work (2014)

Tampa | November 9, 2014

Many people have recently asked Fred questions about difficulties they experience in practicing mindfulness in what is often considered to be a stressful environment - the workplace. In response, Fred spoke to FCM students about "Taking Your Practice to Work: Mindfulness, Understanding and Compassion in the Workplace."

Great Perfection - The Path to Wholeness (2014 Retreat) (4 of 4)

Four-day Retreat | October 2014

The Great Perfection Path begins with wholeness. Each and every one of us is intrinsically whole, right now. All we have to do is recognize that, wake up to that, and live in that - this is the practice.

However, we all live as if we're broken, as if we have "fixing" to do. It is a very bold path that is willing to state from the beginning that all beings are Buddhas, all beings have Buddha mind.

In this four day retreat, FCM Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner guides students along this Great Perfection Path, looking into the fundamental delusion of self. Fred shows how, by diligently using the practices of mindfulness, concentration and insight, one can attain this luminous Buddha mind.

Great Perfection - The Path to Wholeness (2014 Retreat) (3 of 4)

Four-day Retreat | October 2014

The Great Perfection Path begins with wholeness. Each and every one of us is intrinsically whole, right now. All we have to do is recognize that, wake up to that, and live in that - this is the practice.

However, we all live as if we're broken, as if we have "fixing" to do. It is a very bold path that is willing to state from the beginning that all beings are Buddhas, all beings have Buddha mind.

In this four day retreat, FCM Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner guides students along this Great Perfection Path, looking into the fundamental delusion of self. Fred shows how, by diligently using the practices of mindfulness, concentration and insight, one can attain this luminous Buddha mind.

Great Perfection - The Path to Wholeness (2014 Retreat) (2 of 4)

Four-day Retreat | October 2014

The Great Perfection Path begins with wholeness. Each and every one of us is intrinsically whole, right now. All we have to do is recognize that, wake up to that, and live in that - this is the practice.

However, we all live as if we're broken, as if we have "fixing" to do. It is a very bold path that is willing to state from the beginning that all beings are Buddhas, all beings have Buddha mind.

In this four day retreat, FCM Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner guides students along this Great Perfection Path, looking into the fundamental delusion of self. Fred shows how, by diligently using the practices of mindfulness, concentration and insight, one can attain this luminous Buddha mind.

 

Great Perfection - The Path to Wholeness (2014 Retreat) (1 of 4)

Four-day Retreat | October 2014

The Great Perfection Path begins with wholeness. Each and every one of us is intrinsically whole, right now. All we have to do is recognize that, wake up to that, and live in that - this is the practice.

However, we all live as if we're broken, as if we have "fixing" to do. It is a very bold path that is willing to state from the beginning that all beings are Buddhas, all beings have Buddha mind.

In this four day retreat, FCM Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner guides students along this Great Perfection Path, looking into the fundamental delusion of self. Fred shows how, by diligently using the practices of mindfulness, concentration and insight, one can attain this luminous Buddha mind.

The True Meaning of Mindfulness (2014)

Tampa | October 26, 2014

In this talk to students of FCM, Fred talks about the true meaning of mindfulness and the need to make it our constant practice if we seek transformation. Our Dharma will only grow if we take the seeds out of the packet and plant them. Fred discusses the importance of three of the Seven Factors of Awakening: mindfulness, concentration, and joyful effort.

Vegetarianism and Doing No Harm - Ven. Geshela Phelgye (2014)

Tampa | September 15, 2014

The Venerable Geshela Phelgye explores the Buddhist precept of doing no harm to animals and discusses the checkered past of Buddhism in relationship to meat eating in this inspiring talk to students of the Florida Community of Mindfulness.

Buddhism and the March to War: Practicing Non-Violence (2014)

Tampa | September 14, 2014

In this talk to students of the Florida Community of Mindfulness, Fred Eppsteiner teaches that the Buddhist precept of non-violence is not simply a theoretical ideal to be recited. As the Buddha and so many other wise teachers from many traditions have taught throughout time, "Hatred will not cease by hatred, but by love alone." We must use the tools of mindfulness and investigation to look deeply into the very troubling and complex situations that we face today, examining the root causes and effects of conflict. Violent actions to produce short term results without consideration of the bigger picture can only produce the seeds of more future violence.

Seven Factors of Awakening - Joy (2014) (5 of 5)

Tampa | August - September 2014

The Buddha enunciated a spiritual path for awakening, one where we manifest goodness, wisdom, and compassion. Buddhism is a path of wellness, and as we nourish the positive qualities of mind, negative afflictions will naturally diminish.