Florida Community of Mindfulness

At a mahasangha gathering celebrating FCM's 30 years of community and Fred's 80th continuation, Fred inspires the community by sharing how - through the instruction of his teacher Thich Nhat Hanh - he has created community and an approach to Buddhism that is relevant in our western culture.

In this Dharma talk to students at the Florida Community of Mindfulness, Fred discussed how the Buddha placed great importance on character, which can be seen in Buddhism's emphasis on matters of virtue. Character has to do with the accumulation of karmic disposition. It constitutes the sum total of what we are as human beings - our personhood. In this talk, Fred discusses those qualities of character that we, as followers of a spiritual path, should aspire to develop if we are to truly awaken.

Fred discussed the importance of spiritual aspirations and the necessity of applying Right Effort if we are to transform our minds to live in alignment with our aspirations. He used the Ten Ox Herding Pictures to help illustrate the value of Right Effort.

As we begin a new year, many of us may have contemplated our aspirations for spiritual growth - for how we want to be, with ourselves and others - in a wise and compassionate way that supports wellbeing. How do we take the practical steps of making these aspirations part of our lived experience? Angie discusses the importance of and process of watering wholesome seeds in this talk to the Florida Community of Mindfulness.

Fred shares the lessons he learned from Thich Nhat Hanh on the importance of giving ourselves a "lazy day," where we nourish the quality of "being" over the societal emphasis on always "doing". Lazy days (or even lazy half days!) help us to deepen our connection with who we truly are, and to connect (and even "do") from that place of greater presence.

Angie talks about the importance of practicing compassion in the Buddhist tradition, including the "great compassion" that arises when we recognize the suffering that is caused by our fundamental delusion of who we are.

Many of us spend valuable time reflecting on our spiritual aspirations, but when are we going to actually make the changes we so desire? In this Dharma talk, Bryan Hindert uses Thich Nhat Hanh's calligraphy “This is It” to discuss the importance of becoming very clear that the time to make change is NOW – thus “This is It”. Change only happens in this moment, not in our thoughts about the future or the past. So how do we practice in this moment to create a mind that supports our happiness and wellbeing?

Bryan suggests considering our mind like a field where we’re going to plant our aspirations. If we are going to successfully create change, we need to accept and embrace that our life is our field – with whatever is arising and present right now - this is our life, and where we need to get to work.

Having set vows and intentions for the new year, how do we move forward to create the change we wish to see in our lives? In this talk, Fred discusses the importance first of mindfulness - specifically, smrti in Sanskrit, a meaning which incorporates “to remember” or “to recollect” alongside “awareness” or “attention” in the present moment. When we bring in Buddhist teachings on right view, such as cause and effective, impermanence, and the instability of constantly changing worldly phenomena (e.g. gain, pleasure, fame, praise), we will have the foundation for finding a different way to relate to life and experiencing greater wellbeing and happiness.