Florida Community of Mindfulness

Reflections on a Wisdom Retreat (2020)

6-14-20

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner encourages us to turn our attention away from what is going on "out there," and instead look inward to see what is going on within our own minds. He explains how retreat is beneficial for developing clarity, wisdom and refining our patterns of thought as it gives us the time to do the work of looking inward without so many external distractions.

Retreat is a time of concentrated investigation into the nature of mind - of reality. It has many aspects: meditations to stabilize and calm the discursive mind; meditations to analyze the mental and sensory continuum; meditations to directly experience the mind nature; meditations to completely rest the mind. Retreat is disciplined experience so that our ordinary habits do not take over and it is rhythmic so that the work of mindfulness, concentration and insight can continue to be refined day after day.

Non-violence as a Way of Life (2020)

6-7-20

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner teaches us how to be a true and honest friend to all. Fred shows us how non-violence can be way of life. He explains how we relate to things, is how we relate to the world. And shows us how we can move about the world with a degree of ease and humility. He goes on to explain how to welcome everyone and everything with humble gratitude, including criticism; allowing us to take joy in all beings. And how only in the face of violence do we become nonviolent.

Man is Not Our Enemy (2020)

5-31-20

In this talk at the Tampa Center, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner explains Applied Buddhism through the compassionate eyes of Thich Nhat Hanh and other Bodhisattvas's wonderful poems and verses written during times of great suffering. As Thich Nhat Hanh wrote in his poem, A Prayer for Peace;

 

"Help us remember we are just one family...

Help us rekindle our compassion and brotherhood,

and transform our separate interests

into loving acceptance for all.

 

May your compassion help us overcome our hatred.

May Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva’s love

help the flowers bloom again in the soil of our country.

Humbly, we open our hearts to you,

so you may help us transform our karma and water the flowers of our spirits...

 

I am determined to cultivate only thoughts

that increase trust and love, t

o use my hands to perform only deeds

that build community,

to speak only words of harmony and aid."

A Mother’s Love and How to Love Your Mother (2020)

5-10-20

In this talk on Mother's Day, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner explains the deep understanding of a mother's love and how we can practice love and understanding to not only love our mother but to see all beings as our mothers with the eyes of love and understanding.

Birthing a Buddha for the World (2020)

5-3-20

During this talk, our teacher, Fred Eppsteiner, explains the profound significance in the Buddha's birth and life. Fred share with us the meaning of being a Buddha, and how we can reflect and celebrate on this most wonderful manifestation of wisdom and compassion in the life of the Buddha.

Am I Taking Dharma Medicine As Prescribed? (2020)

4-26-20

Building off of the three previous talks Fred has given in the past month, Fred reviews the teachings and practices of the Three Fierce Mantas, powerful words that can cut through our confusion and anxiety in this life. Fred reviews the Five Remembrances and how we can reflect on them and put them into practice as well as the teachings on the six human "sicknesses" or "knacks" and how they habitually arise and manifest in our daily lives.

Fred asks us to examine our own life and practice and to ask ourselves "Am I Taking Dharma Medicine As Prescribed? Am I reflecting on the teachings, so they will be useful and of benefit to me?" Fred illuminates the three steps the Buddha gave to listen to the teachings, to reflect on the teachings, and then if they make sense to us; to practice them in our daily life.

Six Human "Sicknesses" To Be Wary Of and the Dharma Road to Health (2020)

4-19-20

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner explains the six human "sicknesses" or "knacks" and how they habitually arise and manifest in our daily lives. If we examine our lives closely, we may notice these "knacks" such as the knack for neediness, for being naughty, for violence, for laziness and carelessness, for being dependent, and for wrong view.

However through awareness of our life and our actions of body, speech, and mind, we can not only see how these sicknesses afflict us; but can see a way to health and well-being. Fred goes into details on how we can travel the Dharma road to health by cultivating being satisfied with oneself and one's life; cultivating a knack for goodness and virtue; cultivating a knack for protecting life and nonviolence; cultivating a knack for diligence and discipline; cultivating a knack for self responsibility and empowerment; and to cultivate a knack for right view.

Dharma medicine for a pandemic (2 of 2) (2020)

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner continues to explains that during this time of changing instability, and increasing sense of uncertainty, a Dharma practice is needed more than ever. Fred shows us how we can practice with the seventh mindfulness training of the Order of Interbeing "Dwelling Happily in the Present Moment."

The Seventh Mindfulness Training: Dwelling Happily in the Present Moment

"Aware that life is available only in the present moment, we are committed to training ourselves to live deeply each moment of daily life. We will try not to lose ourselves in dispersion or be carried away by regrets about the past, worries about the future, or craving, anger, or jealousy in the present. We will practice mindful breathing to be aware of what is happening in the here and the now. We are determined to learn the art of mindful living by touching the wondrous, refreshing, and healing elements that are inside and around us, in all situations. In this way, we will be able to cultivate seeds of joy, peace, love, and understanding in ourselves, thus facilitating the work of transformation and healing in our consciousness. We are aware that real happiness depends primarily on our mental attitude and not on external conditions, and that we can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that we already have more than enough conditions to be happy."

 

 

Dharma medicine for a pandemic (1 of 2) (2020)

March 29th 2020, Tampa

 

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner explains that during this time of changing instability, and increasing sense of uncertainty, a Dharma practice is needed more than ever. Fred shows us how we can stay calm on the boat during the storm. He asks us to examine what we are nourishing our mind with? We have to be careful with this overload of information. What is it really doing for our mind? We examine our life in this way for our own benefit and the benefit of others.

Turning Adversity Into the Path of Awakening and The Three Fierce Mantras. (2020)

3-15-20

In this Dharma talk, Fred Eppsteiner expands upon the Lojong teachings within the point "Transforming Adversity Into the Path of Awakening" in light of the COVID-19 situation.

Fred also shares the Three Fierce Mantas, powerful words that can cut through our confusion and anxiety in this life. Our resistance to the unfolding of life, especially those situations unwanted or unexpected, is a primary cause of our emotional ups and downs. Our difficulty in accepting the experiences of life and the people in it for what they are and imposing our own needs and wants fuels an unending circus of negative emotions and conflictual mind states. Our desire to live peacefully in the present moment and practice mindful living becomes continually up-ended by our habitual dysfunctional responses.

The Three Fierce Mantras ~ Tsangpo Gyare, 12th century Tibetan Buddhist Ascetic

“Whatever has to happen, let it happen!"

“Whatever the situation is, it’s fine!"

“I don’t need anything whatsoever!”