Florida Community of Mindfulness

Finding Your Edge with Lovingkindness Practice (2019)

March 2019

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner encourages participants to see where they have obstacles in extending the energy loving kindness toward others. While the practice of cultivating a loving heart is fairly straightforward, many of us can run into difficulties extending it toward other people, especially if we have historically had negative thoughts about a person, including ourselves. Fred explains how reflecting on other teachings that help us to understand ourselves, those around us, and why we relate to them the way we do can help break down these barriers and let the natural loving energy of the heart shine forth and shine on everyone equally.

Mind Training: How to Use The Thinking Mind to Support Your Transformation (4 of 4) (2019)

Five Day Retreat | Jan 2019

In this four part series, Dharma Teacher Fred Eppsteiner elucidates key Buddhist teachings on how to work skillfully with unwholesome thinking which gives rise to much of our suffering, while cultivating wholesome thoughts that promote well-being and joy. Using primary Buddhist teachings, Fred explained that when we learn how to train our mind, our thinking can become a great support on this path of awakening, rather than an obstacle or something we need to get rid of. These teachings occurred during the 2019 Winter Retreat with the Florida Community of Mindfulness.

Mind Training: How to Use The Thinking Mind to Support Your Transformation (3 of 4) (2019)

Five Day Retreat | Jan 2019

In this four part series, Dharma Teacher Fred Eppsteiner elucidates key Buddhist teachings on how to work skillfully with unwholesome thinking which gives rise to much of our suffering, while cultivating wholesome thoughts that promote well-being and joy. Using primary Buddhist teachings, Fred explained that when we learn how to train our mind, our thinking can become a great support on this path of awakening, rather than an obstacle or something we need to get rid of. These teachings occurred during the 2019 Winter Retreat with the Florida Community of Mindfulness.

Mind Training: How to Use The Thinking Mind to Support Your Transformation (2 of 4) (2019)

Five Day Retreat | Jan 2019

In this four part series, Dharma Teacher Fred Eppsteiner elucidates key Buddhist teachings on how to work skillfully with unwholesome thinking which gives rise to much of our suffering, while cultivating wholesome thoughts that promote well-being and joy. Using primary Buddhist teachings, Fred explained that when we learn how to train our mind, our thinking can become a great support on this path of awakening, rather than an obstacle or something we need to get rid of. These teachings occurred during the 2019 Winter Retreat with the Florida Community of Mindfulness.

Mind Training: How to Use The Thinking Mind to Support Your Transformation (1 of 4) (2019)

Five Day Retreat | Jan 2019

In this four part series, Dharma Teacher Fred Eppsteiner elucidates key Buddhist teachings on how to work skillfully with unwholesome thinking which gives rise to much of our suffering, while cultivating wholesome thoughts that promote well-being and joy. Using primary Buddhist teachings, Fred explained that when we learn how to train our mind, our thinking can become a great support on this path of awakening, rather than an obstacle or something we need to get rid of. These teachings occurred during the 2019 Winter Retreat with the Florida Community of Mindfulness.

A Buddhist Understanding of Our Times: The Six Realms of Existence (2 of 2) (2019)

February, 2019 

In these talks, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner explains the Buddhist teaching on the Six Realms of Existence and how we can use them as a sophisticated psychological model to help use understand what is happening in the world today. The six realms, which consist of The God Realm, Titan Realm, Human Realm, Animal Realm, Hungry Ghost Realm and the Hell Realms, can each be understood as suffering mind-states people find themselves in throughout their lives.

While some people are stuck in one of these states, many of us move between them throughout our lives. Understanding these realms, we can also look outward and l see that people in our lives, people in the world, all reside in one of these realms and their actions are motivated by the undercurrents that dominate each of these mind-states. This understanding can help us have compassion for people we encounter in this life while also motivating us to find another way to live.

Fred also touches on the teachers that show up in these various states of suffering to lead the way to more enlightened states of living.

A Buddhist Understanding of Our Times: The Six Realms of Existence (1 of 2) (2019)

February, 2019 

In these talks, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner explains the Buddhist teaching on the Six Realms of Existence and how we can use them as a sophisticated psychological model to help use understand what is happening in the world today. The six realms, which consist of The God Realm, Titan Realm, Human Realm, Animal Realm, Hungry Ghost Realm and the Hell Realms, can each be understood as suffering mind-states people find themselves in throughout their lives.

While some people are stuck in one of these states, many of us move between them throughout our lives. Understanding these realms, we can also look outward and l see that people in our lives, people in the world, all reside in one of these realms and their actions are motivated by the undercurrents that dominate each of these mind-states. This understanding can help us have compassion for people we encounter in this life while also motivating us to find another way to live.

Fred also touches on the teachers that show up in these various states of suffering to lead the way to more enlightened states of living.

Dogen's Pith Teaching for Becoming a Buddha (2019)

January 12, 2019 

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner comments on Zen Master Dogen's writings on becoming a Buddha in this lifetime. Fred elaborated on Dogen's teachings which say that the following simple practices will lead one to Buddhahood. The practices enumerated include to refrain from unwholesome acts, to not be attached to birth and death, and to be compassionate to all sentient beings. By practicing these fundamental teachings we all have the capacity to become Buddhas in this lifetime.

Zen Master Bankei and the Unborn Buddha Mind (2019)

January 20, 2019

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner comments on the teachings of Zen master Bankei. He explains how each of us were born with what Bankei calls the unborn Buddha Mind, which is a pure, untainted mind. Then, over time, we become deluded through conditioning by those around us. However, because we have, as our nature, this Unborn Buddha Mind, each of us has the capacity to see through this delusion and transform our minds. It is because we don't realize the preciousness of this Buddha Mind that we continually indulge in self-centeredness and mistake our thinking mind for our true mind. This attachment to thoughts and self is what makes it difficult to transform our lives and our mind. However, Bankei gives us simple, direct instructions to help us break free of this delusion.

The Dharma of Scrooge (2018)

December 16, 2018

In this Dharma talk Fred Eppsteiner relates the story of the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge from Dickens', "A Christmas Carol." Through this story, Fred explains how we can all transform the suffering we experience from living a life devoted to self into a happy, meaningful life filled with love and compassion for others.