Florida Community of Mindfulness

Teachings of the Zen Masters (2017) (1 of 4)

Four-day Retreat | October 2017

Members of the Florida Community of Mindfulness retreated together in October 2017 with Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner to study and practice "The Key Points of the Path Awakening."  Fred used various teachings from Zen Masters as a source for study and practice during the retreat.

Buddhist Wisdom for Unstable Times (2017)

October 1, 2017 

In this talk, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner explains that during this time of changing climate, political and social instability, and increasing sense of uncertainty, a Dharma practice is needed more than ever. He explained how having a more accurate view of life can help us not be swept away so easily by the back and forth that inevitably occur in life.  For instance, deeply reflecting on the impermanent nature of all phenomena can help us live from a place of understanding that we will one day be separated from all our possessions and everyone we love.  Fred encourages us to cultivate right view and then to go on to cultivate a meditative life to develop an inner stability not contingent on outside factors.

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.