Florida Community of Mindfulness

The Dharma of Scrooge (2022)

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.

Core Values of the Florida Community of Mindfulness (2022)

The Florida Community of Mindfulness has a very clear vision and mission that it seeks to realize. It also has eight essential principles, or "core values," that underlie, motivate, shape and guide the community. In this talk to students of FCM, teacher Fred Eppsteiner more deeply describes the core values of Awakening and Community.

From What Is the World Suffering?

Teacher, Fred Eppsteiner, continues this exploration with teachings from the workshop "Responding to the Suffering of the World." Many ask, What can I – one person – do? We don’t know where to put meaningful efforts or how to begin. It is easy to fall into patterns of despair, sadness or anger. For 2600 years, Buddhist practitioners have looked deeply into causation of human and societal suffering and have brought forth many wise answers that have the capacity to alleviate both personal suffering and suffering in the world. In these teachings we will discover how the Buddhist tradition may show us a clear path to the most beneficial way to respond to the suffering of the world.

Fred Interviews Guo Gu 11-13-22

Guo Gu, founder of the Tallahassee Chan Center and an assistant professor at Florida State University, tells a fascinating story of his life and his search for how to find a place as a Buddhist in America in a dialogue with our teacher Fred on Sunday.

Essential Dharma for Busy People: Part 2

Part 2 of "Essential Dharma" begins with a review of several important preliminary teachings provided in Part 1. First, the reminder that nothing is permanent. In this difficult time of practicing a spiritual path it becomes very important to preserve the "internal forms" of Buddhism constituting Mindful Living, knowing how to be present and what is necessary for emotional healing. In the next part of the review teacher Fred Epsteiner addressed two preliminaries, the foundations - the mind and care for the mind is most important, and it is this mind that distinguishes between appearances in the mind and the reality of perceived objects. Then he introduced another preliminary inviting us to the meditative exploration of the question, "What is it that is perceiving? What is awareness? What is the nature of mind?" The challenge put forward by Eppsteiner is to consider whether or not our version of the truth is based on objective reality. Would we like to live in a relaxed way, to be present, to be aware for even thirty minutes?

Dharma Practice In The Dharma Ending Age

This Sunday in Tampa, Dharma Teacher, Fred Eppsteiner, focused this dharma lesson on the important intention to create a fundamental change in consciousness of mind where mindfulness is a way of living grounded in a commitment to stability and moment to moment and day to day awareness. We, as co-creators of the world, are challenged to look deeply at the causes and effects of consumerism and begin to turn toward a way of life within the context of impermanence that is simple, clear, natural, ethically committed to kindness, compassion, and caring for others.

Essential Dharma for Busy People: Part 1

Teacher, Fred Eppsteiner, directs our study of the Dharma to two questions in our search for a happy and peaceful life.  First,   "What is essential, the simple essence, that is the root of all joy and sorrow?"  The Dharma teaches the Mind is the Source of deeds of body, speech and mind whether wholesome or unwholesome. Is this true? The second question is, "Am I present to reality as it is?" Can I distinguish between two worlds - the world of appearances, the source of distorted reality, shaped by stories, projections, and beliefs belonging to the narrative of the Self and the world of objective reality?  The happy, peaceful life is available when we have the ability to be in control of the Mind discriminating between the two worlds instead of acting as if they are the same.

How to Receive the Dharma with a Clear Mind

During this Sunday at the Florida Community of Mindfulness, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner shares with us how being a good student of the Dharma requires the student pursuing a spiritual path to attend to the mind and to possess the desire to change.

The commitment to receive the Dharma with a Clear Mind requires examining the mind to identify the possible ways to receive the teachings. Referred to as "The Three Bowls and Six Stains," these teachings provide a student the opportunity for self-reflection assessing the state of the mind's ability to listen to the teacher without filters and to reflect on the deeply profound question "Is it really a truth?

Trusting Our True Mind: The Buddha’s Wisdom Path

During this Sunday at the Florida Community of Mindfulness, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner shares with us the world we live in: The Mind. These teachings of Buddha on True Mind reveal the uncontaminated, naturally pure mind always calm and still, endless. The lessons promote understanding of wisdom and emptiness in a new way finding energy that fuels the path. Having realized True Mind previously covered by thoughts, stories, dramas, and other attachments, with this understanding of True Mind one can be free and unburdened.

Q&A with Fred: July 31, 2022

During this Sunday at the Florida Community of Mindfulness, Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner answers questions from students.