About Us

Our mission is to help students practice the Buddhist Way of mindful living, wherein individual awakening, personal transformation, and selfless service to others are one simultaneous path.

The Florida Community of Mindfulness provides a "home" where people can come to learn and practice the art of meditation and mindful living. As a nurturing and supportive practice community in the Buddhist tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, FCM offers a variety of practice opportunities to support students in their aspiration to cultivate mindfulness and compassion and lead awakened lives. These activities include teachings on mindfulness, Buddhism, and meditation; conducting weekly meditation sessions as well as several days of mindfulnes and retreats each year; organizing intensive practice periods that last three to six months within participants' usual day-to-day activities and responsibilities; facilitating Kalyana Mitta (spiritual friends) groups; and supporting various ceremonies and social events. Throughout each gathering or activity, we employ the practices of deep listening and of loving, mindful speech.

Our community was founded by Fred Eppsteiner, a teacher who has received Dharma Transmission from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Calling upon his extensive training in Japanese and Vietnamese Zen and the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition, Fred brings our community a breadth of meditative experience that nurtures our practice with the diverse Buddhist streams that have nourished him. His professional experience as a psychotherapist allows him to readily understand the psychological implications and applications of Buddhist meditation and teachings and to share his insights with others. Fred’s teachings are open to all practitioners and focus on mindful living, self-awareness, compassion in relationships, and mind-body awareness through connecting with our breathing.

The Florida Community of Mindfulness is a not-for-profit corporation and is recognized as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization by the Internal Revenue Service. Contributions to FCM are tax-deductible. A five-member volunteer Board of Directors, comprised of sangha members, and our teacher are the central decision-making body for FCM. The work of the Board is supported by a number of committees that help with the caretaking of our sanghas.