(Please Note: Registration for the Intensive closes on January 23. If you plan to register, please do so now or mark the closing date in your calendar.)
Dharma Path Winter/Spring 2017 Intensive
The Practices of a Bodhisattva
February 19 - May 14
“What great good fortune it is, and how comforting to the mind, that there is still such a thing as bodhicitta! In times like these, even to hear of the idea of it is almost inconceivable. Yet here we have in our hands a manual that can actually teach us how to practice it and thereby lead us to Buddhahood.”
Jigme Khyentse
Those whose life is informed by the desire for liberation from an existence of narrow self-centeredness, constricted emotionality, and underlying dissatisfaction in order to better connect to, understand, love and bring only goodness to their fellow beings are called bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas cultivate bodhicitta, the seed of understanding and love that lies dormant within each of us. This way of living taught and modeled by the Buddha and the endless stream of awakened beings is called the Path of the Bodhisattva or the ‘path of the awakened and compassionate warrior’.
There is no better introduction to the living path of the bodhisattva than the eloquent and insightful poem/text, The Bodhicaryavatara, by the great eighth century Indian Buddhist, Santideva. Participants in the Intensive will use this text as a manual for the basic practices of the bodhisattva and as the model/guide to our participation in the ageless stream of beings that have consciously made the bodhisattva path their guidepost to living an enlightened life of purpose and meaning.
Supportive activities for this Intensive will include Dharma Talks by Fred; participation in bi-weekly small group video forums with Fred; assigned readings; and bi-weekly peer group meetings in-person or by phone to provide an opportunity for participants to share and provide mutual support to each other.
The commitments for this Intensive are listed below. Before registering for the Intensive please read the commitments and reflect carefully on whether you will be able to keep them.
Commitments for each Intensive participant
1. The commitment to a minimum of one hour of daily formal meditative practice and/or other practices related to this intensive.
2. The commitment to participate in bi-weekly small group video forums with Fred during the intensive.
3. The commitment to be present for the phone Dharma Talks.
4. The commitment to read Dharma texts that will be assigned to participants.
5. The commitment to attend a bi-weekly support gathering of other Sangha members participating in the intensive in-person or by phone.
6. The commitment to attend all the practice periods of your Sangha during the Intensive, as possible.
There is a suggested donation of $100 associated with this Intensive. This is a suggested donation, and participants are free to donate more or less, depending on their individual practice of Dana and their financial situation. Please note that participation in this Intensive is only open to members of FCM. For information about membership, please access our website at www.floridamindulness.org.
This intensive will begin February 19 and continue through May 14. Dharma texts to be read will be announced once registration has been completed. You may pay on-line or send your check made out to the Florida Community of Mindfulness (FCM) to Florida Community of Mindfulness, 6501 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa, FL 33604.
Registration will close on January 23. Please be sure to register by this date. For the past several years the number of people requesting to join the Intensive after registration has closed has been increasing, reaching 20% of participants for last Fall’s Intensives. This greatly increases the workload for Intensive organizers. Thus, out of consideration, and to ensure your acceptance into the Intensive, we are requesting that you either register immediately or mark the registration closing date in your calendar now.
Finally, please note that when registering for the Intensive, you will be asked to indicate the preferred location for your peer group (Fort Myers, Naples, St. Petersburg, Tampa, or by phone). In addition, for Tampa only, you will be asked to indicate your preferred meeting times (Sundays 8:40-9:40 am, Sundays 12:45-1:45 pm, or Monday evenings 6:30-7:30). Please indicate all the choices that you would be able to attend.
