Beginning the week of February 1, Fred will offer a four-week on-line class to FCM members on The Profound Psychology of Yogacara. Many consider Yogacara to be the pinnacle in the development of Buddhist philosophical and psychological thought in India and is the basis of the Mahayana Buddhist meditative traditions, and the teachings on karma, consciousness and liberation. It posits that it is our mind or consciousness that constructs our reality, and not the events of the ‘external world’. Although the meaning we give to events and our emotional responses to life are all arising in our minds, we mistakenly believe that our thoughts and beliefs about life are the same as life itself.

The depth psychology of Yogacara is based on viewing the mind as having eight levels. It clearly portrays the inner processes that lead to our fundamental misperception of the true reality of life and explains why the sense of a separate self constantly contaminates our life experience. It shows why through ignorance we continually water unwholesome historical seeds of suffering in our storehouse consciousness, and teaches us the way to transform our lives at the base.

In this four-week on-line class, Fred will offer teachings and analytical meditations to help participants understand Yogacarin psychology of mind and to apply it to their own experience. Transformation and freedom are the heart of Yogacara. This class will meet the needs for both laypeople and professionals to deepen their understanding of the basic tenets of Buddhist psychology.

Yogacara class objectives

Gain a theoretical and practical understanding of the following:

• The three natures of perception
• The three subjective transformations: the upper six consciousnesses, manas, and the alaya with its mental factors and process of perfuming
• The significance in Yogacarin psychology of karma and rebirth
• Transformation at the base: the five stages of practicing according to Yogacara

The class will meet on zoom twice weekly, Mondays and Thursdays from 5:30-6:30 pm for four weeks. During each class, Fred will be primarily providing direct teachings explaining the core tenets of Yogacara to help participants understand and integrate what is being read in the assigned readings. There will also be an open forum with Fred each week on Saturday morning from 8-9 am, which is recommended but not required, and will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions about the text and practices recommended within it.

The only required reading will be Living Yogacara by Tagawa Shun'ei. In addition, there are several no-cost translations of Yogacara texts to be found online, as well as several commentaries by modern Buddhist teachers. Thich Nhat Hanh’s, Understanding Our Mind, is his commentary on the great Indian Yogararin Vasubandhu’s Thirty Verses.

The fee for this four-week class is $40 and teacher Dana is at the discretion of each student.

Workshop Instructor

Fred Eppsteiner has been a student of the psychology of Buddhist meditation for over 40 years, and was a psychotherapist for more than 30 years. He has trained extensively in the Buddhist meditative traditions the U.S. and Asia. He received permission to teach from Thich Nhat Hanh in 1994 and is the editor of two books: The Path of Compassion and Interbeing.

Classes:  5:30-6:30 pm

Week 1:   February 1 and 4

Week 2:   February 8 and 11

Week 3.   February 15 and 18

Week 4:   February 22 and 25

Forums:  8:00-9:00 am

Week 1:   February 6

Week 2:   February 13

Week 3:   February 20

Week 4:   February 27

* Florida Community of Mindfulness, Inc. is approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling to provide continuing education credits through CE Provider # 50-14766. Total in-class time is 8 hours.

Mindfulness Institute Grievance Procedure

Mail a statement describing your complaint to: Director of Continuing Education, 6501 N. Nebraska Avenue, Tampa, FL 33604.

Questions? E-mail us at info@floridamindfulness.org or call 813-237-0746.