With Marilyn Warlick, Diana Fish and Alex Lerner

Date: November 22

Registration Deadline: November 20
Suitability
This workshop is open to both members and non-members and is offered in person and online, no Buddhist experience needed. It’s especially meaningful if you wish to support a loved one who is aging, ill, or simply want to prepare together for life’s most certain transition. .

Description

Is there someone close to you, a parent, partner, or dear friend, whose eventual death you quietly worry about? Or perhaps you sense it’s time to prepare together, to talk more openly about what matters most when death comes.

Embracing the Great Transition is a daylong workshop offering space to explore how preparing for death can become one of the greatest gifts we give ourselves and those we love, the gift of presence, peace, and mutual understanding.

Throughout the day, Alex, Diana, and Marilyn will guide reflections, mindfulness practices, and conversations to help us open to impermanence, approach difficult topics with compassion, and begin creating written guidance for ourselves and our loved ones. These practical and heartfelt tools can ease fear and confusion when the time of dying comes.

We’re also grateful that our teacher Fred Eppsteiner will join us to offer a special teaching on Buddhist wisdom about death and dying, wisdom that helps us meet loss not with fear, but with awareness and love.

Come spend a day in reflection and connection, discovering how embracing death with honesty and love can help us live, and relate, with deeper peace, clarity, and compassion.

Course Instructors

Marilyn Warlick is a retired LCSW having  worked  in various areas of service within the VA Health Care System; Homelessness, Substance Abuse, and Clinical Coordinator for Programs for Returning Veterans from their combat tours of duty, also End of Life Care. Her involvement with Florida Community of Mindfulness (FCM) began in 2000, in 2009, she completed a pilgrimage with her FCM teacher and  members to India.  In 2010 she received ordination in the Order of Interbeing. She had been a mentor and a facilitator for Death  Cafes and assists in various FCM Programs including Buddhist Wisdom for Death and Dying. 

Reverend Diana Fish, BCC, is an interfaith palliative care chaplain at BayCare’s Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, FL. Diana joined FCM upon moving to Florida and was ordained into the Order of Interbeing in 2019. In 2018 she was ordained as a Buddhist Chaplain by Roshi Joan Halifax, Abbott of Upaya Zen Center and author of Being with Dying. After completing Clinical Pastoral Education at Tampa General Hospital in 2019 she was hired as a Staff Chaplain. She received board certification by the Association of Professional Chaplains in 2021.

Alex Lerner  has been practicing with Florida Community of Mindfulness since 2005 and became OI ordained in 2015. He is a mentor for other practitioners at FCM and is frequently holding workshops with a special interest in Neuroscience and the Dharma. He teaches meditation and mindfulness in the FCM Prison Dharma Program. For his career in clinical medicine, he was focused on healing the body. After his retirement from medicine, he developed an interest in understanding the mind.

Fees

This workshop is presented by the Florida Community of Mindfulness at our Practice Center, 6501 N. Nebraska Ave in Tampa. The fee for this workshop is $75. A reduced rate of $40 is available for individuals needing financial support.

Please bring your own vegetarian lunch. Water and tea will be provided.

Contacts for More Information
If you have any questions about this class, please e-mail us at info@floridamindfulness.org or call 813-237-0746.

FCM members and their families/guests are invited to join the Florida Community of Mindfulness for a potluck Thanksgiving dinner at the Tampa Practice Center. It is good to notice and be grateful for all the gifts and opportunities that have come to us in this life, especially for the opportunity to walk this path of understanding, peace and loving kindness with each other. We warmly invite you and your families/guests to join us at the Florida Community of Mindfulness on Thursday, November 27 at 1:00pm to gather as a sangha family to express our deep appreciation for what has been most meaningful to us over the past year. We will then enjoy a potluck Thanksgiving dinner together.

As part of our Buddhist aspiration to do no harm and help support the sustainability of life on our planet our dinner will be vegan. Please complete step one by registering. Next, upon receiving confirmation, please sign up to bring a dish to share using the SignUpGenius link included in your confirmation email. Seating is limited so please sign up early.

Registration closes on November 21.

Please contact either Raven isharavensky@gmail.com with any questions.

All are invited to join in community and selfless service this Saturday, November 29, as we come together to continue to cultivate a place of peace and beauty for the benefit of all beings!

We will meet at 8 a.m. under the pergola located behind the Meditation Hall to begin the day; if you cannot be there at 8 a.m. or need to leave before we end for the day at 11 please do not let that keep you from attending – any amount of service is appreciated!

Likewise, if summer heat is an issue there will be work available inside, you are welcome to choose what is best for you! 

Please wear work clothes and closed toe shoes and bring work gloves if you have them. Snacks and water will be provided.

In addition, Fred will be offering interviews, a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of! 

We look forward to being with you and getting to know one another in an informal and friendly setting! 

Please familiarize yourself with our FCM Health Protocols.

Many thanks,

The Center Care Team

Please note: FCM Members can access the Death Cafe web page and the Zoom links by clicking here.

With Fred Eppsteiner

Dates: December 4 - 7
Registration Deadline:  November 9
Suitability

This retreat is open for registration only to FCM members who are currently registered in the Deconstructing the Myth of Self Intensive or who have participated in this FCM Intensive in prior years. 

Description (letter from Fred to current DMS participants)

Dear friends,

We have now spent the better part of this Intensive year carefully observing the manifestation and reification of self. We’ve observed how the drama of self, both defending and advancing it, can be endlessly time consuming (high maintenance!) and disruptive in our lives. In the month of November, we will explore the teachings on self from the perspective of Buddhist psychology (Yogacara) and see that the existence of a solid, permanent, autonomous self is a mistaken view (delusion). Even with this understanding, we may still find that we have a deep-seated clinging to the notion of a separate self and that its attachments and aversions are continuing to play havoc in our lives.

In this December three-day retreat, we will focus on the teachings and practices in the text, The Wheel of Investigation and Meditation That Thoroughly Purifies Mental Activity, to enable us to cut through our attachment to this delusive self. Through reflection and meditation, we will experientially explore the way we mistakenly take the experience of the Five Skandhas (or Aggregates) to be ourselves. I will share teachings and practices to move us beyond an intellectual understanding of the Skandhas so that we can apply them in a practical and effective way in our lives. This time-tested process frees up our mind and heart-centered energies to truly live a life of freedom and meaning.

This retreat will be in-person at the Tampa center only as it will be a personal transmission of these profound teachings from teacher to students. It is open for registration only to FCM members who are currently registered in the Deconstructing the Myth of Self Intensive or who have participated in this FCM Intensive in prior years.

In the Dharma, Fred

Retreat Leader

Fred Eppsteiner has been a student of the psychology of Buddhist meditation for over 50 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. He is the founding teacher of the Florida Community of Mindfulness.

Fees

The fee for in-person participation is $270 for overnighters and $210 for commuters.

Retreat Scholarships are available; please click here to see FCM’s Retreat Scholarship Policy and for an Application, which needs to be submitted prior to the registration deadline for this retreat.

Retreat Logistics

This retreat is in-person only (either staying overnight or as a commuter) participation at FCM’s Tampa Center. The retreat will begin with orientation at 5:00 pm on Thursday, December 4 and ends Sunday, December 7 at 12:00 pm. Participation is open to FCM members only.

Please note: 

• The deadline for registration for this retreat is November 9. 
• We will send a retreat acceptance letter by November 12 with additional information to help you prepare for retreat.
• The full fee will then be due by November 19, otherwise the spot will be given to another applicant.
• Please click here to read FCM's Retreat Cancellation Policy.
• If you are not familiar with our campus, you may enjoy this short video tour.
  
• New to retreating with FCM? Please visit our FAQs page.

The teachings are offered in the Buddhist tradition of Dana, wherein the teachers freely give of themselves to the students out of gratitude for what they’ve received from their teachers and a desire to be of service. The student’s response is also based on Dana, i.e. generosity that naturally flows from a sense of appreciation of the value of Dharma and gratitude to the living lineage. All retreat dana for this retreat will go towards supporting future programs at the FCM center. 

Questions?
Please contact Rita at ritaanna727@gmail.com for any logistical questions.

At FCM we celebrate the full moon each month with an evening devoted to meditations that help us develop and cultivate the mind of kindness, friendship and compassion towards all beings. During the guided meditation, we will practice embracing ourselves and others with thoughts of unconditional kindness, compassion, and support, and then to extend those feelings with well wishes for peace, happiness and an end to suffering for everyone in the world.

It has long been part of Buddhist tradition to honor and celebrate the arrival of the full moon. Legend has it that Shakyamuni Buddha was born under a full moon, arrived at his enlightenment under a full moon, and passed into paranirvana under a full moon. In Zen the full moon reminds us of our Buddha nature or our essential wholeness and completeness.

Our Full Moon Loving Kindness and Compassion evening will be from 7:30 – 8:45 pm. The evening will include guided loving kindness and compassion meditations, a short talk, and recitation of the Metta (Lovingkindness) Sutra and/or other music and altruistic readings. 

We encourage everyone in the Tampa Bay vicinity to experience the richness of practicing together, in-person in our Meditation Hall. There is no need to register ahead of time. Please familiarize yourself with our FCM Health Protocols and plan to arrive by 7:15 pm.

If joining us online, the link to Zoom is below. The event is suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators. There is no formal advance registration; simply join us online on the Sangha Line shortly before 7:30 pm. 

Zoom Links for FCM Sangha Line
Video Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3296243465?pwd=bUo1aFVQblhhbUFpZmZTci9EK0daZz09

Dial-In # 1-646-558-8656
Meeting ID# 329 624 3465

Cancelled this month.

FCM's Days of Mindfulness are offered both In-Person at the Tampa Practice Center and Online. Whether you are a new or experienced meditator, our Days of Mindfulness are an opportunity to support and deepen the practice of mindfulness and meditation, and nourish the seeds of well being, inner peace and openness in our lives.

 

The day will be a chance for all of us to put down the busyness of our lives and to relax, refresh, and renew with the healing energy of mindfulness. The day is an opportunity to experiment with letting go of our stories and dramas about our lives and the world. Instead we will practice simply be present to, and nourished by, our actual experience in the present moment. 

We encourage everyone in the Tampa Bay vicinity to experience the richness of practicing together, in-person in our Meditation Hall. Please familiarize yourself with our FCM Health Protocols and plan to arrive by 8:30 am.

If joining us online, the link to Zoom information will be provided once you register. We provide guidance to help you make the experience at home as close as possible to an experience in the Meditation Hall.

When you register indicate your choice of participation In-Person or Online.  While there is no fee for participation, the traditional practice of Dana (generosity) is appreciated. Please register to receive important information about your In-Person or Online Zoom attendance.  

If you have any questions please contact Rita Cathey at ritaanna727@gmail.com

Please join us to deepen your connection with the community as we enjoy music, socializing and light refreshments as we introduce our new social gathering - the FCM Cafe Series.

The Cafe events are casual, social gatherings where members and non-members can connect and get to know one another in a relaxed setting. There is no need to register and there is no formal agenda for the evening. Just stop by, unwind, and enjoy good company!

Tanya McEwen will perform a variety of piano pieces on the keyboard.

For more information, contact Julie at jamcewen3@yahoo.com. 

All are invited to join in community and selfless service this Saturday, December 13, as we come together to continue to cultivate a place of peace and beauty for the benefit of all beings!

We will meet at 8 a.m. under the pergola located behind the Meditation Hall to begin the day; if you cannot be there at 8 a.m. or need to leave before we end for the day at 11 please do not let that keep you from attending – any amount of service is appreciated!

Please wear work clothes and closed toe shoes and bring work gloves if you have them. Snacks and water will be provided.

In addition, Fred will be offering interviews, a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of! 

We look forward to being with you and getting to know one another in an informal and friendly setting! 

Please familiarize yourself with our FCM Health Protocols.

Many thanks,

The Center Care Team

Join Fred and others in the FCM community for fellowship and cheer. The evening will include carols, music and some light holiday refreshments. There is no charge, but please register for yourself and family or friends so that we know how many to expect.

If you can bring a holiday treat please contact Julie McEwen at jamcewen3@yahoo.com

with Bill MacMillen and DiDi Dorsey

(Open for registration for both FCM members and non-members.)

Many of us embark on a spiritual path seeking to live a meaningful and purposeful life--a life of authenticity, integrity and goodness. Aspiration, intention and vows are key elements that empower us on our path.

Our aspirations refer to the highest and deepest heart-felt wishes we have for our lives, our relationships and the world--our shining north stars, so to speak. Making vows and setting intentions are tangible ways we can channel the energy of our aspirations and infuse them with determination and commitment. These three elements--aspiration, intention and vows--provide direction in our lives, keep us on the path when we are challenged or confused, and help us make wise choices that are congruent with our inner values.

In this workshop, led by Bill MacMillen and Denise Dorsey we will look deeply into our lives to examine, uncover and clarify each of these elements, and learn how to use them in our daily practice. 

Examining our aspirations, intentions and vows is not a one-time endeavor. We invite everyone to join us for this annual community workshop so that these elements are present for us each of us every day of the year. 

This workshop is free, offered to anyone who wishes to attend. It will be held via Zoom. Please join us!    

Bill Mac Millen has been a practitioner with the Florida Community of Mindfulness and a student of FCM's teacher Fred Eppsteiner since 2013. Aspiring to be of service to the community, he is on the Leadership Council overseeing the area of Center Care, a member of Thich Nhat Hahn's Order of Interbeing (OI), and assists in leading a number of FCM offerings to both members and guests.

Denise "DiDi" Dorsey spent over 30 years working as a school psychologist, earning board certifications in both School Neuropsychology and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). A member of the Florida Community of Mindfulness (FCM) since 2020, she was drawn to the community’s shared practice of meditation and commitment to loving-kindness and service. DiDi actively supports the community by coordinating the AV Team, helping the Flower Team beautify the Meditation Hall, and assisting the Kitchen Team in nourishing retreatants.  

With Fred Eppsteiner

Date: Saturday, January 24, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Registration Deadline: January 17 for in-person, January 22 for online.
Suitability
Anyone wishing to become more aware of and be free of the stories that unnecessarily bind them and cause them suffering. This workshop is open to both members and non-members and is offered in person and online.

Description

No matter how we may appear to others outwardly, often our internal world is an endless jumble of narratives and stories. Stories about ourself and others. Stories about our supposed past and imagined future. Stories about the world. Good stories and bad stories. Uplifting stories and depressing stories. On and on and on. Lost in these stories about ourselves and life (ruminating/obsessing), we are unconsciously conditioning our mind states and emotional states, and effecting our relationship with ourself and others. What to do?

In this workshop, Fred will help participants clearly identify the stories that consume and bind their inner life and present them with an alternative way of being that allows greater freedom, openness, and satisfaction. Based on Buddhist psychology and mindfulness and meditative techniques, Fred will offer participants a clear and practical path to begin living in real life. Without the distracting inner voice of the story-making self constantly narrating our life, emotional stability and inner peace becomes more readily available to us.

Course Instructor

Our Teacher Fred Eppsteiner will be using his training as a family therapist, plus his experience as a meditation and Dharma teacher, to create a challenging and opening environment for workshop participants to learn practical and easily applicable means to facilitate the workshop’s goals. Theoretical and psychological presentations, mindfulness practice, and guided experiential meditations will all be utilized during the workshop.

Fred has been a student of the psychology of Buddhist meditation for over 50 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.

Fees

This workshop is presented by the Florida Community of Mindfulness at our Practice Center, 6501 N. Nebraska Ave in Tampa. The fee for this workshop is $115 In-person and $100 Online. Reduced rates are available for individuals needing financial support.

Cancellation Policy:  An administrative fee of $20 will be charged for in-person registrations cancelled after January 17.

Contacts for More Information
If you have any questions about this class, please e-mail us at info@floridamindfulness.org or call 813-237-0746.

Save the Date!

with Roshis Jan Chozen Bays and Hogen Bays (Save the date)

Dates
This is a Self-Paced Course for FCM Members - Enroll Anytime and Complete on Your Schedule
Suitability
Individuals at any stage of practice, from beginner to more experienced, who wish to establish a strong foundation of "Right View"  for practicing on the Buddhist path 

Description

The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind Toward Dharma - Precious Human Life, Impermanence, Defects of Samsara, and Cause and Effect - are an essential foundational teaching in Buddhist practice. Without a deep understanding and integration of these teachings, we will not build the strong foundation needed to support our continued development on the spiritual path.

In this five-module course, our study and contemplation of the Four Thoughts will guide us in turning away from the distractions of samsara—the endless cycle of suffering—and toward the path of genuine liberation. When understood deeply and practiced sincerely, these reflections have the power to illuminate the mind with wisdom, dissolving the delusions and misunderstandings that give rise to suffering.

This 5-part, self-guided, pre-recorded audio course will help you to::

• Gain both an intellectual understanding of the Four Thoughts and a heartfelt recognition of the nature of existence.
• Learn how to reflect on these contemplations and bring them into our life experiences.
• Awaken a sense of clarity and urgency about why we practice the Dharma.
• Be inspired to turn our minds toward the Dharma so that we can focus on what truly matters and begin to align our lives with wisdom and compassion.

The course includes recorded talks by Fred, readings, guided meditations, reflection questions, and suggested practice opportunities. A participant Discussion Forum is also provided for sharing insights with the course mentors and other participants in the course.

This course is open to members of the Florida Community of Mindfulness. It is a Self-Paced course, conducted entirely online, with access to a Course Mentor. Total expected time to complete the course is estimated at 10-15 hours, but participants complete the course on their own schedule.
Course Instructors
Fred Eppsteiner has been a student of the psychology of Buddhist meditation for over 50 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. He is the founding teacher of the Florida Community of Mindfulness.
Fees

This course if offered on a donation-basis. Participants select an amount, if any, that they would like to offer to support future programs at FCM.

Contacts for More Information
If you have any questions about this course or whether it is appropriate for you, please e-mail us at info@floridamindfulness.org or call 813-237-0746.