October 9 – December 18, 2023

In the Buddhist tradition, the path of the heart is equally practiced with the path of mindfulness, meditation and wisdom to create the basis for happiness and wellbeing. You are invited to join us for a 10-week Intensive journey into the simple yet extraordinary practices for developing genuine care and compassion for ourselves and others. Our focus will be on cultivating an open,  kind, and compassionate heart through the study and practice of the Four Immeasurables: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.

These four “divine abodes” show us what we are capable of, and by practicing them how to uncover the natural qualities of our own heart. We can learn to live with an openness that feels connection and friendliness towards all beings, rejoices in their happiness, and desires to alleviate their suffering. We will practice meditations to cultivate these qualities in our mind, and through consistent mindfulness we will bring them into our daily life of relationship, work and interaction with others.

Participants in this Intensive will be provided readings and assigned weekly meditation and daily life practices. Bi-weekly group small group mentoring calls will provide individual guidance and support. Bi-weekly Dharma talks by will be offered by Intensive leaders Diane Powell and Maria Teresa Jaureguizar. In addition, Fred will offer a Forum to answer questions and interact with participants. All meetings will be on Zoom. An Intensive Practice page on our website will be made available to registrants for Intensive materials and assignments. 

 

This Intensive is offered as an FCM Mindful Living Path (MLP) Program. MLP programs provide the foundational practices of mindfulness, meditation and mindful living. They are designed for beginning, renewing and strengthening practice, deepening the path of personal healing and transformation, and providing the strong foundations for further Dharma study and practice.

A detailed description of the Three Paths of Practice can be found on the FCM website, www.floridamindfulness.org under Programs/Paths of Practice.  Reviewing the Three Paths of Practice can be helpful in deciding which of the upcoming Intensives may be most suitable and beneficial for you. FCM members may also wish to consult the Three Paths of Practice Self-Assessment Questionnaire, which can be accessed via this link. (Be sure to log in to the website first to access this link.)

Please note that participation in this Intensive is open only to members of FCM. For information on membership on our website, please click here.

MLP participants will be assigned a Dharma Buddy.  You may request a specific buddy but that person must be in the MLP intensive. You will automatically be assigned a buddy unless you contact Evelyn Haseman (evelynhaseman@gmail.com) with a specific buddy request or a concern. Both buddies must contact Evelyn for a specific pairing request. More information about the Dharma Buddies program will be provided soon.

If you have any questions about whether this Intensive is right for you, please contact Diane at dslpowell@gmail.com and Maria Teresa j.emm.tee@gmail.com. If you have any questions about the logistics of this Intensive, please contact Shelia at sajludwig@gmail.com. 

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 PARTICIPANTS

Study & Practice:

Participate in Assigned Practice Groups:

The fee for this Intensive is $100. This is a suggested amount and participants are free to offer more or less depending on their individual financial situation. Please pay online 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.

 

This Intensive will begin on October 9 and end on December 18. Readings, Zoom teleconference/phone call instructions, and other pertinent dates will be announced once registration has been completed.

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

Please read the information below before you click to register!

When you register, you will be asked to indicate your preferences for the mentoring groups offered through Zoom. The following six mentoring groups will be listed, and you will be required to indicate for each group one of the following: my first choice, my second choice, cannot do, or could do but not preferred. If there is more than one group that will work well for you, please mark all these as “my first choice.” This will provide us with added flexibility in making group assignments.  Please have your calendar available when you register so that you can complete this part of the registration process accurately. 

Registration will be open until October 1. Please register as soon as you can to support our efforts to have everything organized in a timely manner.

Part I:  October 9 – December 18, 2023

INTENSIVE DESCRPTION

Those whose life is informed by the desire for freedom from a life of self-centeredness, unreliable emotionality, and underlying dissatisfaction would do well to discover the Path of the Bodhisattva. In the Buddhist tradition, those who live, or vow to live, an awakened life based on interconnectedness, wisdom, compassion, and who only wish to bring goodness to their fellow beings are called “bodhisattvas.”  

Bodhisattvas cultivate bodhicitta, the seed of awakened intelligence and love that lies dormant within everyone. This way of living taught and modeled by the Buddha and the endless stream of awakened teachers (even into our modern times) is called the Path of the Bodhisattva or the “path of the awakened and compassionate warrior.” It’s foundation are the practices of the Six Perfections (paramitas).

There is no better introduction to actualizing the six perfections in daily life than the eloquent text, The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicaryavatara), by the great eighth century Indian Buddhist master, Shantideva. Participants in the Intensive will utilize this text as a practical manual to learn how to practice the Six Perfections, the guiding practices for living an awakened life.  As the Dalai Lama stated, "If I have any understanding of compassion and the practice of the bodhisattva path, it is entirely on the basis of this text that I possess it."

Please note that this Fall 2023-24 intensive will be the first section a year-long study and practice of Shanitdeva’s, Way of the Bodhisattva. The study and practice of this subject will continue into winter/spring and summer Intensives, giving us the opportunity to unhurriedly and reflectively study and practice together. 

           

PREREQUISITES FOR PARTICIPATION

This Intensive is open to all FCM members who have established a foundation of mindfulness, daily meditation and emotional stability through the practices of our Mindful Living Path, and are now seeking to tread more deeply into the Dharma path of transformation. 

A detailed description of the Three Paths of Practice can be found on the FCM website, www.floridamindfulness.org under Programs/Paths of Practice.  Reviewing the Three Paths of Practice can be helpful in deciding which of the upcoming 2023 Fall  Intensives may be most suitable and beneficial for you.  FCM members may also wish to consult the Three Paths of Practice Self-Assessment Questionnaire, which can be accessed via this link (be sure to log in to the website first to access this link).

COMMITMENTS FOR INTENSIVE

It is important is that all participants be able to carve out a minimum of one hour daily for study and meditative practice. Our path of practice for this Intensive will include assigned readings in and recommended commentarial texts on The Way of the Bodhisattva. Dharma talks given by Fred will be offered to participants via Zoom every two weeks. Supportive bi-weekly small group mentoring calls will also be a source of nourishment and support for participants. Several daylong retreats will be also be available to nourish our practice.

Please note that participation in this Intensive is open only to members of FCM. For information on membership on our website, please click here.

If you have any questions about the Intensive please contact Angie Parrish at parrish26@gmail.com. If you have any questions about the logistics of this Intensive, please contact Shelia at sajludwig@gmail.com.

The fee for this Intensive is $100. This is a suggested amount and participants are free to offer more or less depending on their individual financial situation. Please pay online 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.

 

This Intensive will begin on October 9 and end on December 18. Readings, Zoom teleconference/phone call instructions, and other pertinent dates will be announced once registration has been completed.

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

Please read the information below before you click to register!

When you register, you will be asked to indicate your preferences for the mentoring groups offered through Zoom. The following six mentoring groups will be listed, and you will be required to indicate for each group one of the following: my first choice, my second choice, cannot do, or could do but not preferred. If there is more than one group that will work well for you, please mark all these as “my first choice.” This will provide us with added flexibility in making group assignments.  Please have your calendar available when you register so that you can complete this part of the registration process accurately. 

Registration will be open until October 1. Please register as soon as you can to support our efforts to have everything organized in a timely manner.