PROGRAMS

Buddhism: The Basics Class Page

A six-week Introduction to Buddhism course offered by the Florida Community of Mindfulness. 
Classes will be held Tuesday evenings, 7:00 to 8:30 pm, September 4 - October 9, 2018 in the Meditation Hall of the FCM Practice Center, 6501 North Nebraska Avenue in Tampa.

On this page you will find the course outline, a list of suggested readings, and any other relevant information.  

We look forward to exploring the Buddha, his teachings, and the various Buddhist traditions and practices with you.   Please look over the information below and if you have any questions, please contact Bill Mac Millen at bmacm21@gmail.com. 

We will begin with the actual life of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, an archetype of a human being awakening to the true meaning and purpose of life. Then we will delve systematically into the fundamental teachings of the “path of awakening” that he promulgated during the course of his nearly forty-five years of active teaching. Finally, we will examine the various practice and meditative paths that have developed within the Buddhist tradition over the past 2600 years.

Course Outline

Below are links to Course Suggested Readings and Suggested Readings by Week. Please know you are not expected to read all or any of them. The course will be comprehensible and complete without any of the readings, but any you do read will supplement the talks and deepen your understanding of the material.

Suggested Readings by Week

This course will be taught by:

Maria Theresa Jaureguizar began her Buddhist  practice in 1994 with Gyokuko Carlson at the Dharma Rain Zen Center in Portland Oregon.  In 2011 she found a home with the Florida Community of Mindfulness and became a student of Fred Eppsteiner.  She is active in the Order of Interbeing (OI) as an aspirant, OI council member and  a student of the Five Year Dharma Transmission Program. She enjoys sharing time with sangha friends and  helping others by leading classes in meditation and mindful living. She currently works in the senior services field with county government.

Bill Mac Millen has been a practitioner with the Florida Community of Mindfulness and a student of FCM's teacher Fred Eppsteiner since 2013. He is an aspirant in Thich Nhat Hahn's Order of Interbeing (OI) and a student in FCM's Dharma Transmission Program. Previously Bill worked in law enforcement with the Tampa Police Department and as an investigator in the communications industry before retiring in 2016.