Please note that retreat registration is currently open to FCM members only. Non-members should email retreat registrar Diane Powell (dslpowell@gmail.com) to be added to the waiting list for the retreat.

FCM Winter Retreat -  Looking Deeply: The Buddhist Meditative Practices of Direct Investigation

The cultivation of mindfulness and tranquil abiding allows us to perceive reality more clearly and to live a more peaceful and happy life. The waters of our life become calmer and less murky. Yet, without insight into the nature of reality or true understanding of the nature of ourselves and our mind, we can never experience the depth and profundity of life discovered by the Buddha and all the masters since.  Thich Nhat Hanh has continually taught that his students must practice mindfulness (smirti), stopping (samatha) and deep looking (vipashyana) to truly experience the fruits of Dharma practice.

During this retreat Dharma teacher Fred Eppsteiner will offer Buddhist teachings and meditation practices related to vipashyana (vipassana), or the cultivation of insight that produces true wisdom. This refers to our capacity to see into the true nature of reality, i.e. directly understanding the true nature of all mental and physical phenomena. The second training of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings of the Order of Interbeing instructs us that, truth is found in life, and we will observe life within and around us in every moment. The insight practices of deep looking and investigation that Fred will share during this retreat show us how to do this.

The retreat is being held in Tampa, Florida at The Franciscan Center, located on the Hillsborough River. The registration fee covers both room and board (three vegetarian meals daily), as well as any administrative and incidental expenses connected to the retreat. Teachings are offered in the Buddhist tradition of Dana, wherein the teacher freely gives of himself to his students out of gratitude for what he’s received from his 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.