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.