Fred Eppsteiner
AWAKENING AS A HOUSEHOLDER: THE DHARMA PATH OF VIMILAKIRTI
May 30- June 6
7 nights
$455 ($227.50 deposit) Dana
Fred Eppsteiner, MSW, has been a psychotherapist for more than thirty years. A practicing Buddhist for nearly forty years, Fred has trained in both Zen and Vajrayana/Dzogchen lineages. He received Dharma Transmission from Thich Nhat Hanh in 1994 and is the Dharma Teacher of the Florida Community of Mindfulness with students in FL and NC. He is the editor of two books: The Path of Compassion and Interbeing. For more information on Fred and his community, access www.floridamindulness.org
The Vimilakirti Sutra is the preeminent Buddhist text for any layperson who aspires to lead an awakened and altruistically purposeful life. It has inspired and guided Buddhist lay practitioners throughout Asia for over a thousand years. Vimilarkirti, a profoundly awakened disciple of the Buddha, was a family man, businessman, community leader, and friend to all in need. He was also known for his awakened wisdom and was respected by all the Buddha’s disciples. This beloved sutra is both great drama and profound instruction, as it succinctly and pragmatically shows laypeople how to practice highest wisdom and compassion in their daily lives. While teaching this sutra to retreat participants, Fred will draw on his meditative experience in the Zen, Dzogchen (Great Perfection), and mindfulness-based traditions, as well as his many years as a professional psychotherapist.
The retreat will include formal periods of sitting and walking mindfulness meditation, guided meditations, daily Dharma talks, private interviews with Fred, and opportunities for solitary practice and enjoyment of the natural beauty and peacefulness of Southern Dharma.