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In this talk, Fran Berry, board president of the Tallahassee Chan Center and one of GuoGu's Assistant Teachers, will share practices and attitudes on how to approach life's challenges with a Chan mindset. She will discuss Chan principles of recognizing cause and effect, accepting adversities, and taking responsibility without blame. Fran will address how to work with challenges by staying grounded and present, and adjusting one's mindset, even during difficult situations.

Through these teachings, we can cultivate resilience and well-being, reduce our suffering, and foster compassionate, meaningful connections with others. Fran will join via Zoom, streamed live at the Tallahassee Chan Center. You can also join on Zoom.

Fran took refuge as a Buddhist in 1980 in Lexington, KY at a meditation center affiliated with Tibetan Rinpoche Choyam Trungpa, founder of Shambala Meditation. She began studying with Guo Gu in January 2010, after attending English meditation instructions and retreats at Dharma Drum Mountain Monastery in Taiwan. Fran took Bodhisattva Precepts in 2010.  Fran is currently the President of the Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Chan Center, and has been teaching Beginning Meditation Workshops and other meditation classes since 2015. She has also taught Taiqi (Tai Chi) for 25 years. Fran has been married for over 40 years and is a retired Professor of Public Administration and Policy at Florida State University.

Approaching Challanges with a Chan Mindset