free buddhist audio : community

Sincerity, Thoroughness, and Strenuousness

Viriyalila — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:21:09 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte, “Sincerity, Thoroughness, and Strenuousness,” is a thoughtful look at the synthesis of the total Buddhist tradition emerging in the western world. Sangharakshita points out that as a living religion, Buddhism is very new in our western cultures. The Chinese occupation has had enormous effects on Tibetan Buddhism. What future does it have, and what can Western Buddhists learn from its unique heritage? From the talk “The Future of Tibetan Buddhism” given in 1968, part of the series: “An Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism.”

The Three Yanas in Tibetan Buddhism

Viriyalila — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:03:21 +0000

In today’s FBA Dharmabyte, “The Three Yanas in Tibetan Buddhism,” Sangharakshita explores how in Tibetan Buddhism we can learn about all three yanas – the Hinayana, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana. From the talk “The Future of Tibetan Buddhism” given in 1968.

Tibetan Book the Dead: Talk 1 – The Six Bardos

Viriyalila — Sat, 12 May 2012 01:56:25 +0000

This week’s FBA Podcast , “Tibetan Book the Dead: Talk 1 – The Six Bardos“, is an extraordinary talk by Padmavajra exploring the great text that reveals the realms between death and new life, where anything is possible in the Bardo – the ‘intermediate state’. From the first talk in the series “Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol).”

Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, winter retreat, 2005

The Bardo of Life, An Extraordinary Opportunity

Viriyalila — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:39:31 +0000

In today’s FBA Dharmabyte, “The Bardo of Life, An Extraordinary Opportunity,” Padmavajra explores the great text that reveals the realms between death and new life, where anything is possible in the Bardo – the ‘intermediate state’. ” From the first talk in the series “Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol).”

Buddhism Beyond Samsara

Viriyalila — Mon, 07 May 2012 02:22:14 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte, “Buddhism Beyond Samsara” takes us into the reflections of Vajradarsini on practicing purely with insight in mind. Buddhism is not being better at samsara nor is it relying on the material plane. From the talk “The Transitoriness of Life and the Certainty of Death“, part of a five part series titled “The Four Mind Turnings.” given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre for women training for ordination in the Triratna Buddhist Order.

The Ideal of Human Enlightenment

Viriyalila — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:00:45 +0000

Today, on the full moon of May, we celebrate the Buddha’s Awakening, his full and perfect Enlightenment. Our FBA Podcast is a passionate look at our true nature and our deepest yearnings. “The Ideal of Human Enlightenment“, by Sangharakshita, was given in 1975 and is as relevant now as it was then.

Flowers from the Dhammapada

Viriyalila — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:37:30 +0000

Today’s Dharmabyte is a closer look into the chapter titled “Flowers” from the “Dhammapada“, by Padmavajra. The ideal student masters the realm of death by entering the transcendental path while discerning the Verses of Truth.

How to Hold a Vision

Viriyalila — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 02:17:52 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte is brought to us by the delightful Saddhanandi “How to Hold a Vision” from the talk “Enlightenment as Heart, Life as Whole.” Are we nourished or are we burdened by our ideals? Ideals need to be well-rooted in our hearts… beyond the worldly winds… not an abstraction, our vision is our direction and our orientation that guides us along the way.

Enlightenment as Heart, Life as Whole

Viriyalila — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 03:29:58 +0000

In this week’s FBA Podcast,”Enlightenment as Heart, Life as Whole,” Saddhanandi takes us through a set of very thought-provoking reflections. She is forthright about the difficulties and joys of cultivating faith in the Dharma and makes very plain the consequences we can expect in our life as and when that faith arises. The talk is peppered with examples from her own practice. The audience clearly appreciates her sense of humour – which is often at her own expense.

The event was recorded in a very large marquee on a rainy day and despite that the sound quality is still OK!

Given at Taraloka, May 2005. The companion talk to this one is Vajradarshini’s “We Have a Huge Barrel of Wine, But No Cups”

The Buddha’s Gratitude

Viriyalila — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:10:39 +0000

Today’s Dharmabyte is on “The Buddha’s Gratitude” discussing the importance of gratitude for the spiritual life, even for the Buddha following his Enlightenment. The talk, “Looking at the Bodhi Tree,” given in 1975 by Sangharakshita, is as relevant today as it was then.

Bahiya – In the Seen Only the Seen…

Viriyalila — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 02:20:48 +0000

This weeks FBA Dharmabyte,”Bahiya – In the Seen Only the Seen” is a reading from the book ‘Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One’ (Quercus, 2011) by Vishvapani. The original talk, Imagining Gautama, is part of series launching the book from February 2011.

The Significance of the Buddha’s Enlightenment

Viriyalila — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 03:54:34 +0000

This weeks FBA Podcast, “The Significance of the Buddha’s Enlightenment” is a talk by Sona given at Manchester Buddhist Centre on Buddha Day, 9th May 2009.

What is Enlightenment?

Viriyalila — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:43:07 +0000

This weeks FBA Dharmabyte titled: “What is Enlightenment?“, from the talk, “Enlightenment as Experience and as Non-Experience” by Sangharakshita exposes a modern disease of frustrated craving for experience. Sangharakshita suggests that spiritual life is better seen in more concrete ways; as growth, work, and duty.

Practising Purely

Viriyalila — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:56:42 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte, “Practising Purely,” by Varjadarshini, is from the third talk in a five-part series from Tiratanaloka’s retreat on the “Four Mind Turnings” of the Tibetan tradition titled: “The Transitoriness of Life and the Certainty of Death.”

On the Threshold of Enlightenment

Viriyalila — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 03:23:30 +0000

This weeks FBA Podcast, “On the Threshold of Enlightenment” is part of the pivotal by “Aspects of the Bodhisattva Ideal” series delivered by Sangharakshita in 1969. This lecture describes dhyana (meditation), and prajna (Wisdom), the fifth and sixth perfections.

Trying to Make Samsara Work

Viriyalila — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 03:02:36 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte, is brought to us by Maitreyi titled: “Trying to Make Samsara Work“. Another gem from the talk “The Defects and Dangers of Samsara” where Maitreyi looks at pleasure and suffering in the context of samsara – compassionate responses to self and other, and how to loosen the bonds…

Talk given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2005

This talk is part of the series “The Four Mind-Turning Reflections“.

The Four Rivers of Samsara

Viriyalila — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 03:49:34 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte, “The Four Rivers of Samsara” is from the second talk from the 2009 UK Women’s Order / Mitra Event titled “Generating Bodhi Mind” by Vajratara. She guides us through the second section of Tsongkhapa’s short text on “The Three Principle Aspects of the Path”. The verses contain some strong and striking images for what it feels like being caught in Samsara and they come to life in Vajratara’s talk. She relates how she nearly came to death herself swept away by a Indonesian river and that was just an ordinary river current, never mind the current of Samsara!

An Evening with Sangharakshita

Viriyalila — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:24:16 +0000

This weeks FBA Podcast, is a recording of a question and answer session with Sangharakshita at the Croydon Buddhist Centre in 2004. “An Evening with Sangharakshita” is a lovely introduction to the man who founded the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community (formally known as the Western Buddhist Order and FWBO).

Cultural, Political and Social Change

Viriyalila — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:20:14 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte, “Cultural, Political and Social Change“, is an extract from a question and answer session with Sangharakshita at the Croydon Buddhist Centre in November, 2004. The full recording can be found here: “An Evening with Sangharakshita.”

Samsara and Nirvana

Viriyalila — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:12:13 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte, takes us right to the heart of the matter with “Samsara and Nirvana“, by Maitreyi. From the talk “The Defects and Dangers of Samsara” where Maitreyi looks at pleasure and suffering in the context of samsara – compassionate responses to self and other, and how to loosen the bonds…

Talk given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2005

This talk is part of the series “The Four Mind-Turning Reflections“.

The Buddha’s Gift To The World

Viriyalila — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 04:49:35 +0000

This weeks FBA Podcast, “The Buddha’s Gift To The World” is brought to us by Vajratara. Vajratara condenses nearly 50 years of the Buddhas life, using stories from the Pali Canon to show how the Buddha built a spiritual community that lasts to this day. Transcending the conflict between the desire to withdraw and the desire to engage, the Buddha wanders northern India out of compassion, teaching the Dharma by his presence and his words.

Positive Emotion and The Spiritual Life

Viriyalila — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:01:28 +0000

This weeks FBA Dharmabyte, “Positive Emotion and The Spiritual Life“, is an extract from the legendary series by Sangharakshita, “Buddhism for Today and Tomorrow” given in 1976. From the talk “A Method of Personal Development“, the founder of the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community speaks eloquently about how the practice of friendliness can bring about profound change in one’s life.

Who Benefits?

Viriyalila — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 03:54:48 +0000

This weeks FBA Dharmabyte, “Who Benefits?“, is a revisit to last weekend’s full talk podcast, “Brahama Viharas and the Key Moment” by Kulaprabha. In this extract, Kulaprabha reflects on who benefits when we engage in a process of cultivating loving kindness through the Brahma Vihara meditation practices.

Brahma Viharas and the Key Moment

Viriyalila — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 05:34:39 +0000

This weeks FBA Podcast, “Brahma Viharas and the Key Moment“, is a distillation of Kulaprabha’s 15 years of co-leading retreats on the development of Loving Kindness, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity. This talk was given in September 2001, before and after the Twin Towers attack, while Kulaprabha was on a six week retreat in Italy. She was one of only a few people on the retreat who knew what had happened and knew about the shock that had reverberated round the world. Some of her reflections from that time are included in the talk.

UK Centre Tour – March 2012

Viriyalila — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:12:46 +0000

Spreading the Dharma

Sharing our Practice

Connecting our Community Worldwide

Viriyalila’s UK Centre Tour – Spring 2012

Hi to everyone in our Free Buddhist Audio community. I’m currently in the UK visiting different centres, giving presentations and leading study to promote and fundraise for Free Buddhist Audio.

I’m about halfway through my trip so I thought I’d sit down and share a bit from the journey thus far. I started my tour in Croydon with a very lively Sangha morning followed by a study afternoon focussing on the Seven Bodhyangas, or Limbs of Enlightenment. I led the same study in Sheffield last weekend, which was met with much enthusiasm. We had a very serious look at applying Dhammaviccaya to our various life experiences and shared lots of laughter listening to Bhante talk about joy. All in all two really good study sessions.

I’ve really enjoyed preparing for these study sessions as I’ve been reflecting on that teaching for more then a decade. I selected a series of excerpts from talks to listen to on each of the factors/’limbs’, and then we discussed them as applied in our experience of working with the mind. We explored specific conditions we might give our attention to in an effort to create more refined and positive states of being through the application of Mindfulness/Smrti, Introspection/Dhamma-Vicaya; which then gives rise to Energy/Virya; then to Rapture & Joy/Priti & Pramodya; then to Calm/Prasrabdhi and Concentration/Samadhi culminating in Ultimate Equanimity/Upeksha.

I’ll be doing this short day retreat again this coming weekend in Brighton on Saturday and in Colchester on Sunday. If you are in the area, feel free to join us!

I’ve also been going to different Sangha Gatherings to promote freebuddhistaudio.com. It’s been a real delight to meet many of our supporters in person, and to introduce people to the many talks in our collection. Along the way I’ve been meeting with Triratna Centre team members to answer questions and provide support for using our Community Upload Program – especially now that it is about to be integrated with our sister site: thebuddhistcentre.com.

So far I’ve enjoyed meeting folks at the Triratna Centres in Croydon, Birmingham, Nottingham and Bristol. Next week I’ll be at Windhorse:Evolution in Cambridge and the London Buddhist Centre on Monday, Liverpool on Tuesday and Manchester on Thursday.

In addition to promoting and thanking our current supporters I’ve been asking folks who are familiar with our project to consider taking out a regular donation. We are passionate about keeping the service free, so it’s really not about paying for your downloads, it’s about sharing the Dharma.We’ve called on Tara, with her hand extended in the mudra of generosity to emphasize that we offer the gift of the Dharma freely, and we ask those who are able to help us give that gift to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. By giving a donation to Free Buddhist Audio you’ll be joining a lineage spanning thousands of years – people just like you helping spread the Dharma because it matters in their own lives.

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Samadhi – Concentration in the Fullest Sense

Viriyalila — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 01:31:01 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte,”Samadhi – Concentration in the Highest Sense” is track from the talk “Buddhism and the Path of the Higher Evolution” by Sangharakshita.

In answering the question ‘What is Buddhism?’, Sangharakshita identifies higher evolution – the development of higher states of consciousness – with the twelve links in the progressive trend of the Buddha’s teaching of conditioned co-production. Talk given in 1969 as part of “The Higher Evolution” series.

Priti: The Intensity of Rapture

Viriyalila — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:36:44 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte takes us into the blissful realm of Priti from a talk on the spiral path by Sangharakshita. “Priti: The Intensity of Rapture” is a selected Dharmabyte from the talk “The Stages of the Spiritual Path” given in 1966 as part of the series “Introducing Buddhism.”

The Spiral Path – The Great Escape

Viriyalila — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 01:28:38 +0000

This weeks FBA Podcast is a thoughtful, inspiring talk by Khemasuri titled “The Spiral Path – The Great Escape.” Faith, joy, and delight in the spiritual life. Sharing experiences from her own life, Khemasuri expounds on the importance of the Spiral Path, a fundamental teaching in the Triratna Buddhist Order.

Virya – Energy in Pursuit of the Good

Viriyalila — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 02:14:03 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte “Virya – Energy in Pursuit of the Good,” is from an inspiring talk by Prajnadevi titled: “The Perfection of Energy.” Virya is the sort of energy that overflows and is fed by the Dharma, it is the ability to be spontaneous and in the moment in pursuit of the Good.

Dharmavichaya – Introspection of Mind & Mental Events

Viriyalila — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:50:18 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte takes us into the fascinating world of mind and mental events. “Dhammavichaya – Introspection of Mind and Mental Events,” is a crucial stage in the spiral path of spiritual development. The full talk, titled “What is Mind?” is from a series of talks from the Order Convention in 2001 offering different perspectives on the Abhidharma and exploring from a personal perspective what the study of the 51 Mental Events can tell us about our minds and how they work.

Faith Is Innate, Doubt Acquired

Viriyalila — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 01:22:29 +0000

This weeks FBA Podcast is a talk was given on a Young Women’ Weekend at Taraloka titled “Faith is Innate, Doubt Acquired.” In this talk Singhamati explores Sangharakshita’s aphorism: Faith is Innate, Doubt Acquired. It looks at questions such as: What is faith? How do you cultivate the three grounds of faith? How is doubt a fetter? How can you dispel doubt?

Mindfulness

Viriyalila — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:30:56 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte, simply titled “Mindfulness,” by Paramabandhu, is from the comprehensive and invaluable talk titled “Mindfulness For Just About Everything” given at the San Francisco Buddhist Center in 2006. Drawing on many years of experience as a consultant psychiatrist and Dharma teacher, he invites us to consider the lessons Buddhist techniques around meditation and mindfulness training can bring to the field of mental health – especially to problems with depression and addiction. The talk evokes the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta to explore the four traditional foundations of mindfulness and discuss their potential use in therapeutic contexts.

German FBA Crew Celebrates 100 German-language Dharma Talks Uploaded!

Viriyalila — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:55:46 +0000

Spreading the Dharma

Sharing our Practice

Connecting our Community Worldwide

Jnanacandra writes from Essen, Germany, with news of the 100th German-language Dharma talk uploaded to Triratna’s Free Buddhist Audio website, saying – “Free Buddhist Audio, our wonderful platform for Triratna’s audio and text archives, has been hosting Dharma talks in German language since 2008. And on February 12, at 00:11 o’clock (!) the 100th German upload went online – and the little German FBA team celebrated joyfully with coffee and cakes!

Five volunteers have been working with enthusiasm and dedication behind the scenes in order to provide Dharma to the German-language public. Ansgar systematically works through the digital archive of talks given at the Essen Centre from 2002 onward and decides which talks are suitable to go online. He listens carefully, writes introductions to each talk, and decides how to split them into tracks. Saddhabodhi does the same with our older talks which still exist on cassettes and reach back to 1989. Though some of this material is outdated she regularly discovers little jewels of Dharma that are certainly worth preserving. Claudia is the master of the technical side of the work. She digitalizes cassette recordings, edits the talks where necessary, improves sound levels, splits the recording into tracks and uploads them. Ralf (not on the photo) recently joined the team and helps Claudia with this work. Jnanacandra coordinates in the background and keeps contact with the main FBA team – who are based in the US and Saudi Arabia.

FreeBuddhistAudio is greatly appreciated in the German Triratna Sangha. Many thanks to all those in our international community who make this possible – through their work or through donations!”

FreeBuddhistAudio offers free hosting to Triratna Dharma talks from any Centre in any language: it currently offers talks in English, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Marathi, Spanish, and more. Click here for the German Free Buddhist Audio pages. The photo shows, from left: Ansgar Jochheim, Jnanacandra, Claudia Bock, Saddhabodhi.

Like the thousand arms of Avolokitesvara, many hands work together to make Dharma talks available on Free Buddhist Audio.

Seven Bodhyangas

Viriyalila — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:28:28 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte “Seven Bodhyangas,” by Sangharakshita, is an excerpt from the talk “Mind: Reactive and Creative.” Here, Sangharakshita describes in detail the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, a creative spiral path of spiritual development.

Mind: Reactive and Creative

Viriyalila — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 02:59:18 +0000

Today’s FBA Podcast, is a classic talk given by Sangharakshita in 1967 titled “Mind: Reactive and Creative.” In this brilliant and accessible approach to the essence of Buddhism, Sangharakshita shows that Buddhism starts with the mind. Mind can be reactive, symbolised by the Tibetan Wheel of Life, or creative, as when one follows the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, described here in detail.

The Golden Drum

Viriyalila — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:33:24 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte “The Golden Drum,” by Sangharakshita, is an excerpt from the talk ‘The Bodhisattva’s Dream’. The Bodhisattva Ruchiraketu dreams of a golden drum radiating golden light which fills a totally transformed world…
Talk given in 1976. This talk is part of the series ‘Transformation of Life and World in the Sutra of Golden Light’.

Samsara & The Three Laksanas

Viriyalila — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:20:55 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte “Samsara & the Three Laksanas,” by Dhammadinna, is from the first talk in a five-part series from Tiratanaloka’s retreat on the ‘Four Mind Turning Reflections‘ of the Tibetan tradition. This introductory talk by Dhammadinna is an ideal entry point to the world of the mind-turnings. Seen as foundations for the building of practice, the reflections encourage us to make life meaningful in the face of a relentlessly ungovernable reality. Here she explores seeing conditioned existence in terms of the three laksanas and ways of giving up craving without harmful side effects. A strong look in the mirror of the heart. Talk given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2005

The Selfless Mind

Viriyalila — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:06:09 +0000

Our FBA Podcast today is a talk by the delightfully clear Vajrapriya titled “The Selfless Mind.” What if all of our emotional and spiritual problems were caused by an incorrect understanding of our true nature? Vajrapriya explores the Buddha’s insight that our commonsense assumptions about ourselves are the source of our suffering. Unpicking those assumptions is the first step to the arising of a wisdom that leads to an expansive and liberating way of relating to others and the world.

Talk 2 in a series of 4 talks entitled ‘Powers of the Mind’ given at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, April 2011.

The Five Skandhas

Viriyalila — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:02:35 +0000

Skandha is another of those untranslated terms – it literally means a trunk of a tree! In today’s FBA Dharmabyte Sangharakshita offers his understanding of the “The Five Skandhas.” From the inspiring talk, “The Awakening of the Bodhi Heart”, from the 1969 series “Aspects of the Bodhisattva Ideal.”

What Karma Is

Viriyalila — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:50:27 +0000

In today’s FBA Dharmabyte titled “What Karma Is” Nagapriya offers a good, pithy introduction to the traditionally thorny and rather misunderstood area of karma and rebirth, teasing out its relationship to Buddhist ethics in general. This excerpt is from the talk “Understanding Karma and Buddhist Ethics” given in Manchester, 2003

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras

Viriyalila — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:04:07 +0000

Today’s FBA Podcast is another reading from The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras. This one, “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras” Chandana talks about the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, a category of Sutras in the Mahayana tradition.

Knowledge of the Suchness of the Skandhas

Viriyalila — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:51:40 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte is another reading from The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras. This one, “A Reading of the Suchness of the Skandhas” beautifully shared with us by Kulaprabha from the talk, “Reflection on the Five Skandhas“, the second guided reflection in the series ‘Night Lily Garden of the Midnight Way – Emptiness and the Great Compassion’.

“As stars, a fault of vision, as a lamp, a mock show, dew drops or a bubble, a lighting flash or a cloud, so we should view that which is conditioned.”

A Reading of the Heart Sutra

Viriyalila — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:30:02 +0000

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte today is “A Reading of the Heart Sutra” is just that, and it’s very beautifully read indeed! This is an excerpt from the talk, “Reflection on the Five Skandhas” by Kulaprabha, the second guided reflection in the series ‘Night Lily Garden of the Midnight Way – Emptiness and the Great Compassion’.

The Diamond Sutra

Viriyalila — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:23:44 +0000

Our FBA Podcast today is “The Diamond Sutra” by Sangharakshita. If one does not want to ‘get caught in the grip of reality’, one should leave this great text alone! The Perfection of Wisdom Discourse that ‘Cuts Like a Diamond’…

N.B. Reference for this lecture: Buddhist Wisdom Books, translated by E. Conze. (Allen & Unwin, 1958)

Talk given in 1969.

The Diamond Sutra’s Fundamental Insight

Viriyalila — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:10:13 +0000

Although innumerable beings have been led to nirvana, no being at all has been led to nirvana. Sangharakshita eloquently delivers today’s FBA Dharmabyte “The Diamond Sutra’s Fundamental Insight” from the talk “The Diamond Sutra” given in 1969.

Seeing with Insight

Viriyalila — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:00:49 +0000

Seeing is a good word to describe the dawning of insight. Today’s FBA Dharmabyte “Seeing with Insight” is from the fourth talk in Padmavjara’s wonderful series on the Dhammapada, the most popular of early Buddhist texts. All of the Buddha’s core teachings are here – held in heart and mind there’s more than enough in the Dhammapada to take us as far in our practice as we can imagine, and then on beyond…

This material is intended for use with the Dharma Training Course for Mitras (see our ‘Study’ section, year three).

Talk recorded at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2007

The full talk, also titled “Seeing with Insight“, is part of the series The Dhammapada – the Buddha’s Way of Truth.

The Heart Sutra, Sangha and Spiritual Death

Viriyalila — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:45:26 +0000

Our FBA Podcast today brings us to the core of our practice: “The Heart Sutra, Sangha and Spiritual Death” by Kamalashila. Beginning with a shared understanding of spiritual practice that is Sangha, we are led through a revisioning of our practice that includes the deeper, darker more mysterious perspectives of insight and wisdom. This talk was given at the London Buddhist Centre’s Tuesday evening drop-in meditation class on 6th Dec 2011.

In Response to the Buddha

Viriyalila — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:34:32 +0000

In today’s FBA Dharmabyte titled “In response to the Buddha” Sangharakshita explores how we come into contact with the Buddha through our intellect, emotion and our will. From the talk “Intellect, Emotion and Will” given at the opening of the Manchester Buddhist Centre in 1996.

Integration

Viriyalila — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:29:02 +0000

Exploring the first of the four ‘superconscious states’ today’s FBA Dharmabyte titled “Integration” by Sangharakshita takes us in for a closer look at the energies of both the conscious and unconscious mind and how the process of integration leads to greater harmony and ease.

Excerpted from the talk, “A Method of Personal Development,” given in 1976 as part of the series “Buddhism for Today and Tomorrow.”

The Buddha, Hakuin, Birth and Death

Viriyalila — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:05:17 +0000

Today’s FBA Podcast, “The Buddha, Hakuin, Birth and Death”, is the second in an excellent 8-talk sequence by Padmavajra on Zen Buddhism. The series is full of colourful stories and challenging insights from the lives of the great Masters of China and Japan.

In this talk, Padmavajra takes us into the strong experience of Going Forth into homelessness. Through personal reminiscence and classic Zen poetry that evokes a truly rich awareness, we see the Buddha, Hakuin, Dogen and Ryokan as they struggle to make sense of this fleeting world of form.

This talk is part of the series “Tangling Eyebrows with Zen Masters.”