Today’s FBA Dharmabyte, “Mahayana Scriptures” by Nagapriya is an overview of the vast literature of Mahayana Buddhism. He discusses how the new texts emerged, why so many are still preserved, and how they found legitimacy in the larger Buddhist tradition. In the full talk, Mahayana Buddhist Scriptures, he further explores ow Mahayana texts are different than those of the Pali Canon, why they emphasize imagination and myth, and why it remains useful for modern Buddhists to explore them despite their length and repetition.
Talk given at Manchester Buddhist Centre, 2009
This talk is part of the series Visions of Mahayana Buddhism.

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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.

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In today’s FBA Podcast, we give you “The Buddha’s Vision”, the last talk in the “Gautama Buddha” series launching Vishvapani’s new book “Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One”. (Quercus, 2011)

When the Buddha finally sat down under the Bodhi tree and saw deeply into the nature of things, what had brought him to that point? And what happened next? In his final take on the Buddha’s journey of the heart and mind, Vishvapani focuses in on the Buddha’s experience before, during and after Enlightenment, bringing his nuanced, perceptive reading to the words the Buddha himself is said to have employed in order to best evoke his experiences as he struggled to give voice to them. A fitting conclusion to a wonderfully insightful series.

Includes an adroit discussion of the issues around imagination and historical evidence, and how we can usefully approach the Pali texts as literature.

Talk given in Bristol, February 2011.

This talk is part of the series Gautama Buddha.

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In today’s FBA Dharmabyte, we continue our theme on the Buddha’s Enlightenment with “Mara’s Attack on the Buddha”. This Dharambyte is from the quietly passionate talk, “What is Enlightenment?” by Jinapriya on the quicksilver nature of the Enlightenment experience – impossible to pin down, utterly transformative. Here we meet Mara, the demon or trickster who represents our deepest fears, our doubts, our lack of confidence. We are met with a thoughtful series of reflections, stories and images that all look to open up the gates of perception, and prepare the heart for the biggest change imaginable and possible for all.

Talk given at Cambridge Buddhist Centre, 2003

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In today’s FBA Podcast, we present: “Searching for the Buddha”, the first in a major new series of talks by Vishvapani to mark the launch of his new book: ‘Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One’ (Quercus, 2011). Vishvapani is a well known figure in the Triratna Buddhist Community and is a regular contributor on the BBC’s ‘Thought for the Day’.

In this talk we meet the Buddha set firmly in his own historical context, with space too for the legendary and particular reference to the natural world. Vishvapani explores the presence of nature in the Pali suttas, exploring its significance in the texts, in our own contemporary mental landscapes and in the imaginative life of a country and its people. Ancient India comes alive as we wander with the Buddha, facing his fears amongst the ghosts of the jungle. There is much that is important for reflection here – the Dharma made fascinating by dint of the author’s depth of engagement with Buddhist practice and the sheer breadth of his cultural reference.

Features an extended question-and-answer session (NB, poor sound quality on the questions themselves).

Talk given at the Manchester Buddhist Centre, January 2011.

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