Dharmabytes From Free Buddhist Audio

Saddhanandi reads the episode of the Buddha working out whether or not he will teach the Dharma. From the talk entitled Dukkha and the Unbiased given as a series of talks and led meditations from a retreat at Adhisthana on Dukkha and the Unbiased. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Excerpted from the talk The Cloud of Suffering by Vessantara as part of a series of talks and led meditation from a retreat at Adhisthana on Dukkha and the Unbiased. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Jnanavaca offers a far-reaching and uncompromising vision of human fellowship based on transcendental ideals: Sangha. With reference to terrorism, romance, consumerism and Star Wars.... This FBA Dharmabyte is from the talk called What The World Knows Now, part of the series Where do we go from here? given at the London Buddhist Centre Winter Retreat, 2016. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

This is a gem of a talk, with a wintery theme. Parami starts by singing 'In the Bleak Midwinter' by Christina Rossetti. She then goes on to bring out the underlying meaning of some of the imagery in the poem. The first metaphors are about bleakness, with the earth as hard as iron and water like a stone, times when we struggle and it seems as if no growth is possible. She talks about her early experience of doing the metta bhavana and what a radical practice it is. Transformation is possible because of the impermanent and insubstantial nature of everything.  From the talk In the Bleak Midwinter given in December 2010 at the Glasgow Buddhist Centre. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

It may be Christmas Day but it is also Sangha Night and Ratnaghosha takes the opportunity to explore the Buddhist themes in 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. This talk, The Dharma in Dickens, was given at Cambridge Buddhist Centre, 2019. ***   Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Dassini takes us into the Parable of the Burning House from the White Lotus Sutra. Through readings from the sutra and retelling of the parable the main themes of the story are brought out, and the problem at the heart of the parable is revealed, that of unawareness or heedlessness. From the talk Housebuilder, Now You Are Seen given at Glasgow Buddhist Centre, 2009. The talk concludes with some suggested practices for how to address this problem.   *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud  

In a talk looking deeply at the many manifestations, contexts, and practices of ksanti, patience, here Satyaraja shares a story from The White Lotus Sutra about 5000 arahants walking out of the assembly as they believed they had nothing more to learn. On the theme of spiritual receptivity, from the talk entitled Ksanti – Patience given at Stockholm Buddhist Centre, 8 February 2010. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Sangharakshita takes us to the Vulture's Peak, the summit of earthly existence, where the Buddha begins the White Lotus Sutra by speaking on infinity. With his words, (and the forthcoming myths, symbols and parables of the sutra), we are entreated to go beyond into the purely spiritual world of the transcendental. From the talk The Drama of Cosmic Enlightenment, 1971, part of the series Parables, Myths and Symbols of Mahayana Buddhism in the White Lotus Sutra. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud  

Indra, the King of the Gods in Hindu Mythology, possesses a number of treasures, one of which is a net made entirely of jewels. According to the Buddha in the Gandavyuha Sutra, “All the Jewels shine in each, and each of them shine in all.” The universe is just like this. As such, one cannot fully understand any one part of the Dharma unless one understands the whole. Excerpted from the talk "The Universal Perspective of Mahayana Buddhism" by Sangharakshita, 1971, as part of the series Parables, Myths and Symbols of Mahayana Buddhism in the White Lotus Sutra. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

The spiritual life is about giving up the advantages of the ‘Power Mode’ in exchange for the completely non-violent spiritual quality of the ‘Love Mode.’ Kulanandi offers beautiful and engaging reflections drawing inspiration from the book The Ten Pillars of Buddhism, by Sangharakshita. From the talk entitled The Power of Love, the Love of Power given in Stockholm Buddhist Centre, 2014. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Ultimately, one is freed from the state of hatred with a heart of loving kindness. Vidyavachin  offers reflections on the Metta Sutta. Excerpted from the talk entitled Radiate Love given at the annual sub35 men's weekend at Padmaloka Retreat Centre in November 2018. This talk is part of the series Radiate Love. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Suryagupta shares the story of Shantideva, the monk who gave us the exposition of the Bodhicaryavatara, The Way of the Bodhisattva. Born of his direct experience this text is the basis of our Sevenfold Puja where we ritually evoke the many qualities of the Enlightened mind. From the talk entitled Rejoicing in Merits given at London Buddhist Centre (2019) during a six-week drop-in seminar exploring the Sevenfold Puja and the Heart Sutra. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Ratnavandana shares an intensely honest, psychologically intimate, beautifully forensic history of her personal relationship to the practice of upekkha (equanimity) throughout her spiritual life. We hear about ways to assess what is going on in the subtler realms of our experience - and how to look to move beyond them so we too can live like a river... Excerpted from the talk A Personal Take On Upekkha given as part of the series Brahma Viharas - Bristol Rainy Season Retreat 2015.   *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

The Dharma is the greatest gift we can give. Ratnaghosha encourages us to face our fears to develop confidence and courage to communicate the Dharma with clarity and ease. From the talk Skilful Means of the Bodhisattva exploring another aspect of Skilful Means, the little known teaching of the four Analytical Knowledges or Pratisamvids. Given at Cambridge Buddhist Centre, 2017. ***   Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Singhamati invites us to put on Dharma tinted glasses as she explores the very famous summary of the Buddha’s Teaching, found in verse 183 of the Dhammapada, and draws on Sangharakshita’s wisdom as found in the Dhammapada seminars from the 1980’s. It’s a simple, clear teaching offering us the possibility of taking it to heart, living from a more Dharmic perspective with less suffering and greater freedom! From the talk Skillful Action: "Cease to Do Evil, Learn to Do Good, Purify the Heart" given to launch the Sangha Night theme for 2019 at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre. ***   Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud  

Vidyamala explores the crucial place of awareness of vedana if we are to move from reactive states to more creative ones. From the talk Vedana and Growth given on 'Gravity and Grace' Retreat, 2018, at Rivendell Retreat Centre. This talk is part of the series An Exploration of the Satipatthana Sutta. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Confession in the Buddhist tradition is a very positive practise. Its about opening oneself up to big mind, opening oneself up to wise conduct.  Dassini looks at the individual nature of practising ethics, the need for metta in response to guilt, how to make a confession effective. From the talk entitled Confession given at Glasgow Buddhist Centre April, 2018. ***   Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Here Padmavajra discusses the Sangharavastus and the Pratisamvids - a compassion aspect and a wisdom aspect of the Bodhisattva's aspiration to create community as a condition for Enlightenment. From the talk Freedom From Polarization given at the Croydon Buddhist Centre in January 2019. ***   Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Here Vidyamala gives a rich and personal talk on the Citta section of the Satipatthana Sutta. She introduces the key aspects of this part of the Sutta and then speaks of the importance of allowing for growth and integration in our practice. She speaks of the twin pillars of awareness and love and how mindfulness can lead to a deeper and deeper sense of connection with all of life and how kindness is a natural expression of that. She also speaks of her own practice after the recent death of her father. From the talk Citta - Fragments On Love given on Gravity and Grace retreat at Rivendell 2017. This talk is part of the series An Exploration of the Satipatthana Sutta. ***   Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud  

Vidyatara was one of the forces behind the development of the Triratna International Council after its foundation in 2011. Here she talks about the structure of the International Council as a bottom-up organization upholding an aspect of the Lineage of Responsibility. Exerted from the talk Co-Creating Structures That Serve the Arising of the Bodhicitta given at the Triratna Buddhist Order Womens UK and Ireland Area Order Weekend at Adhisthana on February 28, 2014. The theme for the weekend was Appreciation of the Order as a System.   *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud