Dharmabytes From Free Buddhist Audio

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, we hear an excerpt entitled Spiritual Friends. Sujiva explores friendship in general andamp; Spiritual Friendship (Kalyana Mitrata) in particular, drawing upon his personal experience in this heart-felt talk. The full talk, Facebook Friends, Real Friends, Spiritual Friends, was given at the Auckland Buddhist Centre as a part of a Dharma night series.

What needs to be seen and known in our experience of suffering in order for it to lead to freedom and compassion? Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called Creating New Pathways from the talk Living In the Mandala Ratnavandana. This is her second talk of the 2015 Rainy Season Retreat in Bristol, UK. Here Ratnavandana embarks on a personal sharing of how her life has been transformed by deciding to go and live in the mandala of the Brahma Viharas and the Jinas themselves. Her deep love of the practices represents both an inspired and eminently practical vision of how to orientate yourself on the great map of the wayand#8230; Full talk includes a guided meditation practice to help you find your feet wherever you are! This talk is part of the series Brahma Viharas and#8211; Bristol Retreat 2015.

What needs to be seen and known in our experience of suffering in order for it to lead to freedom and compassion? Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called Into the Depths from the talk Insight Into Dukkha by Dayajoti. Number eight in a series of talks from a 12-day Metta and Insight Retreat at Taraloka, 2015.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called The Buddhaand#8217;s Decision to Teach by Parami excerpted from the talk Out of Compassion for the World given at our International Retreat at Taraloka, May 08. The Buddha realised full well how hard it was going to be to communicate what he had discovered to other people and#8211; to us. He knew that the grip of greed, hatred and delusion is very strong. He could imagine how vexatious it might be to teach. Fortunately for us, he could also see our potential. And so out of compassion he taught. Parami explores this theme of the Buddhaand#8217;s compassionate action and how ultimately it came from beyond self, beyond other and#8211; it emerged from his realisation of and#8216;Emptinessand#8217;

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called The Journey of Descent. Bhadra introduces the archetypal magician, Padmasambhava. He uses episodes from the magicianand#8217;s life to illustrate how engaging the imagination through ritual and being willing to make the journey of descent are key elements of a fruitful practice. From the talk: The Art of Ritual and Descent given at a day for men in Bristol.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called On The Paving Sprinkled with Perfume by Samantabhadri excerpted from the talk: Ritual, A Path to Truth and Self Transcendence. Speaking at Nottingham Buddhist centre, Samantabhadri gives a keynote talk on ritual and its place and potential within the Triratna Community. She explores ritual as personal experience and in relation to going beyond a fixed self, to the collective, to the imagination, to compassion and to our longing for the transcendental.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called The Heart of the Puja from A Personal Take On the Sevenfold Puja by Amarapuspa. Amarapuspa discusses the Going For Refuge section of the puja, and the Refuges and Precepts, with examples from her own personal journey towards letting go into the puja. We hear the story of Dhaniya the Cattleman and the session finishes with a series of led reflections asking and#8220;can we be inspired by the example of the Buddha?and#8221;. This talk was given at Croydon Buddhist Centre in June 2016 as part of our regular Saturday morning sangha class.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called The Sheer Amazement of Joy. Garavachitta explores The Seven Moods of the Puja as a devotional journey, in this excerpt we hear his thoughts on the Rejoicing in Merits section. This talk reflects on the stages of the journey and how we can enter it more deeply. Given at the Manchester Buddhist Centre at Triratna Night on 28 September 2015.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called A Potent Practice. Amrta talks personally about the practice of puja and also asks us what importance do we place on it in our movement. Is it a secondary practice or a means to awakening the Bodhi Heart!? Given on a menand#8217;s regional Order weekend at Padmaloka September 2010, entitled Thoughts on Puja.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is a full description of The Sevenfold Puja. From the talk entitled Poetry and Devotion in Buddhism: the Sevenfold Puja by Sangarakshita. The central problem of spiritual life is the mobilisation of our emotional energies, so that what we know can be put into practice. Energies may be blocked, wasted or too coarse, and the Buddhist puja takes us through a series of devotional moods to help liberate them. This talk is part of the series Ritual and Devotion in Buddhism.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called Our True Response, from the talk entitled Truthful Communication. Amarapuspa explores the topic of truthful communication starting from the idea that the spiritual life consists of speaking the truth. She discuses whether we are capable of speaking the truth and how the responses of our bodies may help us to spot if we are not being truthful. Amarapuspa also looks at the area of trust in communication and how factual accuracy is important. This talk was given at the Croydon Buddhist Centre in September 2015 as part of the regular Saturday morning Sangha class.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called Going Deeper into the Heart of How Things Are, from the talk entitled Prajnaparamita, the female Bodhisattva of wisdom, by Vessantara. This excerpt goes into detail of the several mantras associated with this figure. From the series of talks for Sangha Night on Buddhas and Bodhisattva given at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre.

Are we ready to face our own death, and the total transformation it symbolises? In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, The Symbolism of the Cremation Ground we learn about the eight cremation grounds and the Dakinis who dance there. From the talk The Symbolism of the Cremation Ground and the Celestial Maidens given in 1971 as part of the series Creative Symbols of the Tantric Path to Enlightenment.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is a recollection from Sangharakshita called An Encounter with Padmasambhava in Darjeeling. Padmasambhava, often known as the and#8216;Second Buddhaand#8217;, is famous for converting the demons of Tibet. In this lecture we are given a brief biography of Padmasambhava and an outline of the progressive Nyingmapa practices attributed to him. N.B. Poor original recording. From the talk Padmasambhava: Tantric Guru of Tibet, given in 1972.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is all about Nothing to Fear. Vajrasara explores the life and teachings of the Buddha as theyand#8217;ve come down through the stories of the tradition. From the talk Tales of a Free Spirit and#8211; 45 Years of the Buddhaand#8217;s Life, given in 2006.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, is called Heroic Warrior from the talk Shakyamuni Buddha given by Maitreyaraja during the 2016 and#8216;Cosmic Going for Refuge Treeand#8217; retreat at Padmaloka.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, is called Faith as Metta by Saddhaloka from the talk entitled Amitabha. This is the fourth talk in a six-part series on the figures on the Wheel of Life. Saddhaloka introduces us to Amitabha, the red Buddha of the West who represents and inspires the highest love of all. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, winter retreat, 1997

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Bathed in Light and Love by Ghosaka. From a contemplative talk entitled Amitabha: Pouring Forth From Stillness on the red Buddha of the west. Meditation, the setting sun, the Great Love, the heart in its proper placeand#8230; Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, Winter Retreat 2001

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, is called Compassionate Action by Sangharakshita. This excerpt is from Taraloka Retreat Centre, when Sangharakshita inaugurates their new shrine cabin dedicated to Tara and#8211; the radiant Bodhisattva of compassion, inspiration to many who lead a Buddhist life aspiring to beauty and a steady openness in the face of the mysteries of existence.

In a series about the final mantras of the sevenfold puja, Kamalashila talks about the birth and significance of the bodhisattva Tara in our FBA Dharmabyte today, entitled From the Tears of Avalokitesvara. Excerpted from the short talk The Bodhisattva Tara given at the West London Buddhist Centre.