Dharmabytes From Free Buddhist Audio

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, introduces to another side of the usual wrathful Vajrapani, entitled Peaceful Vajrapani. From an imaginative yet practical talk entitled Vajrapani by Sanghanistha. Given during the 2016 and#8216;Cosmic Going for Refuge Treeand#8217; retreat at Padmaloka.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte offers a sensitive and thoughtful exploration of Fear and Vajrapani. This excerpt is from the talk entitled The Blazing Iron Club and the Winged Horse (Winter Retreat Dec 2010) by Vidyadaka.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, is called The Horse and the Rider, an excerpt from the talk entitled Cutting the Bonds by Vadanya, the introduction to a Sangha Night Series at Sheffield Buddhist Centre. and#8216;Total Transformation and#8211; Head, Heart and Gutsand#8217;. Using an analogy of a rider on a horse, he notes that we often act as if our head (the rider) is the most important aspect of our experience and overlook our emotions and our volition (the horse). However all aspects of our experience need to be addressed if we want to truly transform. Vandanya explores this theme of total transformation by looking at the figure of Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, who embodies the and#8216;headand#8217; aspect of Enlightenment.

Enlightenment must be within our reach! Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, is called The Seed of the Thus Gone, an excerpt from the talk simply titled The Motive by Padmavajra. This is the first talk in an eight part series by Padmavajra exploring a great classic of Tibetan Buddhism – Gampopaand#8217;s and#8216;Jewel Ornament of Liberationand#8217;. The work, inspired by devotion to Manjusri, is one of the key texts in the development of the Tibetan Lam Rim teachings. And Gampopa, being one of the two principle disciples of the yogi Milarepa, presents both the monastic Lam Rim approach of Atisha and the Mahamudra meditation teachings of Milarepa himself. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, Winter 2008 This talk is part of the series Themes from Gampopaand#8217;s Jewel Ornament of Liberation.

Our FBA Dharmabyte, An Army of Compassion, is an excerpt from the talk Compassion Embodied by Vajratara. The Bodhicitta is about the spiritual community, the sangha, because it is only when we work together that we can make an infinite sphere of influence and concern for the suffering of the world. The Jewel that Arises The Priceless Treasure The Elixir of Life The Supreme Medicine The Tree of Shelter The Feast of Happiness The Rising Moon of the Mind The Brilliant Sun

How do we have a creative response to suffering, without either getting overwhelmed or turning away? Our FBA Dharmabyte, Embodying Compassion in the World, illustrates the keep kindness of the Buddha with the story of Kisagotami. In this talk, given on a work retreat at Taraloka, Maitrisiddhi describes the Bodhisattva Ideal with the myth of Avalokitesvara. She explores the crucial interrelationship between keeping our own personal practice and inspiration at our hearts and being able to continuously act for the benefit of the world. Excerpted from the talk Avalokiteshvara and the Creative Heart by Maitrisiddhi.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Metaphors and Archetypes from the talk Archetypal Symbolism, Part 2 by Danadasa. The life story of the Buddha is much more than a historical account – it is a poetic myth full of profound meanings that can resonate with both our conscious minds and our unconscious depths. To fully realize our infinite human potential, we need to harness the power that lies within the vast oceanic depths of our psyches. This talk, which comes in 2 parts, explores the use of the Imagination to broaden our perception of that which is possible.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Our Place is in the Cosmos from the talk Approaching a Magical World by Jvalamalini. This is an excerpt from the first of four talks on and#8216;the Cosmic Mythic Vision of the Mahayana.and#8217; Here Jvalamalini explores the faculties of mythos and logos, how theyand#8217;re conditioned by historical context, a suggestion from neuroscience about how imaginal practice might work, and how the integrated Imagination perceives wisdom beyond words.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Chittamatra (and#8216;Mind-Onlyand#8217;) from the talk The Depth Psychology of the Yogachara by Sangharakshita. The Yogachara School of Indian Mahayana Buddhism and its doctrine of and#8216;Mind-Onlyand#8217; (Chittamatra) crucially influenced the development of Zen. Here the doctrine is related to subjective and absolute idealism in Western philosophy. Talk given in 1967. This talk is part of the series Aspects of Buddhist Psychology.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Intellectual understanding is not enough from the talk The Turning About in the Deepest Seat of Consciousness by Sangharakshita. The and#8216;turning aboutand#8217; or paravrtti is described in the Yogachara school of Buddhism in terms of the transformation of the eight ordinary kinds of discriminating consciousness into the five Transcendental Wisdoms of the Buddhas. N.B. Poor original recording. This talk is part of the series The Meaning of Conversion in Buddhism.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is another dip into the Yogachara from Subhuti called Our Illusory View. This is the last in a brilliant four-part series by Subhuti on the Yogachara school of Buddhist philosophy, which provides a comprehensive psychological overview of the workings of and#8216;consciousnessand#8217;. What can we do about the veils of our basic delusions? Where do ethics come into all this? Time to steep ourselves in reality again for another session with Subhuti as he grasps the slippery snake of the mind and tries to help us see which end is which! Please note, theses and#8216;ramblesand#8217; were given without notes and may contain quotational misrememberings and inevitable slips of the tongue! Rambles Around the Yogachara: Talk 4, given at London Buddhist Centre, 2003 This talk is part of the series Rambles Around the Yogachara.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte Arthapriya creatively explores the question: What is actually happening? . Arthapriya explores the Buddhist understanding of what we call reality, and how it is less common sensical than we might imagine. In particular, he questions how much our and#8216;outside worldand#8217; is in fact so strongly conditioned by our state of mind. Covering karma, emptiness, impermanence and galaxies, this is a wide ranging talk! From the talk The Nature of Reality of a series of three talks entitled and#8216;Reality and what to do about itand#8217;, given at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, UK, in Nov 2010.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is entitled What happens when we stop and listen? from the talk The Sound of Reality by Padmavajra. Fabulous stuff. This richly rewarding talk explores the place and function of sound in Buddhist practice and history, as well as within Padmavajraand#8217;s own spiritual life. A wide-ranging cultural journey is made from John Coltrane to Sufi Qawwali, from mantra to Zen poetry, taking in Andre Gide, Renaissanace Neoplatonism and the ancient Pali Verses en route. Not to be missed! Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is entitled The Buddha and Reality from the talk The Buddha, God, and Reality by Sangharakshita. Having considered Buddhism (in and#8216;The Buddha and#8211; Man or Supermanand#8217; and and#8216;Evolution: Lower and Higherand#8217;) in terms of process in time, and the Buddha himself as a historical figure, Sangharakshita now uses stories and quotations from the scriptures to show that the Buddha and reality are ultimately outside time. Talk given in 1966. This talk is part of the series Introducing Buddhism.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is entitled Reality and Intuition from the talk All One Gorgeous Mistake by Vajradarshini. A jewelled casket of a talk by Vajradarshini, with poetic accompaniment. Rumi meets Tsongkhapa in the Tavern of Ruin, and Dogen, Milarepa and Nagarjuna join them to talk about and#8216;selfand#8217; and and#8216;worldand#8217;. Joanna Macy turns up too — then many voices, mixed and mingled, explore the experience of being part of an Order and following the Buddhaand#8217;s way. Quite splendid stuff. Talk given at the Western Buddhist Order Womenand#8217;s Convention, 2005

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called Perception (Samjna) and#8211; A Definition, taken from the 6th talk in the series The Diamond Sutra and#8211; Taking Mind to its Limits by Padmavajra. This is the sixth in a sparkling, wide-ranging, thoroughly comprehensive ten talk series by Padmavajra on and#8216;The Diamond Sutraand#8217;. Down to the nitty-gritty now, with a useful and considered introduction to the nature and workings of perception itself. With a special emphasis too on moving from a utilitarian attitude to other people towards a genuine sense of relationship founded on loving kindness. Talks given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004 as part of the series The Diamond Sutra and#8211; Taking Mind to its Limits.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is from a talk by Kulaprabha called The Alchemy of Happiness, a thoughtful take on the positive emotions cultivated in the and#8216;Brahma Viharaand#8217; meditations. This excerpt, called The Fulcrum of Vedana, takes a look at the relationship between mindfulness and positive emotion. Talk given at the Western Buddhist Order convention, 2007.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is on Worldly and Unworldly Vedana from a series of talks on the Satipatthana: A Path to Insight. This talk (4 of 8 in the series) is clear, engaging and impassioned. In this full exploration of how to apply mindfulness practice in meditation and our lives, Prasadavatiand#8217;s depth of lived experience and love of satipatthana shines through. This series was given on an intensive meditation retreat at Taraloka for women who have asked for ordination.

Our FBA Dharmabyte, Whole Body Breathingis an excerpt from the talk Anatomy of the Breath by Padmadarshini This talk provides a really good working context to help your meditation practice. Best to lie down comfortably as you listen to Padmadharshiniand#8217;s description of the anatomical and physiological processes involved in breathing. Sheand#8217;s a yoga teacher as well as a meditation teacher and she draws on both those sets of skills to give this talk. And as you lie there, sheand#8217;ll help you tune into your own own body with some very simple exercises and suggestions. Expect to come away with some very practical tips on how to become more aware of your breathing body. The talk was given on and#8220;One Moment at a Timeand#8221; retreat at Taraloka and is a companion talk to the body scan meditation led by Vidyamala. (The sound quality is a little bit and#8216;fuzzyand#8217; in parts but the content more than makes up for that.)

Our FBA Dharmabyte, Working at Your Own Paceis an excerpt from an Anapanasati Retreat led by Viveka. Vivekaand#8217;s fresh and vibrant take on the traditional practice of anapanasati and#8211; mindfulness with breathing. Using the breath as a stabilizing presence, this series of meditations (including two fully-guided practices) is designed to help us discover the nature of reality itself by encouraging us to notice what is actually happening each moment in a direct and open way. Anapanasati is a complete path to awakening or enlightenment. Please note that some small noise artefacts can be heard occasionally on these tracks due to a poor original recording. Retreat recorded at Taraloka Retreat Centre, 2003 This talk is part of the series Anapanasati Retreat 2003.