Dharmabytes From Free Buddhist Audio

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Conversion of Shariputra by Sangharakshita, from the talk The Meaning of the Dharma given in 1968. Dharma is the experience of reality, and also the expression of that experience in the form of the Buddhaand#8217;s teaching, especially the law of conditionality. It is the raft that carries you to Enlightenment, the further shore; it is whatever helps you to develop spiritually. This talk is part of the series Introducing the Three Jewels of Buddhism.

Even more storytelling! Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Mystery of the Buddha, the beginning of a short talk by Khemasuri where she Khemasuri tells the story of Angulimalaand#8217;s meeting with the Buddha. From a talk of the same title, The Mystery of the Buddha.

More storytelling! Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Story of Hatthaka an excerpt from the talk of the same title by Ratnaprabha. A brilliantly told story from the Pali Canon, about Hatthaka, who used the 4 sangraha vastus, the four means of creating a sangha, to do exactly that. The four are: generosity, kindly speech, good works or action and exemplification. Ratnaprabha explains these in the companion talk: The 4 Sangraha vastus.

Best-known stories brought together humour and lightness in Buddhist scriptures. Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Story of Little Ugly from the talk, Encounters with Enlightenment, by Saddhaloka, the author of a book of re-tellings of stories from the Pali Canon, the oldest collection of texts about the life and teachings of the Buddha. Here Saddhaloka talks about the tradition of storytelling in Buddhism, and recounts some of his own favourites. His obvious love of the tales comes shining through and#8211; sit back and enjoyand#8230; Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2001

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Opening of the Buddha Eye by Sangharakshita. This excerpt, from the lecture, The New Man Speaks, celebrates the anniversary of the Buddhaand#8217;s decision to teach, with an account of the events just after his Enlightenment, given in 1971.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Praise of Pinghiya, an excerpt from, and#8220;Pinghiyaand#8217;s Praises Of The Way To The Beyondand#8221;, a talk given by Vadanya at Sangha Night, Sheffield Buddhist Centre on 19th February 2008. Part of a series on stories and symbols.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Becoming a Sage and#8211; On Faith by Paramananda. Faith, or confidence, not in the Buddha as a supernatural power, but rather recognizing him as a human being, even on the archetypal level. The Buddha represents us and our quest for Enlightenment. From the talk Becoming a Sage and#8211; the Buddhaand#8217;s Struggle, a talk for Buddha Day at the West London Buddhist Centre, celebrating the Buddhaand#8217;s long struggle leading up to his Enlightenment.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Myth as Call to Action from the talk At Home In the Cosmos; Myth, Magic and Us by Jvalamalini given at Bristol Sangha Night talk as part of the Building the Buddhaland series.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Buddha as Hero. Buddhism is sometimes seen as weak or negative. Using examples from the Pali Canon and Mahayana texts, this lecture shows that, on the contrary, heroic and positive qualities are essential in the Buddhist spiritual aspirantand#8217;s quest for Enlightenment. From the talk, The Heroic Ideal in Buddhism, given in 1969.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called What Should we be Doing as Buddhists? Inspired by a poem from Sangharakshita entitled The Bodhisattvas Reply, Vajragupta outlines ways in which Western religious groups have historically approached engagement with social issues. Vajragupta suggests three ways in which we can work together to transform ourselves and so create a better world. This talk, entitled, The Bodhisattvas Reply, was given at the Triratna International Retreat 2014 held at Adhisthana on 24 May 2014.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Peace and Tranquillity and#8211; Upeksha from the 1968 talk, Reason and Emotion in the Spiritual Life: Right Resolve by Sangharakshita. We all need to find emotional equivalents to our intellectual understandings if our spiritual practice is to progress. The lecture outlines the positive emotions stressed in Buddhism, and concludes with a brief explanation of the stages of the Sevenfold Puja. This talk is part of the series The Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Bringing Together Head and Heart by Ratnavandana. Continuing the series of personal talks on each of the Brahma Viharas from the 2015 Rainy Season Retreat, 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#8211; and how to look to move beyond them so we too can live like a riverand#8230; From the talk, A Personal Take On Upekkha, available in the full retreat format on The Buddhist Centre Online.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called What Buddhas Do. An excerpt from a talk by the same name, given by Maitreyi as part of Sangha Night and to mark the Year of the Buddha at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Double Vajra and#8211; Unifying Contradictions. Lokeshvara explores the symbolism of the double vajraand#8230;this excerpt is from a short talk of the same title, Double Vajra and#8211; Unifying Contradictions, the first in a series of talks on a field in Norfolk on the Green Man of Buddhism retreat.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today, entitled: Five Spiritual Faculties is from 1966. Sangharakshita points out possible potentially misleading assumptions concerning Buddhism, and describes three principal avenues to a practical spiritual life. An excerpt from the talk, The Approach to Buddhism, part of the series Introducing Buddhism.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is entitled The Most Difficult Questions. Here 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. From the talk entitled The Nature of Reality and#8211; Covering karma, emptiness, impermanence and galaxies, this is a wide ranging talk! First talk in a series of three entitled and#8216;Reality and what to do about itand#8217;, given at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, UK, in Nov 2010.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is an excerpt from Non-Self In Buddhist-Psychology by Kamalashila. The Buddha taught from his vision of interconnected conditionality which showed him that nothing is fixed or permanent. It is a radical, extraordinary vision. His way of looking at the human psyche, the mind, heart or soul, reflects this. If there is no permanent self, no lasting person, what is there, because there clearly isnand#8217;t nothing! In this talk Kamalashila will explore some new ways of looking at ourselves, others, and the world we think we live in. This Dharmabyte is excerpted from the talk by the same title, Non-Self In Buddhist-Psychology.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is entitled Time Traveling to the Time of the Buddha. Amoghavajra takes us back 2,500 years to the Kingdom of Magadha in Northern India to the birth of a boy called Kassapa. He grows up happily and as he gets older he becomes less and less worldly. This is the beginning of the legendary tale of Kassapa, who becomes known as a superb meditator and was foremost among the bhikkus for practising austerities. From the talk and#8220;The Tale of Maha-Kassapaand#8221; given on retreat at Dhanakosa Buddhist Retreat Centre in Scotland.

OurFBA Dharmabyte today is The Story of Angulimala by Suriyavamsa from the talk, and#8220;Like The Moon Released From A Cloud.and#8221; Suriyavamsa tells us the story of the murderer Angulimala, who has a complete change of heart after trying to catch and kill the Buddha and finding it impossible. The tale illustrates how enlightenment canand#8217;t be grasped or understood by ourselves as we are; it requires a fundamental shift of quality, not quantity. Angulimala shows us a way of attaining the higher perspective of the Buddha through surrender, accepting training and service. Talk given during Padmalokaand#8217;s Summer Retreat, July 2011.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, How Can One Know the Buddha?, we here from Sangharakshita from the talk, and#8220;The Disappearing Buddha.and#8221; The Buddha adopted the appearance and speech of his different audiences, and gave discourses on the Dharma which instructed, inspired, fired, and delighted. Then he would just disappear and leave them wondering, and#8216;Who is the Buddha?and#8217; Talk given in 1994.