Dharmabytes from Free Buddhist Audio

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte ,and#8221; Going Through the Motions ,and#8221; is a thoughtful description of the fetter and#8216;silavrataparamarshaand#8217; and#8211; reliance on rites and rituals and#8211; by Sangharakshita. How do we do things with our whole hearts? From the talk and#8220; Entering the Sangha and#8221; given on Sangharakshitaand#8217;s first visit to Buddhafield in 2007.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8220; Aspiration Manifesting in Daily Life and#8221; is a lovely Dharma gem from the talk and#8220; Enlightenment as Heart, Life as Whole .and#8221; In the full talk Saddhanandi takes us through a set of very thought-provoking reflections as she explores the difficulties and joys of cultivating faith in the Dharma. Given at Taraloka, May 2005.

We continue to listen to Sangharakshitaand#8217;s thoughts on creating sangha in todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8220; Genuine Spiritual Community. and#8221; From the talk and#8220; The Sangha or Buddhist Community and#8221; given in 1968 as part of the series and#8220; Introducing the Three Jewels of Buddhism .and#8221;

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; Why Have a Sangha? and#8221; Sangharakshita explores the nature of spiritual friendship and why it is so essential to spiritual life. From the talk and#8220; The Spiritual Community and#8221; given in 1966 as part of the series and#8220; Introducing Buddhism .and#8221;

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; Ethics is an Expression of Humanity, and#8221; Dhammadinna reminds us that human birth is not accidental but is due to past skilful karma. What does it mean to be human? Dhammadinnaand#8217;s gently balanced and encouraging talk explores various perspectives on one of the fundamental questions, and clearly lays out various Buddhist approaches to the na...

Our FBA Dharmabyte today explores the question: and#8220; Who creates Spiritual Community? and#8221; by Sangharakshita. Where is the spiritual community to be found? What do the members of the spiritual community do for themselves, for one another, and for the world? From the talk: and#8220; The Meaning of Spiritual Community and#8221; given in 1975 as part of the series and#8220; Human Enlightenm...

Today we bring you yet another classic FBA Dharmabyte and#8220; Consciousness: Individual and Collective and#8221; by Sangharakshita from the 1983 talk and#8220; The Bodhisattva Principle and#8220;. Collective consciousness is the closest description of what we have come to call the spiritual community. A group of truly human individuals who share enlightenment as their ideal, who, in traditional...

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte today, and#8220; The Revolution of the Metta Bhavana ,and#8221; Khemasuri challenges us to ask ourselves what we can do individually and collectively by taking risks in our community, reminding us that collective change is not comfortable. Taking a risk herself in the title of the talk, this is an excerpt from and#8220; Building an Ethical Underworld and#8211; Les...

Our FBA Dharmabyte today, and#8220; Buddha Nature – Practice is Paramount ,and#8221; features Dhammarati in the midst of an indispensable exploration of everyday practice of the Dharma in the beautiful light of the Tathagathagarbha Sutra. From the fantastic talk, and#8220; Breaking the Mould and#8221; given at Triratna [FWBO] Day, London 2003

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte , Satyaraja beautifully describes the need for and#8220; Ksanti in Sangha .and#8221; Ksanti, translated as and#8216;patienceand#8217; and is especially called for when encountering differing views on living a spiritual life. From the talk and#8220;Ksanti and#8211; Patienceand#8221; given on Sangha Night at Stockholms Buddhistcenter, 8 February 2010, the theme for...

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; Living the Buddhist Life: Community Life and#8221; is an excerpt from a conversation between Maitreyabandhu and Subhadramati as part of an evening entitled and#8216;The Dakini of Friendshipand#8217; which took place during the LBCand#8217;s Urban Retreat in 2010.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; Living The Buddhist Life: Upping the Ante ,and#8221; is an excerpt from a conversation between Maitreyabandhu and Subhadramati as part of an evening entitled and#8216;The Dakini of Friendshipand#8217; which took place during the LBCand#8217;s Urban Retreat in 2010.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; The True Basis of Leafness and#8221; is a true Dharma gem on the interconnectedness of all things from Paramiand#8217;s talk and#8220; The Awakening Heart .and#8221;

Weak Good overcomes Strong Evil in todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; Jedi Knights and Bodhisattvas .and#8221; Parami evokes the Bodhicitta mind-heart with a vision towards interconnectedness in this excerpt from the talk and#8220; The Awakening Heart and#8221; given at Taraloka Retreat Centre .

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; The Zen Approach, and#8221; Sangharakshita describes the individual schools in Zen Buddhism and offers three misunderstandings about Zen. From the talk and#8220; A Special Transmission Outside the Scriptures and#8221; given in 1965.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is by the lovely Vajradarhini speaking again on poetry in the Buddhist tradition. and#8220;Dew in Zen Poetry and#8221; is a beautiful exploration of this well-loved image of impermanence. From the talk and#8220; The Transitoriness of Life and the Certainty of Death and#8221; given as part of a series on the and#8216; Four Mind Turnings and#8216; of the Tibetan tradit...

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; Energy in Pursuit of the Good ,and#8221; Sangharakshita shares the story of Indra and the squirrel as we learn of one of the Five Spiritual Faculties: Energy. Is such a life of everyday Buddhist spiritual practice possible in the West? From the talk and#8220; The Pattern of Buddhist Life and Work and#8221; given in 1966 as part of the series and#8220;...

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; and#8216;Faithand#8217; Followers and and#8216;Doctrineand#8217; Followers and#8221; Suvarnaprabha explores the variety of styles of practice and individuality withint the sangha. From the talk and#8220; What is the Sangha? and#8221; a wonderful introduction to the idea of spiritual community in Buddhism, one of its greatest potential gifts to the West...

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte titled: and#8220; Talking About Sunyata and#8221; Nagapriya explores the style of thought involved in conceptualizing sunyata and#8211; speaking in terms of what it isnand#8217;t so as not to limit its definition. Excerpted from the talk, The Philosophy of Emptiness given at Manchester Buddhist Centre, 2009 as part of the series Visions of Mahayana Buddhism .

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, comes to us from the talk and#8220;Simplicityand#8221; by Kamalashila titled: and#8220;Seeing Emptinessand#8221; . Here he suggests a direct approach to emptiness by seeing the free and spacious nature of things, watching the motion in the mind and recognizing the elusive nature of thoughts. Talk given at FWBO Day, 2004

FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; Beginning to Notice and#8221; Padmavajra takes us far into the strong experience of Going Forth into homelessness where we begin to notice sickness, old age and death. With the end of intoxication, the beginning of deep awareness arises. From the talk and#8220; The Buddha, Hakuin, Birth and Death and#8221; delivered at Padmaloka Retreat Centre for men as part of the seri...

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is from the talk and#8220; The Transitoriness of Life and the Certainty of Death and#8221; by Vajradarshini titled Sadness and Awakening .and#8221; This is a beautiful piece on the hardest of subjects. Using zen poetry and a happily wide-ranging series of quotations (from Tibetan lamas to Ezra Pound), Vajradarshini explores her own fatherand#8217;s death as a way to...

FBA Podcast , and#8220; Continuous Spiritual Death and#8211; Continuous Spiritual Rebirth and#8221; Padmavajra speaks about the stages of spiritual death and rebirth, specifically how to prepare for them, how they can be seen in all the stages of the path, as well as where they lead. Talk given on a Kula Gathering at Padmaloka, 2012.

FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; The Finger Pointing at the Moon and#8221; we are taken on another journey with Sangharakshita into the Essence of Buddhism. The finger pointing to the moon is compared with the third fetter: clinging to ethical rules and religious observances. From the talk and#8220; The Nature and Development of Buddhism and#8221; by Sangharakshita.

Amidst the complexity of Buddhist teachings, we can discern a distinctive essence lying behind the various historical forms which developed to convey the Buddhaand#8217;s oral message. In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte , and#8220; Parable of the Raft and#8221; Sangharakshita describes the essence of Buddhism: the parable of the raft and the advice to Mahaprajapati Gotami. Excerpted from the talk a...