Dharmabytes from free buddhist audio

The missing memoir years of Sangharakshita's life story has been told by Khantipalo in his book, Noble Friendship . Khantipalo and Sangharakshita spent a year together in India receiving meditation instruction from Yogi Chen, a meditation master in the Cha'an tradition. Sangharakshita describes Yogi Chen as having an intense inner life, full of visions, psychic experiences, and a penetrating insig...

In today's FBA Dharmabyte we meet Jagdish Kashyap, Sangharakshita's first teacher, the Theravadin scholar/monk with whom he lived and studied Pali, logic and Buddhist philosophy at Benares. After higher ordination, on the advice of Jagdish Kashyap, Sangaharakshita moved to the Himalayan border town of Kalimpong, to work for the good of Buddhism. E xcerpt ed from the talk entitled Jagdish Kashyap b...

In o ur FBA Dharmabyte today we are introduced to Kachu Rimpoche by Vajratara one of Sangharakshita's eight main teachers . Kachu Rimpoche  was a man of great learning, renowned as a deep meditator and visionary, and a gifted sculptor. Rimpoche went out of his way to befriend Sangharakshita. In 1960, on Jampyang Khyentse's recommendation, Kachu Rimpoche initiated Sangharakshita into the practice o...

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is entitled 'Not to be Defined'  by Jnanavaca . Excerpted from the talk Is A Guru Necessary ? Jnanavaca revisits one of Sangharakshita's classic talks from 1970 and gives his contemporary reflections on its abiding relevance. This was given as part of the London Buddhist Centre Dharma Night Series, Bhante Classics , September 2012. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio...

We are pleased to present today's FBA Dharmabyte entitled 'Engaging with Sangha as Teacher', excerpted from Saddhanandi's talk Spiritual Transmission and Lineage given at the Triratna Buddhist Order Women's Convention , Wymondham 2007. Here Saddhanandi revisits Sangharakshita's own take on the problems faced by practitioners in a contemporary spiritual community. And, with the help of a good sprin...

In today's FBA Dharmabyte, 'These Texts Were Meant to be Understood', Shraddhapa talks about his work translating the Ratnaguna Samcayagatha, a profound Mahayana Sutra from Sanskrit into English. You can find this text at Shraddhapa's website here . If you want to financially support Shraddhapa's important work you can donate here . From the talk For Heroic Spirits Intended - Translating Sanskrit...

Today's Dharmabyte is 'Offering your Life' by Yashobodhi . In this personal talk Yashobodhi goes into the aspiration to be of benefit to all beings, the pitfalls an aspiring bodhisattva can come across and about the journey from concept to experienced reality and back again. From the talk, Who Wants to Become a Bodhisattva? given at Aryaloka Buddhist Center in the USA, 2016. *** Subscribe to our F...

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is An Inner Journey. This is a fascinating introduction to the mandala from Garava - the idea, the myth, the image, the symbol, the experience. His own practice as an artist affords him a respectful and generous perspective, from which we are able to simply sit back and learn. From the talk Entering the Mandala given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre , 2001 *** Subscribe to our...

Today's FBA Dharmabyte is Knowing Our Patterns by Karunavapi . We live by patterns, mostly unconsciously. Using personal reflections, poetry and imagery of the Five Buddha Mandala, Karunavapi talks of mandalas as patterns of the unenlightened and enlightened mind. 'Personal mandalas' as the patterning of our own, unenlightened minds and the Five Buddha Mandala as the pattern of the Buddha's enligh...

Today's FBA Dharmabyte , is  Expanding Views by Nandaraja. How to step outside of polarisation and find freedom of heart and mind. From the talk Empathising with the Enemy given on a People of Colour Sangha Day retreat. *** 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 today's FBA Dharmabyte, Sangharakshita discusses The Four Limitless States. In Buddhist practice, the traditional method of choice for effecting positive change in one's life is meditation. Here Sangharakshita takes a closer look, focussing on the 'superconscious states' (characterised in turn by integration, inspiration, permeation, and radiation), the practice of developing universal friendli...

Today's FBA Dharmabyte is Turning Towards by Saddhanandi. How do you make a meaningful practice of loving kindness in a difficult world? How do we turn towards, rather than away...? This is excerpted from the brilliant talk given on the Metta and Insight 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...

Our  FBA Dharmabyte today brings us face to face, as it were, with "our root fear", that of selflessness. From the talk Ethics as Insight Practice by Guhyavajra. *** 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

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Be More Than Your Culture by Maitreyabandhu. How do we make the most of life? Buddhism is a non-theistic, practical path of human growth and fulfilment. This series includes highlights from the eight-week course that leads participants step by step along the Buddhist path from mindfulness and emotional strength to receptivity, spiritual death and rebirth. And, as...

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Generosity Leads to Happiness by Vijayasri. This is another talk in our exploration of T he Journey and The Guide . Vijayasri considers how having generosity at the centre of a mandala, based on the positive precepts, can help us to develop positive emotion. From the talk, Generosity As A Foundation Of Positive Emotion , given at Croydon Buddhist Centre in Februa...

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Supporting Brilliance by Singhamati. A heartfelt talk about Integration as a path to wholeness. Looking at the what, how and why of this crucial aspect of the spiritual life. From the talk Integration: a Path to Wholeness . *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week!   Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FB...

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Integration Mandalas by Vajragupta. In this talk, exploring the Journey and the Guide, Vajragupta leads us through creating a personal mandala so that we can discover the shape of our lives. He discusses how to use a mandala to shine a light on changes we may wish to make in our day to day conditions. If you want to engage fully with this talk you will need a pen...

and#8220;May I deliver all beings from difficulties; may I eradicate all passions; may I master all dharmas; may I lead all beings to Buddhahood.and#8221; This is the Bodhisattvaand#8217;s resolve upon the awakening of the Bodhi Heart. Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called Bodhichitta and the Bodhisattva Vow by Sangharakshita. From the talk The Bodhisattva Vow given in 1969. This talk is part o...

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Our Next Teacher by Ratnaprabha. In the full talk entitled The Great Way , Ratnaprabha tells the Zen story of the maiden in the mud, explains the attitude of the Mahayana, the Bodhisattva, altruism and how Mahayana is not a school of Buddhism. He finishes with the grand vision of Vairocanaand#8217;s tower from the Gandavyuha Sutra.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Let the Mind Roam by Vajradevi. What are the particular challenges we face in the 21st Century? There are many, and Vajradevi focuses on the mind precepts and our use of technology. From the talk Ethical Challenges In the Modern World by Vajradevi, given as part of a series at Shrewbury Triratna Centre focusing on the and#8217;21st Century Bodhisattvaand#8217;.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is by Vajrapriya called Put Down the Burden . From the talk entitled Liberty Equality Fraternity from the series called The 21st Century Bodhisattva given at Shrewsbury Triratna Buddhist Group . Vajrapriya explores Dr Ambedkarand#8217;s slogan and#8220;Liberty, Equality, Fraternityand#8221;, looking at topics like the New Society, and Subhutiand#8217;s exhortation to start...

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is by Abhayavajra called Engaging with the Arts . What happens when Buddhist practice meets contemporary western art? Art East presents an evening with Abhayavajra at the London Buddhist Arts Centre, exploring how the Dharma life is expressed in art practice. Interviewed by Maitreyabandhu. Listen to the full talk entitled Painting the Void.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is by Taradasa called Our Relationship with Arts . This talk asks us to look, and look again, at our relationship to the fine arts. Whether itand#8217;s music, painting, sculpture, performance and#8211; whatever we respond to in the Arts, Taradasa shows how we can approach it as spiritual practice. Excerpted from the talk entitled Buddhism and the Arts.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is by Varasahaya called Trusting the Process . Drawing on her experience as a poet, Varasahaya discusses creativity, imagination, and the writing process as a spiritual practice. She reads some of her poems, and explains the process by which they came to birth, and what she learnt about letting go of self as she grappled with writing. An excellent and very accessible talk...

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is by the lovely Satyalila called A Creative Response . Taken from the full talk, Imagination, the Buddha andamp; Us offering a practical and personal perspective on why Sangharakshita has taught that imagination is a vital ingredient in the spiritual life. Full of examples and poetry, the talk invites listeners to recognise and#8211; and harness and#8211; the great power...