Free Buddhist Audio

Vajrasattva is associated with purity and with the time of death. Aryajaya helps us to engage more deeply with the meaning and symbolism of Vajrasattva. Talk given at Cambridge Buddhist Centre , 2017. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today.  Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, t wo times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dhar...

Once again at the Centre of the Mandala, we meet Vairocana. How do we balance the teachings of effort and openness? One way is through the image of the Sun and relaxed being, the practice of the Dharma is simply to come back. Yet, of course, this requires effort. Another question is the balance between practical and mythical approaches: Can we hold both at once? What do we give significance to? Wh...

Vaddhaka can usually be relied on to give a pretty great talk - and this is no exception. Here we have a real treat - a terrific, energetic exploration of the green Buddha of the north: Amoghasiddhi (Dundubishvara), the Unobstructed One. This is kind of a multi-media affair - listen for the 13th Century Spanish processional music in honour of the Virgin, and a blast of Sibelius too! Marvellous. Ta...

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. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today.  Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, t wo times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter F...

Kusalasara evokes the jeweled born Buddha of the South, Ratnasambhava – golden yellow in color bringing messages of generosity, abundance and beauty. This talk is part of the series  The Symbolic World of the Five Buddha Mandala given at the London Buddhist Centre's 2019 Winter Retreat. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today.  Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size...

Settle back and touch base with this very enjoyable and, at times, inspiring talk by  Saddharaj a on the great blue Buddha of the eastern quarter of the mandala - the Unshakeable One, the Imperturbable Akshobya. This is particularly good because it departs from standard fare on the figure. We get a great reading from Wordsworth, a stimulating discussion of ethics and their relationship to issues o...

Imagine being with the Buddha, imagine the emotional effect of being that close to the Buddha. Bodhinaga draws out stories from the life of the Buddha that point to the importance of imagination as we engage with our aspiration for Enlightenment. This talk is part of the series entitled Faces of Enlightenment given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre , 2019. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a...

What memories stay with you year after year? Which breath do you wish you could take again? Whose smile is the most beautiful? What is this love that you talk about? Saraha  returns to Birmingham to speak at Sangha Night, having taught the Dharma there previously for over a decade before moving to Ecodharma in Spain a few years ago. In this talk he speaks with his usual passion and inspiration, il...

How might we respond, as Buddhists, to the emerging environmental crises facing the planet? Starting from where his earlier talk, "Saying Goodbye to the Earth," leaves off, Gunopeta explores the implications of what happens when we open our hearts to our deep emotional response to these crises. With the aid of guided meditation, poetry, ritual, and our felt connection to nature and the holiness of...

The Karaniya Metta sutta is the focus for Parami's exploration of working with anger, working with polarisation in our relationships and in the world. She uses the lesson of the extremes in this current moment in history as a launching pad for insight into the nature of love. She gave this talk to the gathered Triratna Buddhist Community in Scotland at their New Year gathering online. It has the f...

In this talk, Satyakirti explores a set of ways through which we can work with fear in our practice, particularly through love and friendship. Using the Angulimala Sutta as an example, he explains how even the greatest fears can be overcome, and how a Buddha is entirely free from fear. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre in December 2019 as part of the Sub35s 'Fearless Love' retreat. This talk...

Amritamati talks about how we can practice simplicity in our lives: whatever our lifestyle is or whatever we want our lifestyle to be, from parenting to becoming a celibate 'Anagarika'. This talk was given on a weekend retreat at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre for women who are training for Ordination, 2014. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today.  Subscribe to our Dharmabytes...

Karunagita , author of A Path for Parents (Windhorse publications 2005), gave this talk at the first weekend retreat for mothers held at Taraloka Retreat Centre , 2014. Here, she introduces the gifts of parenting, including the development of patience, maturity, opening to love and the development of wisdom through direct experience of the three laksanas, as well as the inherent challenges such as...

If a talk could ever be described as beautifully bracing, this is it! Amaragita brings a sharp-edged mind and a long-term perspective to the whole question of what practice is. As you might expect, she also brings humour, warmth and kindness too, qualities that more than balance out the penetrating clarity and sometimes challenging questioning underpinning this exploration of the possibility of pr...

The Imaginal Faculty....what is it and why does it matter in our spiritual lives? Taravandan a offers a personal perspective on her journey and experience of it in her practice. She offers guidance and pointers on how to open up further to the Imaginal Faculty in our own practice. A talk given as part of a day for women training for ordination, Manchester Buddhist Centre , 2017. *** Help keep FBA...

Here, Ratnaprabha discusses the value of using images and the imagination to become more emotionally involved in practice. Is an image of a Buddha or Bodhisattva used in meditation real or not? Talk given at West London Buddhist Centre , 2015. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today.  Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, t wo times a...

A self-proclaimed 'doctrine follower', Nagasuri challenges herself to speak on the basis of her faith in the Buddha,and does so with moving eloquence. Personal, full of devotion, she shares over 30 years of being in contact with the Buddha and explains how the grace of the Buddha's blessings has opened her heart time and time again. Talk given at the Women's International Order Convention 2011. **...

In this talk Padmavajra contemplates Beauty in different areas of Dharma life, including the beauty of people, of ethics, of friendship, community and 'institutions', and of wisdom. He also looks at the relationship between metta, formless beauty and the yidam, as well as knowing what beauty really is and 'the pregnant man'. This talk was given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre during the Spring Short O...

Starting with a story from the Rastrapalapariprccha-Sutra, Vajratara draws out the significance of Sangharakshita's paper on the Fourth Laksana. This is the path of beauty, from contemplation of ugliness to the gateway of liberation called 'the beautiful'. To be on the path of beauty, we don't merely enjoy beauty, we have to surrender ourselves to that beauty. Talk given at Tiratnaloka Retreat Cen...

How will you conceive of yourself as becoming like the Buddha? Saccanama explores the three myths of spiritual life, that of self-development, that of self-surrender, and that of self-discovery. Recorded at the Swedish Summer Retreat at Dharmagiri , July 2019. This talk is part of the series  'To Place the Heart Upon' - Exploring Faith in Buddhism . *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a su...

Subhuti considers the significance of Sangha day falling on the cusp of winter, and the importance of the seasons in human life. He recalls the genesis of Sangha day from the time of the Buddha, and considers it's relevance for us here in the 21st century. Ultimately Subhuti focus on the Sangha jewels itself; its vital importance for the individual practitioner and as a real sign of hope for this...

The social and political landscape is changing. Societies are, on the one hand, fragmenting whilst, on the other, unifying within a growing culture of consumerism and individualism. How can we create a community that is unified and diverse, exemplifying real values and being a force for good in the world? Suryagupta , current chair of the London Buddhist Centre, inspires us all to shine the light...

Kuladharini explores what it's like to be an example of the fourth sight in the world, to be a visible embodiment of dharma practice. Using the metaphors of the begging bowl, robes and shaved head she shares three ways in which she has gone forth as a visible example of a dharma farer. Talk given at Glasgow Buddhist Centre , 2009. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today.  Sub...

'Serenity, freedom from disease, joy and long life, the happiness of an emperor, prosperity; these the patient person receives while continuing in cyclic existence.' Padmavajra 's sixth talk on the Bodhicaryavatara explores Shantideva's thorough exploration of the perfection of patience. In this chapter, Shantideva brings our attention to the seriousness of the faults of hatred and anger. He shows...

Padmasambhava is a potent symbol of transformation. Maitreyi shows us how evoke the help, energy and vision we need to change our lives. Talk given part of the London Buddhist Centre's Padmasambhava Day Festival, 2019. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today.  Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, t wo times a week! Follow our blog for...