Free Buddhist Audio

We are pleased to share the three keynote talks from last month's International Retreat . Our first FBA Podcast in the series is "The Bodhisattvas Reply" . 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 t...

We are pleased to share a talk by Parami for our FBA Podcast today, "Buddhanussati: What Would the Buddha Do Now?" given at Manchester Buddhist Centre on 12th January 2009.

In our FBA Podcast today, "The Broken Mandala," , Maitreyabandhu talks about how we need a central mythic thread in our lives, and how without this the mandala of our life is either broken, destructive or chaotic. This personal, inner mandala is mirrored by the public outer world around us. Humanly and spiritually we live in a broken mandala. How do we make sense of our lives? What is our deeper p...

In our FBA Podcast today, "Forces That Shape the Mind," , Manjuvajra continues with his thoughts on 'Evolution and the meaning of life'. Individuals enter this path of a higher evolution by consciously cooperating with the evolutionary process to refine their self consciousness: to purifying the mind as a basis for the next evolutionary step. To purify the mind we must know the mind, so in this ta...

In our  FBA Podcast today, "Milarepa and the Yak Horn Story," , Yashobodhi tells the story of Milarepa's attempt to tackle his disciple Rechungpa's pride by singing to him from inside a Yak horn.

In our  FBA Podcast today, "The Motive (Remixed)," , Padmavajra explores a great classic of Tibetan Buddhism – Gampopa's 'Jewel Ornament of Liberation'. 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 Ati...

In our  FBA Podcast today, "Zen Master Hakuin" , Jyotipakshini delivers a wonderful overview of Hakuin's early life and what led him to becoming a monk. She shares his strengthss and the characteristic aspects of his personality, his determination and intense dedication, as well as his highly critical nature, his struggles and setbacks. We also hear a little about the two schools of Zen and about...

In celebration of the Buddha's Enlightenment, our  FBA Podcast today is titled "Heart of Darkness" from the London Buddhist Centre's Buddha Day Festival a few years back. Inspiring stuff, despite it's title! An honest, heartfelt talk from the author, "Meaning in Life".

In this week's  FBA Podcast we hear a talk given by Nagabodhi on Triratna Day 2014. Here, in "Dhardo Rinpoche, Stupa Building and Sangha" Nagabodhi recounts his favorite memories of his time with Dhardo Rinpoche in Kalimpong, expresses his feelings about the strengthening power of stupa building for centers, and ties it all together with a reminder of the central role of sangha in the Triratna Com...

In this week's  FBA Podcast Dhammarati delivers "A System of Training." Here Dhammarati explores the FWBO's system of practice itself -its background in practice, its relationship to tradition, and its implications for the very nature of spiritual life. An encouraging, grounded, flexible take on the rigorous, meaningful, and rewarding challenges of a lifetime of working with the mind and the heart...

In this week's  FBA Podcast we hear from Parami in the LBC series: "Women Elders of the Triratna Buddhist Community" Parami, ordained in 1980, and one of our International Order Conveners, gives a talk about her spiritual life.

In this week's  FBA Podcast , "How the Buddha Taught Mindfulness," Ratnpaprabha explains this practice and understanding of the Sutta of 'Being mindful of the in- and out-breaths' (Anapanasati). He talks about how mindfulness connects with body-awareness, how t takes you into rapture and happiness, and thus into 'sensitivity to the whole mind. He also explores how one calms and focuses the mind in...

Our  FBA Podcast this week, "Metta Blazing Like the Sun," is Vajratara's talk from the young people's retreat at Adhisthana – 'the big one'. Starting with a world on fire, Vajratara strips down what metta actually means in our experience: an awareness that discerns what is positive and stops it slipping from our minds. This is the seed of liberation, the cry of sunyata 'unconditioned and unconfine...

Our  FBA Podcast this week, "Remembering the Bodhichitta In Everyday Life ," is a talk from the recent Tonglen Retreat for Triratna Order Members by Yashobodhi. In this dynamic talk, Yashobodhi shares her personal connection to the ton glen practice, the seven point mind training and about practising tonglen in each moment.

Our  FBA Podcast this week, "Bhante – Poetry, Myth And Imagination," is a talk by Dhammadinna given on the Rainy Season Retreat at Manchester Buddhist Centre on Wednesday 19th February 2014. Dhammadinna speaks about Sangharakshita and his emphasis on Imagination as a key to the spiritual life.

In our  FBA Podcast this week, "Make It So – Imagining The Buddha," Suriyavamsa looks at the role of imagination in the way we shape our everyday world and how we can use this to bring the Buddha to life in our spiritual practice.

In our  FBA Podcast this week, "Entering The Realm Of Perfect Wisdom," Santavajri shares her connection with the Heart Sutra at Sangha Night, Sheffield Buddhist Centre. Talk given on 5th May 2008. Part of a series on Great Buddhist Texts.

Our  FBA Podcast this week, "Dharmic Receptivity," launch of the London Buddhist Center theme for the year by Jnanavaca. Talk given at the LBC's Dharma Night Class, Monday January 20th 2014

Vessantara has been on a three year long retreat and as he emerges he has many insights to share. Our  FBA Podcast this week is filled with deep reflections marked by clarity and a brilliance we are excited to make available. In "Karma, Rebirth and the Deep Boundless Dharma," Vessantara offers a concise explanation of karma as he explores the concepts of rebirth. Given at the Triratna Buddhist Ord...

Our  FBA Podcast this week, "Freedom of Heart," a talk by Dhivan as part of the International Urban Retreat, the theme of which is metta 'blazing like the sun'.

We are delighted to bring you  "The Power of Love" in this week's FBA Podcast . Padmavajra begins this talk with the chanting of The Karaniya Metta Sutta, in order to invoke 'the blessing power of loving kindness', which according to the sutta needs to be wielded at all times. He explores all of the stages of the metta bhavana (development of loving-kindness practice), as well as showing how metta...

In our  FBA Podcast this week, Parami offers a delightful retrospect while looking forward in "Business As Usual – Adhisthana and the Bodhichitta." Reflecting on the history of the Order, Bhante's teachings, listening to the Dharma, developing our system of practice, and gathering together in large numbers. Inspiring as ever, Parami seeds the conversation about 'commonality of practice' as we move...

This week for our  FBA Podcast we offer a key in accessing the potentiality of consciousness in:  "Consciousness Unfolds" . In this first talk from a series of three, Subhuti continues his well-known Rambles Around Reality at the LBC, this time enquiring into the nature of consciousness from the point of view of Urgyen Sangharakshita's particular presentation of the Dharma.

This week's FBA Podcast "Spiritual Transmission and Lineage" is a detailed, intimate and heartfelt talk from Saddhanandi looking at the relationship between a Dharma follower and her/his teacher. The talk takes as its lead-off point, David Smith's criticisms of the FWBO as lacking relationship with a 'vertical dimension' in its systems of practice. It's a sympathetic and open response, but one tha...

We are graced with Dhammadinna's wisdom in this week's FBA Podcast "The Richly Endowed Buddha of the Southern Realm" Third in a series of talks given on the 2012 Triratna International Retreat, Dhammadinna evokes the Buddha Ratnasambhava. For more talks, videos, photos etc from the retreat see www.thebuddhistcentre.com and navigate to page 'internationalretreat.'