Free Buddhist Audio

This week's FBA Podcast was first given on Lord Buddha TV in India. In " The Buddha's Advice to a Banker " Subhuti talks about a conversation the Buddha had with his leading Lay disciple, who was one of the wealthiest men in North India. What makes him significant is that he was also recognised as a non-returner. In this conversation the Buddha talks as prosperity, wealth and what makes for happin...

In today's  FBA Podcast , " All In This Together – Is It Time For a Buddhist Economics? " Kavyasiddhi delivers beautifully in this first of a series of public talks at Manchester Buddhist Centre entitled ' Buddhism and the Big Question '.

Our FBA Podcast this week " The Alternative to God " is a very thought provoking talk by Maitreyabandhu. Does God exist or not? How do you know? A thoughtful and critical look at this age old question in light of the Buddha's teachings. Talk given at the London Buddhist Centre in November 2006.

"The true revolutionary is guided by love." (Che Guevara). In this weeks FBA Podcast , " Finding Freedom, " Amalaketu explores freedom through images and stories and the Chappanakopama sutta, the discourse on the simile of the 6 animals, and shows how Buddhism is the way to ultimate liberation.

This week's FBA Podcast is a quietly passionate talk by Jinapriya titled: " What is Enlightenment " – impossible to pin down and utterly transformative. His main theme within the frame of such a big question is the struggle to live our lives in the present moment, especially in the face of pain. We are met with a thoughtful series of reflections, stories and images that all look to open up the gat...

This weeks FBA Podcast , " Songs of the Elder Sisters " is one of a series of talks on the Therigatha, the songs or poems of the nuns at the time of the Buddha. Here, Gunasiddhi gently explores the three themes of Going Forth, Friendship and Impermanence through these tender yet powerful stories.

In celebration of the Buddha's Turning of the Wheel of the Dharma, this week's FBA Podcast " The Word of the Buddha " describes the various levels on which Enlightened Consciousness seeks to communicate itself to those who are unenlightened. Talk given in 1972.

Today's  FBA Podcast , " The Jewel in the Lotus ," by Sraddhagita, is a beautiful down-to-earth exploration of the great central images of Mahayana Buddhism, usually associated with the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshavara. This talk was given in 2007.

Today's  FBA Podcast , " A Personal Talk On the Bodhisattva Ideal " is just that – a moving and personal talk, by Vidyamala, given at the 25-year jubilee retreat (of FWBO activities in Stockholm) in a beautiful setting in the archipelago north of Stockholm, Sweden, September 2005.

How do the Bodhisattvas enter the Dharma door of non-duality? Today's  FBA Podcast , " The Way of Non-Duality " explores this as one of the main themes in the Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra. Sangharakshita explains some of the dualities listed in the Sutra, gives some examples of his own (with tips on how to transcend them), and concludes with Vimalakirti's 'thunder-like silence'. Talk given in 1979 a...

Ratnaguna brings a fresh, clear-minded look at the Vimalakirti Nirdesa sutra in today's FBA Podcast , where he asks: " Who Is Vimalakirti? " Exploring current writings and the thinking of Sangharakshita he offers a number of possibilities: Vimalakirti is a community of practitioners; he is the bodhisattva principle; the spiritual imperative; and both an inspiration and a rebuke. Talk given at Padm...

In today's FBA Podcast , Sangharakshita goes to Buddhafield! " A first for him, and a first for the fabulous Buddhafield Festival that takes place each year at the height of the English summer. This talk, " Entering the Sangha " was given in a tent in Devon – and the sounds of this great Dharma celebration are everywhere around as Sangharakshita marks his entry to the 'Dharma Parlour' with a rolli...

This week's FBA Podcast is one of our Dharma Tape Detectives findings from the FBA Archives. " In Harmony with Friends and Brethren " by Srivati. What does it mean to be part of a Sangha? What does true harmony mean alongside the inevitability of conflict? Srivati addresses these questions with help from the monks at Kosambi, the six memorable qualities of a Bikkhu, and the seven knowledges of the...

In today's FBA Podcast , " The Defects and Dangers of Samsara, " Dharmacharini Maitreyi looks at pleasure and suffering in the context of samsara – compassionate responses to self and other, and how to loosen the bonds… Talk given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2005 as part of the series " The Four Mind-Turning Reflections ."

This week's FBA Podcast , " Tibetan Book the Dead: Talk 1 – The Six Bardos ", is an extraordinary talk by Padmavajra exploring the great text that reveals the realms between death and new life, where anything is possible in the Bardo – the 'intermediate state'. From the first talk in the series "Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol) ." Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, winter retreat, 2005

Today, on the full moon of May, we celebrate the Buddha's Awakening, his full and perfect Enlightenment. Our FBA Podcast is a passionate look at our true nature and our deepest yearnings. " The Ideal of Human Enlightenment ", by Sangharakshita, was given in 1975 and is as relevant now as it was then.

In this week's FBA Podcast ," Enlightenment as Heart, Life as Whole ," Saddhanandi takes us through a set of very thought-provoking reflections. She is forthright about the difficulties and joys of cultivating faith in the Dharma and makes very plain the consequences we can expect in our life as and when that faith arises. The talk is peppered with examples from her own practice. The audience clea...

This weeks FBA Podcast , " The Significance of the Buddha's Enlightenment " is a talk by Sona given at Manchester Buddhist Centre on Buddha Day, 9th May 2009.

This weeks FBA Podcast , " On the Threshold of Enlightenment " is part of the pivotal by " Aspects of the Bodhisattva Ideal " series delivered by Sangharakshita in 1969. This lecture describes dhyana (meditation), and prajna (Wisdom), the fifth and sixth perfections.

This weeks FBA Podcast , is a recording of a question and answer session with Sangharakshita at the Croydon Buddhist Centre in 2004. " An Evening with Sangharakshita " is a lovely introduction to the man who founded the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community (formally known as the Western Buddhist Order and FWBO).

This weeks FBA Podcast , " The Buddha's Gift To The World " is brought to us by Vajratara. Vajratara condenses nearly 50 years of the Buddhas life, using stories from the Pali Canon to show how the Buddha built a spiritual community that lasts to this day. Transcending the conflict between the desire to withdraw and the desire to engage, the Buddha wanders northern India out of compassion, teachin...

This weeks FBA Podcast , " Brahma Viharas and the Key Moment ", is a distillation of Kulaprabha's 15 years of co-leading retreats on the development of Loving Kindness, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity. This talk was given in September 2001, before and after the Twin Towers attack, while Kulaprabha was on a six week retreat in Italy. She was one of only a few people on the retreat who knew what had...

This weeks FBA Podcast is a thoughtful, inspiring talk by Khemasuri titled " The Spiral Path – The Great Escape ." Faith, joy, and delight in the spiritual life. Sharing experiences from her own life, Khemasuri expounds on the importance of the Spiral Path, a fundamental teaching in the Triratna Buddhist Order.

This weeks FBA Podcast is a talk was given on a Young Women' Weekend at Taraloka titled " Faith is Innate, Doubt Acquired ." In this talk Singhamati explores Sangharakshita's aphorism: Faith is Innate, Doubt Acquired. It looks at questions such as: What is faith? How do you cultivate the three grounds of faith? How is doubt a fetter? How can you dispel doubt?

Today's FBA Podcast, is a classic talk given by Sangharakshita in 1967 titled " Mind: Reactive and Creative. " In this brilliant and accessible approach to the essence of Buddhism, Sangharakshita shows that Buddhism starts with the mind. Mind can be reactive, symbolised by the Tibetan Wheel of Life, or creative, as when one follows the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, described here in detail.