Free Buddhist Audio

In today's FBA Podcast , Mahabodhi kicks off a series of talks on the theme of 'Work As Spiritual Practice' with "Work As Spiritual Practice: Introducing Reginald Ray's Threefold Model" . Based on Ray's book, 'Buddhist Saints in India', this is a framework for considering the spiritual benefits and challenges of three roles or life styles within Buddhism: The solitary retreatant, the sangha builde...

Today's FBA Podcast , is a magical exploration by Vajragupta titled: "We Live In a Beautiful World: Buddhism and Nature" . Sharing his very personal experiences on solitary retreats, Vajragupta asks, "How can human beings live with more love and appreciation of the natural world? What does Buddhism have to offer?" A talk in a series addressing the relevance of Buddha's teaching to contemporary iss...

Today's Podcast "Compassionate Koans – The Heart of the Matter does in fact take us to the heart of the matter! An excellent, personal set of reflections by Vijayamala on the relationship between our longing and our pain. The Buddhist tradition posits compassion as the best response, but it isn't always clear how that works. No answers here – but a few leads and some thoughtful tales from life and...

Today's FBA Podcast takes us back to the 1969 wholly inspiring Aspects of the Bodhisattva Ideal series by Sangharakshita. "Masculinity and Femininity in the Spiritual Life" is the fifth talk in the series . Here, the third and fourth Perfections are kshanti (forbearance, tolerance or spiritual receptivity) and virya (energy in pursuit of the good). So the Bodhisattva integrates 'feminine' and 'mas...

In today's FBA Podcast , "Learning from Tibetan Buddhism – A Personal Account" Vessantara shares from his many years of engagement with Tibetan Buddhist approaches to meditation and general Buddhist practice. He carefully weighs up the different aspects of exploring a tradition outside of your own, and evokes Tibetan Buddhism itself through the story of his initiation into the Vajrayogini sadhana....

Today's FBA Podcast , is a brilliant retrospective on our Triratna Community developments titled: "Being Radical – 40 Years of the New Society" by Vajragupta. Do we still believe in the ability of the Dharma to transform self and society? Do we still want to make a distinctive Dharmic contribution to building a better world? Are we willing to accept that challenge? And are we willing to sometimes...

Today's FBA Podcast , "Transcending the Human Predicament" , Sangharakshita investigates various symbolic elements in the Parable of the Burning House and we are reminded of the importance of responding to 'the call of the Divine'. The general significance of the parable is then discussed under the headings of escapism, universalism and sectarianism. "The White Lotus Sutra is not only a religious...

In today's talk, "Anatta Made Simple" , Locana provides an excellent introduction to the most subtle and complex part of the Buddha's teaching on impermanence: that all things in conditioned existence are empty of any innate self-nature. Insubstantiality might never be really 'simple' to understand – but this is a good place to start and Locana an ever-intelligent guide along the way… Locana (Eliz...

Welcome to this week's FBA Podcast, " Abundant Treasures ," by the wonderful story teller, Suriyavamsa. The first of a series on the parables of The White Lotus Sutra, this talk looks at the Sutra as a whole. Suriyavamsa explores the key themes as well as how best to approach a Mahayana Sutra. Please note that there is some noise disturbance at the end of the talk due to a small and restless child...

In "Standing on Emptiness" Dhammadassin eloquently invites us into a lovely, thoughtful exploration of the traditional Buddhist path of ethics, meditation and wisdom, using poetry and the ideas of contemporary science to evoke the mystery that lies at the heart of practice. Dhammadassin's beautifully weighted talk challenges us to look at how we think and how we act, and is rooted in a moving fide...

In today's FBA Podcast, Kamalashila delivers: 'Absorption – After the Enlightenment' . How do you get used to being Enlightened? What happened to the Buddha in the weeks after his breakthrough experience? Kamalashila explores these questions in two ways – using the framework of the Western Buddhist Order's system of meditation to shed light on the process that unfolded in the Bodhisattva's mind an...

In today's FBA Podcast , Parami delivers true to form: "Energy At Its Most Abundant" on the topic of 'virya' – 'energy in pursuit of the good'. This talk was given as part of a three talk series at Windhorse:Evolution , a large and successful Buddhist team-based right livelihood business. A good, strong (sometimes even idealistic!) evocation of the co-operative spirit of Buddhist work and of spiri...

In today's FBA Podcast , we give you "The Buddha's Vision" , the last talk in the "Gautama Buddha" series launching Vishvapani's new book "Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One". (Quercus, 2011) When the Buddha finally sat down under the Bodhi tree and saw deeply into the nature of things, what had brought him to that point? And what happened next? In his final take on the Bud...

In today's FBA Podcast , we give you the fourth talk in the  "Gautama Buddha" series titled: "The Buddha and Society" , from the launch of Vishvapani's new book "Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One". (Quercus, 2011) The Buddha as a radical, as a holy man, as pragmatist, as tamer of demons, as visionary – in this wide-ranging, riveting talk Vishvapani gives us all these and m...

In today's FBA Podcast , Vishvapani delivers "The Buddha's Personality" , the third talk in his dynamic new series from the launch of the book "Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One". (Quercus, 2011) Great artists have tried and failed to grasp the essence of the Buddha's character. Beyond the narrative and the drama, what was the Buddha actually like? And what can be gleaned...

Today's FBA Podcast , is the second talk in a major new series of talks by Vishvapani to mark the launch of his new book: 'Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One' (Quercus, 2011). In "Imagining Gautama" , originally subtitled, 'Approaching The Buddha As An Historical And As A Mythic Figure', Vishvapani traces his own relationship to the Buddha, from early family connections ari...

In today's FBA Podcast , we present: "Searching for the Buddha" , the first in a major new series of talks by Vishvapani to mark the launch of his new book: 'Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One' (Quercus, 2011). Vishvapani is a well known figure in the Triratna Buddhist Community and is a regular contributor on the BBC's 'Thought for the Day'. In this talk we meet the Buddha...

In today's FBA Dharmabyte, Punyamala delivers a rich, comprehensive talk: From Enchantment to True Delight – Reflections On Stream Entry. Here, she sets out the path from effective to Real Going For Refuge using the framework of breaking the first three fetters and gaining Stream-entry. Punyamala confidently asserts that Stream-entry is attainable in this lifetime. Using Sangharakshita's terms for...

In today's FBA Podcast , "This Way Up – Living the Spiral Path" Saraha delivers a beautiful and engaging talk seeped in the Pali Canon. Leading with the Vatthupama, Simile of the Cloth, Sutta, Saraha gives us a very detailed look into the stages of spiritual development as described in the Lokuttara Paticcasamuppada Sutta – The Spiral Path.

Today's FBA Podcast , "Why Read the Sutta Nipata?" , by Suriyavamsa, is a thorough and engaging exploration of the why and what of suttas, how they were traditionally passed on through the ages and Kukai's description of how a sutta works on the rational, imaginative and cosmic-mythological levels. Includes beautiful readings on the themes of: skillful speech, grief and fearing death, humility, pl...

In the talk On the Hymn to Perfect Wisdom ' Kulaprabha beautifully explores these verses of devotion from 'The Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Lines' and they apply to us, in our lives, in our world.

In celebration of the 43rd anniversary of the founding of the Triratna Buddhist Community, (formally the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order) we bring you an moving and engaging talk by Subhuti: " Awake to the Cries of the World " the keynote talk from the FWBO celebrations a decade ago. How do we respond to the suffering in the world? Subhuti speaks from his experience of years trying to answer...

Today's FBA Podcast is titled "Karma and the Consequences of Action" . The fourth talk in a five-part series from Tiratanaloka's retreat on the 'Four Mind Turnings' of the Tibetan tradition. Here Ratnadharini takes us a little closer into the often misunderstood area of karma in Buddhist thinking. She draws out the important details of the process that we call 'actions and consequences' – but her...

In The Alchemy of Love Padmavajra explores the transformative magic that is Bodhichitta practice. A short introduction to the theme here – setting the context for the series and introducing us to Shantideva, whose treatise on Bodhichitta practice (the Bodhicharyavatara) forms the basis of the wonders to be explored Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004 This talk is part of the series The Al...