Free Buddhist Audio

In this talk, "Out of Compassion for the World", Parami explores the theme of the Buddha's compassionate action and how ultimately it came from beyond self, beyond other – it emerged from his realisation of 'Emptiness'. The Buddha realised full well how hard it was going to be to communicate what he had discovered to other people – to us. He knew that the grip of greed, hatred and delusion is very...

In this talk "Loving What Is" Vajrapriya shares his own nitty gritty practice of dealing with hatred, clearing the way for a more mettaful response. "Metta is what arises when you realize that being human isn't easy." With an introduction by Jnanavaca. To read about some of our volunteers who helped make this talk available, please see our post on Triratna News .

In this talk, "Demon of Choice" Aryadhara works with a team from the Young People's Group in Cambridge (England) to give a series of short talks under the theme "Taming the Demons of the Modern World" in celebrating Padmasambhava, the Great Guru of Tibet. Choice is something we all have – we have the choice to act the way we act, the choice in the way we live our lives, which is very positive. The...

In "What Do We Really Know About the Buddha?" Dhivan delivers a lovely talk with the odd surprise as he considers the relationship between what we think we may know about the Buddha, and what the historical evidence suggests. As Dhivan sifts the information that's come down to us, we meet several different versions of a human being as he blurs with the archetypal presence he has also come to repre...

In this talk Subhuti gives a concise and inspiring account of the Honeyball Sutta. Starting with some background to his work in Hungary amongst the oppressed Gypsies there, he presents the Buddha's understanding on the basis for civil, in fact all kinds of, strife. The Buddha's analysis takes the form of a nidana chain beginning with actual experience, that when we begin to proliferate or move awa...

In this talk Jinananda gives us some practical tips on good communication and healthy relationships. He brings in the Buddha's words from the Sigalaka Sutta to illustrate some of the ways relationships were managed in the Buddha's time. Pointing out that different kinds of relationships require different sets of duties and dynamic ways of relating, he notes that we should be mindful of how we are...

In this talk Saddhanandi draws on over 25 years of experience living and practicing in spiritual communities as she explores the conditions that she trusts give rise to Wisdom Beings. We live in a culture that encourages us to look out for the individual – just look after yourself and never mind about others. Collective practice, the practice of community, has a dynamic alchemy all of its own – li...

In this talk 'Ksanti (Patience)' , Satyaraja beautifully explores how friendship is probably the main way we exemplify the altruistic dimension of the spiritual life. Ksanti, often translated as Patience, is one of the Six Perfections practiced by the Bodhisattva, one in whom the Bodhicitta, the Awakened Heart, has arisen. Patience is explored here in three aspects: with ourselves, with other peop...

Nagabodhi's account of his visits to see Dhardo Rimpoche, the great Tibetan teacher based in Kalimpong, is by turns moving, funny and revealing. The story of a remarkable man – someone who embodied the spirt of the Bodhisattva – who continues to inspire practitioners the world over years after his death. A rare opportunity to hear from someone who spent time with Rimpoche at his famous school, who...

In 'Everything Matters – Turning Consumerism on its Head' , Vajradarshini points out that we live in a world of things and there's a world of practice in things. As consumerism is defined as 'to destroy', we are challenged to find ways to turn consumerism on its head and find the Truth in our relationship to Things. Accompanied by Kavyasiddhi reading both poetry and prose, this beautiful Dharma ge...

This podcast talk by Dharmavadana is a great exploration of how poetry can be an ally in the spiritual life, and analyzes the ways in which it occupies a similar atmosphere to meditation. Talk given at West London Buddhist Center To help us keep this free, please think about making a donation .

This fantastic talk by Akuppa , given at the 2006 Buddhafield Festival, focuses on how Buddhist practice weaves together with social awareness, and what an Earth Community built on sustainable values might look like. (Please note: there are a few minutes missing at the start, and the original recording was very poor. But it's worth it!) Talk given at Buddhafield Festival, 2006 To help us keep this...

In 'Mindfulness of Reality', the excellent Kulananda (Michael Chaskalson) brings a welcome compass to the maze of Buddhist teachings around the nature of existence itself. After all, it's not easy, is it? Impermanence, dependent arising, becoming, etc. – it's enough to make anyone think twice. Or a thousand times. And still get nowhere. But fear not – this is a clear, concise, eminently human and...

Pain and Suffering is the first of two talks that Ratnaguna gave earlier this year at the Stockholm Buddhist Centre. He explores the whole area of feeling, both pleasant and painful, but especially the pain side of the spectrum. Using storytelling, poetry, and clear Dharma teaching, Ratnaguna asks, "What kind of life are you living if you are not really in your body? When you resist the pain, you...

The 'Just Sitting' practice has been part of the FWBO's system of meditation since the very beginning yet is not often discussed and not always understood. Here Subhuti gives his own inspiring and brilliantly refreshing take on the practice as a central element in his own meditative life. A must-listen piece for all those enthused by ideas of formal and 'formless' meditation – 'Just Hear' it and y...

This is the first in a series of talks from the Western Buddhist Order Convention in 2001 offering different perspectives on the Abhidharma and exploring from a personal perspective what the study of the 51 Mental Events can tell us about our minds and how they work. Based on the classic Tibetan text 'Necklace of Clear Understanding', this is a terrific, clear introduction by Dhammadinna to the wh...

Time to bring the picture on the FWBO's relations with other Buddhists bang up-to-date with this splendid excursion over the common ground Buddhists share in the 21st century, and also through the diverse practice landscapes they continue to explore in their own approaches to the Dharma. As a basis Dhammarati looks at the FWBO's own grounding in tradition, and encourages us all at root to look con...

This recording of songs from the Asvagosha project troupe is a real find in the Dharmachakra Archives . The Asvagosha project was set up in India in the early 1990s as a way of developing cultural activities among poor 'ex-Untouchable' communities in slums and rural areas. Teams of performers visit the localities and put on performances of sketches and specially composed songs. The shows reflect t...

Here's a forthright and passionate talk , taking as its starting point the great contemporary Tibetan teacher (sometimes also written 'Chatral Sangye Dorje') and his relationship to practice in the FWBO via his giving of the Green Tara practice to Sangharakshita. The main focus, however, is the need to practice the Dharma for others as part of a meaningful community, and Vajratara argues her case...

The teachings that Ratnaguna explores in this talk are all from the Sutta Nipata â€" one of the earliest of Buddhist texts. His sub-title is the rather intriguing: 'The Dharma before Buddhism'. You might say that when it comes to the Sutta Nipata, the Buddha is very clearly telling it like it is. Well, so does Ratnaguna! In the opening remarks (which, unfortunately, were not recorded) he likens th...

Another excellent talk , from the Buddhafield project. Amaragita takes a look at Buddhist practice in the light of parenting, and has a lot of good things to say about the everyday business of staying with our experience, embracing the hard bits and releasing the joy. As an added bonus, listen for some lovely singing throughout! Talk given at the Buddhafield Festival in 2006. To help us keep this...

A lovely talk this month , from the excellent Dhivan. Be prepared for the odd surprise as he considers the relationship between what we think we may know about the Buddha, and what the historical evidence suggests. As Dhivan sifts the information that's come down to us, we meet several different versions of a human being as he blurs with the archetypal presence he has also come to represent. Yet w...

Happy Holidays, Everyone ! So, this is as close as we could get to a Christmas edition… You know, 'Buddha Nature – easily confused for 'incarnation', all that… No? Oh, well, what this most definitely is is an absolute cracker of a talk from Sagaramati. A brilliant, scholarly-but-accessible, look at the origins and development of the Tathagatagarbha (Buddha Nature) school of Buddhist thought throug...

Ok, buckle up. 'Padmasambhava' by Danavira is, as we've come to expect from the man, a rollicking ride of a talk. Actually, 'talk' doesn't really do it justice: try incantation, wrong-footing evocation, dramatic monologue and enactment through storytelling, with a good dose of chanting and singing thrown in – some planned, some spontaneous. Sprinkle in a healthy quotient of hilarity and excitement...

Over here, Clemenza! Ever wanted to know about 'General Systems Theory' – one of those subjects you always hear vague things about yet never quite know what it actually is? Ever wondered why we seem to love a good gangster? Well, then this is for you! To tell the truth, we would have picked this anyway for the podcast because the title was just so good! But it happens to be an excellent and very f...