Free Buddhist Audio

Saddhanandi is the Chair of Adhisthana and a preceptor. She was for many years the Chair of Taraloka retreat centre. She was a close friend of Bhante Sangharakshita and is noted for her warmth, friendliness and skills as a Dharma teacher. It is a real treat to have her at Sangha Night to share her thoughts on the Buddha Shakyamuni. This talk is part of the series Buddhas and Bodhisattvas given at Cambridge Buddhist Centre, 2019. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Sanghamani with a great second talk from the 2019 Triratna International Gathering. Her theme on this Alchemy of the Dharma weekend is how we can transform ourselves in order to transform our communities. And she leads with fearlessness in discussing her own work and practice in this regard. As a fundraiser at the cutting edge of the practice of connection – trying to forge a sense of mutually vital relationship with strangers (who are not necessarily pleased to find you at their door!) – Sanghamani calls on her rich experience of helping people move beyond their own fear. She also shares some moving accounts of her own transformation from an isolated, angry, pained young adulthood into someone who has dedicated her life to a path of love and its exemplification. In this she stands before us as a "luminous pearl" of that commitment to live in harmony with others. Recorded at Adhisthana, August 2019. This talk is part of the series Alchemy of the Dharma (Triratna International Gathering 2019). *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

A wonderful first talk of the 2019 International Gathering, whose theme is 'Alchemy of the Dharma'. The utterly delightful Ratnaguna takes us through the true miracle of transforming ourselves via magic of a practice in which we also learn to let ourselves change. This is a beautiful, reflective, funny take on the challenges of the Dharma life. Ratnaguna's breadth of reference is itself a joy: taking in Greek philosophy, Hans Christian Andersen, and writings on the nearness of death to life in any moment. All pointing to, opening into, an experience of freedom and deep beauty. Listen out for his rendition of the Ugly Ducking song! Recorded at Adhisthana, August 2019. This talk is part of the series Alchemy of the Dharma (Triratna International Gathering 2019). *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

What is the Bodhicitta and how do we become receptive to it? Vajratara talks about the paradox behind the Bodhicitta: how it is an experience beyond any personal attainment, yet it arises in us. How can we hold both perspectives? Using the framework of the '3 myths' of the Dharma life, Vajratara evokes the qualities and attitudes we develop to prepare ourselves for the Bodhicitta. A journey around the Suttas and Sutras, stories and poetry, evoking the development of the Bodhicitta. Talk given at Tiratnaloka Retreat Centre (2018) for women who have asked for ordination and assumes some previous study on the Bodhicitta and Bodhisattva Path. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

In this talk, Sarvananda looks at how our engagement with the arts can help us move from literal mindedness to an imaginative engagement with Buddhist myth and symbol. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre during the 2019 East Anglian Men's Retreat. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

The Buddha said the world is on fire, fueled by our greed hatred and delusion. Jnanavaca explores how we can raise ourselves to meet the challenges faced by humankind on both an individual and global basis. Can Metta be cultivated so that in can burn brightly with the brilliant flames of peace? Talk given at London Buddhist Centre, 2019. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

To succeed at anything, we need to think; to go about it in a way that's actually going to work. Vadanya examines different metaphors that help us to bring our reasoning and wisdom into action to make spiritual progress. He highlights the importance of creating the right conditions to grow and flourish, particularly the importance of spiritual friendship. Part 5 in the 'Path to Awakening' Sangha night series at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2019. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

The first of four talks given by Ratnaguna during the annual Padmaloka Open Retreat. The theme of the retreat was 'For Heroic Spirits Intended...' and was based around the Ratnaguna Samcayagatha-a profound Mahayana Sutra. A new translation by Sraddhapa of the text was used for the first time during the retreat. You can find this text at Sraddhapa's website where donations can be made to support this important translation work. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre in 2018 as part of the series For Heroic Spirits Intended. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

How do we transcend conflicts and contradictions? Vilasamani explores the conundrums of Buddhist practitioners in the Vimalakirti Sutra, and bring some of them up-to-date, in a talk to the West London Buddhist Centre Sangha night. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Touching on the themes of righteous indignation, spiritual bypassing, empathy, non-violent communication, envy and exploring apology, confession and working with betrayal,Santavajri poses the question as to whether we can forgive ourselves and move towards unconditional love for all beings. An exploration of verses 4, 5 and 6 of the Eight Verses for Training the Mind. Talk given at the Women's Area Order Weekend at Adhisthana, December 2018 as of the series Women's Area Order Weekend at Adhisthana. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Amalaketu explores freedom through images and stories from the Chappanakopama Sutta, the discourse on the simile of the 6 animals, and shows how Buddhism is the way to ultimate liberation. Talk given at the East Anglian Mens Retreat, Padmaloka May 2012. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Suryagupta delivers a powerful, passionate account of the figure of the Dakini who represents perfect freedom. London Buddhist Centre's contemporary series on Sangharakshita's classic 1979 lecture 'The Taste of Freedom'. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Padmavajra visited the London Buddhist Centre to give a talk on Sangharakshita's classic 1979 lecture 'The Taste of Freedom'. Just as the mighty ocean has but one taste, the taste of salt, even so the Dharma-vinaya (Buddhism) has but one taste, the taste of Freedom. (from 'The Udana'). Talk given June 2019 *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Sanghadevi offers this substantial and inspiring talk on the praises of Pingiya, from the chapter entitled The Way to the Beyond from the Sutta Nipata. This is the final talk in a series entitled The Buddha in the Pali Canon given at Cambridge Buddhist Centre (UK) 2015. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Here we have Akuppa exploreing how someone practising the Dharma might respond if they found themselves in 'Hell and Other Ordinary Places' - including prison and public buses! One of a series of talks on the theme of 'A Force for Good in the World', given in the Dharma Parlour at the 2010 Buddhafield Festival in Somerset, UK. There are also very worth sharing: Shambala Warrior verses written by Akuppa, 2005. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

How can Buddhists respond to the climate emergency? Vishvapani uses the Parable of the Burning House from the Lotus Sutra to suggest our responsibilities' and finds the values we need to guide us in the Five Precepts. Given at Cardiff Buddhist Centre on Dharma Day, July 2019. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Partisan politics, hurricanes and earthquakes, mass shootings, nuclear threats … our world at times feels like a living nightmare. How do we as Buddhists respond, individually and as a sangha? And how do we keep our sanity? "Practice During Times of Chaos and Uncertainty" given by Sunada on Sangha Day at Aryaloka Buddhist Center, Newmarket, NH, November 2017. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

It's often very difficult to keep up with the challenges of a Buddhist practice. If we are truly to make progress in our Buddhist practice, we have to take into account our surroundings, our environment, where we live, where we work, where we socialize. Transforming our own lives and minds is at the core of our practice, but to do that effectively we also need to look at transforming, remaking, rebuilding the world and communities around us. Taking inspiration from The Vimalakirti Nirdesa, Padmavajra offers instructions for how to create a Buddhaland. 1. Make yourself 2. Gather wisdom 3. Make friends 4. Make a world together 5. Revere the mystery Talk given at London Buddhist Centre, 2017. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Subhuti shares his reflections on Urgyen Sangharakshita in the days following his death and funeral ceremony. He explores the double response to Sangharakshita as an effective Dharma teacher and former of Sangha alongside the various difficulties and paradoxes in his life. The two last papers Sangharakshita wrote, completed just over two weeks before he died, examine the three main paths of Buddhism, among other things, and thereby offer three different ways of understanding his own role as teacher. This helps us to understand both his human personality and his significance for us. This talk is part of the series Who is Urgyen Sangharakshita? Talk given at London Buddhist Centre, November 29, 2018. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, three times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Here is a talk by Punyamala on Dilgo Khyentse Rimpoche, (1910-1991) one of Sangharakshita's main eight teachers. Forced to flee Tibet in 1959, Dilgo Khyentse Rimpoche was an accomplished meditation teacher, scholar and holder of the Nyingma lineage, the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism. Punyamala offers a brief history of his life, his connection with Sangharakshita and a set of reflections on his teachings. Talk given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 29th August 2006, as part of a series on the Refuge Tree of the Triratna Buddhist Order. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Here's a forthright and passionate talk by Vajratara, taking as its starting point the great contemporary Tibetan teacher (sometimes also written 'Chatral Sangye Dorje') and his relationship to practice in Triratna, rooted in 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 with a balance of down-to-earth humour and uncompromising vision. Talk given at the Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2007 *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, three times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

A lovely talk given by Nagabodhi on Triratna Day at Aryaloka Buddhist Center, with an introduction by Dayalocana. Here, 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 Community. Lovely introducation and conclusion by Dayalocana. Talk given on Triratna Day, April 2014 at Aryaloka Buddhist Center. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, three times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Part 5 in the Faces of Enlightenment Sangha night series at the Sheffield Buddhist Centre. Bodhinaga gives a talk on the Buddha Amitabha and the Metta Bhavana loving-kindness meditation. Recorded at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 21/05/19 *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, three times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Our FBA Podcast this week is entitled Forgiveness and Happiness. Santavajri explores verses 4, 5 and 6 of the Eight Verses for Training the Mind. She begins with her realisation that a motivator for her spiritual practice has been a quest for happiness. Touching on the themes of righteous indignation, spiritual bypassing, empathy, non-violent communication, envy, and exploring apology, confession and working with betrayal, Santavajri poses the question: can we forgive ourselves and move towards unconditional love for all beings? Talk given at the Women's Area Order Weekend at Adhisthana, December 2018 This talk is part of the series Women's Area Order Weekend at Adhisthana.

Here Padmavajra speaks about the stages of spiritual death and rebirth. How to prepare for them, how they can be seen in all the stages of the path, as well as where they lead. Talk given on a Kula Gathering at Padmaloka, 2012. Subscribe to the FBA Podcast!

Check out this week's FBA Podcast: What's Race, Gender, Sexuality and Skin Color Got to Do with Non-Self by Vimalasara. A timely and thought-provoking talk given at a People of Color (POC) day-long retreat at San Francisco's East Bay Meditation Center 2019. The East Bay Meditation Center hosts teachers from all lineages to teach the Dharma to their POC, LGBTQI2, Differently Abled and Scent Free Communities. Talk given February 2019 in San Francisco.

In today's FBA Podcast this week: 21st Century Bodhisattva Saravantu explores the role of active engagement in the world's problems, and the various pitfalls along the way, into which activists can so easily fall. This talk launches a series of talks entitled "The 21st Century Bodhisattva", inspired by Akuppa's module in the Dharma Training Course.

Enjoy our FBA Podcast this week: Communicating the Dharma Through the Arts – Show Don't Tell by Sarvananda. Be prepared for the unexpected in this very funny – and by turns wrongfooting – personal exploration of why the Arts are vital to the development of a genuine Buddhist community. Sarvananda discusses as background his attempts to find a synthesis between the Arts and spiritual life, leading to his current work as a successful playwright. But it is in the three departures from a traditional Dharma talk that we glimpse something else – the crucial show-don't-tell aspect of the title. Suffice to say, if you have not heard Stand-Up Tragedy, Dharma Ventriloquism, or a Ukulele Lady Visualisation before, best turn on your heart and your ears…

Our FBA Podcast this week is an important talk entitled Mindfulness and the Creative Disruption of Bias by Viveka. Viveka explores the theme of racism from the perspective of the Dharma and what the Buddha had to say about complex conditionality. A timely look at understanding – and ultimately undoing – the patterns that lead to prejudice and bias, of all kinds. Specifically, this talk investigates: - Opening to the inter-personal, organizational, and societal conditioning that perpetuates racial bias. - Understanding 'implicit bias', which is how thoughts, feelings, emotions, and actions are influenced (largely unconsciously) by exposure to stereotypes and fears about targeted social groups. - How can the mechanics of 'implicit' bias be disrupted by the power of mindfulness? Talk given at San Francisco Buddhist Center, June 2016. thebuddhistcentre.com/sanfrancisco

This week's FBA Podcast is a talk on Radical Inclusivity by Singhashri. What does Buddhism have to do with belonging? What does belonging have to do with Buddhism? We live in a pluralistic society, where many cultures coexist while maintaining their cultural differences. One of the main concerns of our day is how we continue to create a sense of belonging, amid so much difference. For Triratna, we might ask ourselves, how do we create spaces where all feel welcome, regardless of age, race, nationality, class, gender, sexual identity, physical ability and even religion? And as we deepen our commitment and involvement, how do we honour the unique experiences and gifts of each individual, while also seeking a ground of connection based on the Dharma? Sangharakshita has said: The Dharma should be communicated to as many people as possible and this means communicating the Dharma in as many different ways as possible…Avalokitesvara has a thousand hands, and each of the thousand hands holds a different object. Similarly, Order members of particular temperaments have different talents, aptitudes, and capacities, and in making their respective contributions to the life and work of the Order they should allow – you should allow – those talents, aptitudes, and capacities full scope. Join us in an exploration of what the Dharma might have to say about radical inclusivity. This talk was given at the London Buddhist Centre's Transforming Self and World group in April, 2017. The morning included a led meditation and enquiry, a main talk and discussion, and a closing meditation. To access the meditations, please visit Free Buddhist Audio.

Speaking in a marquee on the June 2012 Women's National Order Weekend at Taraloka and in a landscape dedicated to the Five Jinas, Samantabhadri explores positive emotion in our system of practice. Her themes are: pliancy and loosening boundaries; the imagination; insight; our collective life; the shade and the light of our spiritual lives. Subscribe to the FBA podcast

Delve into the fundamental principles behind Integration in Triratna's System of Practice with this week's FBA Podcastentitled The Five Aspects of Dharma Life - Integration by Subhuti. With integration we begin by taking fully responsibility for our karmic agency. This is the third talk in a series of eight from the System of Practice retreat at Padmaloka for men who have asked for Ordination. Subhuti invites his hearers to find new and deeper significance with the fundamental principles behind Integration, Positive Emotion, Spiritual Receptivity, Spiritual Death, and Spiritual Rebirth. This talk is part of the series The Five Aspects of the Dharma Life. Subscribe to the FBA podcast

Our FBA Podcast this week is a rousing, uncompromisingly radical talk from Maitriveer-Nagarjuna entitled The Lion's Roar Of Doctor Ambedkar (with translation in Hindi). Taking up the theme of the Convention, the great "Lion's Roar" of the Buddha, Maitriveer-Nagarjuna evokes the fire that drove Doctor Bimrao Ambedkar to work tirelessly on behalf of the so-called Dalit "Untouchable" people in order to free them from the evils of the Hindu caste system. He reframes Doctor Ambedkar as a radical for the ages, of greater and broader relevance for a world where the forces that oppose liberation at all levels seem stronger than ever. Listen and be inspired and uplifted! Jai Bhim! This talk was given to start the 2018 Triratna Buddhist Order Convention at Bodhgaya in India and is part of the series The Lion's Roar: Talks from the International Order Convention.

Our FBA Podcast this week is by Vajratara entitled Dr Ambedkar and His Importance For the Future of Buddhism. Vajratara argues that Dr Ambedkar is not just relevant for India or for the oppressed, but essential for modern Buddhism all over the world, challenging us to move beyond a comfortable Buddhism that fits neatly into modern consumer society. The talk was given at a retreat at Rivendell for young people comparing the teachings of Dr Ambedkar and Sangharakshita, 2014.

In a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the mass conversion to Buddhism of Dr Ambedkar and thousands of his followers, Nagabodhi tells the story of Ambedkar and the role that Sangharakshita was to play in supporting the nascent Buddhist movement of ex-Untouchables. This week'sFBA Podcast by Nagabodhi, Dr Ambedkar and Sangharakshita, was given at North London Buddhist Centre, 2016.

In this week's FBA Podcast Subhuti offers The Significance of Dr Ambedkar In the West. Speaking during a festival day in 2010 held to celebrate the life of Dr Ambedkar, Subhuti speaks about what significance Dr Ambedkar has outside India. The main thrust of the talk is a list of three reasons why someone might convert to Buddhism, enumerated by Dr Ambedkar but applied to our situation in the West. Perhaps the most important is Dr Ambedkar's insights into the need for society to be grounded in Ethics that are 'sacred and universal,' obviously he felt the Dhamma was the best expression of that. The final section of the talk covers the importance of being engaged in wider society; this has topical relevance with the forthcoming General Election. Subhuti encourages to engage with the democratic process and make the Buddhist voice, calling for awareness and ethicality, be heard.

All bona fide Buddhism is Activism. We want to make the world better right? The issue is energy; how can we cultivate energy in pursuit of the good. In this week's FBA Podcast, entitled The 4 Gifts, Padmavajra considers 5 fundamental aspects of Virya – known as Energy for Enlightenment.

Our FBA Podcast is by Padmasuri entitled The Buddha Was a Friend As We Can Be a Friend. The fourth and final in our series of talks to mark the Year of Kalyana Mitrata at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre.

In this weeks FBA Podcast we offer In Conversation with Subhuti. Suryagupta converses with Subhuti about his life and practice. Subhuti has been the President of the London Buddhist Centre for over 30 years and was part of the original team who built the LBC in the 1970s.

Our FBA Podcast this week is by Maitreyi entitled Spiritual Friendship and the Heart's Release. Our teacher Sangharakshita has said: "It is in friendship (maitri) that we may find the emotional equivalent of the intellectual understanding of the doctrine of 'no self'". The gift of these teachings can help us move beyond self-clinging into a deeper and far more mysterious connection with one another; a Greater Love. This was the keynote talk given at Taraloka for the 2018 Great Gathering (Order Members and GFR mitras).

This week's FBA Podcast by Danadasa is entitled Faith and Wisdom. In this Buddhist path of transformation, how we relate to practice has a profound effect upon that which unfolds. How do we relate to the idea of path and goal? How do we relate to effort? How do we relate to not knowing? During this 4-week Sangha Night series, Danadasa will explore what is meant by a wise relationship to practice through the perspective of the 5 spiritual faculties, which are mindfulness, conviction, energy, meditation, and discernment. This talk is part of the series The Five Spiritual Faculties.

This week's FBA Podcast by Sangharakshita a is entitled The Conscious Evolution of Man: Right Effort. Discussing the evolution of consciousness, this lecture explains that at the stage of reflexive consciousness, deliberate effort is required for any further progress. Right Effort is fourfold: preventing and eradicating the unskilful, and cultivating and maintaining the skilful. Talk given in 1968 as part of the series The Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path.

This week's FBA Podcast by Dayasagara is entitled Quietly Revering the Unfathomable – Reflections On Guhyaloka. In the sparkling and wonderful talk, Dayasagara evokes the magic and mystery around his ordination, his time in 'the secret valley', and his new Dharma name.

In this week's FBA Podcast entitled Urban Metta Bodhilila talks about how city life offers constant opportunities for practising metta in quite challenging situations and can provide a crucible for our spiritual practice, particularly our ethical practice.

Our FBA Podcast, this week is called A Field of Kindness by Sona. A talk on kindness, the quality of caring and the Bodhisattva Ideal, given at the Stockholm Buddhist Center, on 5 September 2005.

Our FBA Podcast, this week is called The Richly Endowed Buddha of the Southern Realm by Dhammadinna. Third in a series of talks given on the 2012 Triratna International Retreat. For more talks, videos, photos etc from the retreat see www.thebuddhistcentre.com and navigate to page 'internationalretreat'

Our FBA Podcast, this week is called Self Compassion For the Sake of All Beings. Munisha gave this talk in English to a Swedish audience, 5th March 2016, Dhammagiri Retreat Center, Sweden.

Our FBA Podcast this week is entitled The Sevenfold Puja: Worship by Maniraja. The Sevenfold Puja – drawn from the Bodhicaryavatara – is the main devotional ceremony of the Triratna Buddhist Community. This talk is the second in the series on the Puja, given Manchester Buddhist Centre.

Can ritual help us put the conditions in place through which bodhicitta may arise? In this week's FBA Podcast Using Ritual to Cultivate Bodhicitta Vijayasri explores our reactions to the idea of ritual and how rituals can become meaningless. We then look at the concept of ritual as "entering into a realm of the imagination where we encounter Buddhas and Bodhisattvas". This talk was given at the Croydon Buddhist Centre in April 2016 as part of our regular Saturday morning sangha class, the first in the theme of "Transforming Self and World", in which ritual was explored as a method of putting conditions in place through which bodhicitta may arise.

This week's FBA Podcast is the first talk in a sparkling, wide-ranging, thoroughly comprehensive ten talk series by Padmavajra on 'The Diamond Sutra' entitled Taking Mind to its Limits. We are taken through the work stage by stage, and here we begin with the opening scenes and the text itself as a revelation of Reality… Talks given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004 This talk is part of the series The Diamond Sutra – Taking Mind to its Limits.