Free Buddhist Audio

In this week's FBA Podcast, Bhadra introduces the archetypal magician, Padmasambhava, in a talk called The Art of Ritual and Descent, given at a day for men in Bristol, UK. He uses episodes from the magician's life to illustrate how engaging the imagination through ritual and being willing to make the journey of descent are key elements of a fruitful practice.

Our FBA Podcast this week is entitled The Disappearing Buddha by Sangharakshita. The Buddha adopted the appearance and speech of his different audiences, and gave discourses on the Dharma which instructed, inspired, fired, and delighted. Then he would just disappear and leave them wondering, 'Who is the Buddha?' Talk given in 1994.

Our FBA Podcast this week is called Bright Blue Sky, Deep Blue Sea by Suryadarshini. Amitabha is one of the most well-known archetypal Buddhas, whose qualities of love and compassion attract myriad practitioners and devotees. Suryadarshini shares her personal connections with Amitabha, from superheroes to phoenixes, and also explores traditional symbols and imagery of the red Buddha of the West.

Our FBA Podcast this week is by Kulaprabha entitled Her Two Hands Are the Two Truths. This is the second in a four-part series by Kulaprabha on Nagarjuna's 'Lines Written to Tara.'

Our FBA Podcast this week is a cracking and wonderfully detailed talk called Vajrapani – Energy Unlimited by Vessantara, author of 'Meeting the Buddhas'. He is the ideal person to introduce us to the complex and fascinating Tantric figure of Vajrapani – 'Lord of Secrets', embodiment of "virya' (Energy in Pursuit of the Good). Vessantara's style is familiar and well-earthed, and therefore eminently well suited to material that bristles with electricity and is not always so easy to communicate. We get the origin and development of the Tantra itself, as well as of this key figure who meets the impermanent nature of Reality head-on and embodies the tremendous possibilities of change. Look out too for a great introduction about darts…! Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2003

Our FBA Podcast this week is a talk by Padmavajra entitled The Motive. This is the first talk in an eight part series by Padmavajra exploring 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 Atisha and the Mahamudra meditation teachings of Milarepa himself. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, Winter 2008 This talk is part of the series Themes from Gampopa's Jewel Ornament of Liberation.

Our FBA Podcast this week is a talk by Mahamati entitled Actualizing the 1000 Armed Avalokiteshvara. The third of four talks given on the Padmaloka May National Order weekend- Mahamati talks on actualizing the myth of the Order- symbolised in the 1000 armed Avalokiteshvara.

Our FBA Podcast this week is a talk by Vajratara entitled The Power of the Archetypal Realm given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre on 29th May 2007 as part of a series of talks on Buddhist Symbols.

Our FBA Podcast this week is a talk by Padmavajra entitled The Bodhicitta – A supra-personal spiritual force. This is the second in a series of five talks given on a Going for Refuge retreat at Padmaloka called Living From The Bodhicitta. Padmavajra explores some aspects of Sangharakshita's insights into the Bodhicitta, as well as how we might live a life devoted to living from the Bodhicitta.

Our FBA Podcast this week is a talk by Ratnaprabha entitled Sowing Seeds In the Soil of the Mind – The Alaya. The alaya, or storehouse consciousness, is the Buddhist equivalent of the unconscious mind. It is like a garden, in which every experience and action sows a seed which may later sprout and create our unfolding life. This talk describes how this relates to the six sense awarenesses, the mind as a sense, and the contaminated mind which reads everything in terms of self and not self. Mindfulness finds a creative path between leaving the alaya on autopilot, and allowing the contaminated mind to interfere and fill the garden with weeds and rubbish.

Our FBA Podcast this week is called Mind and Mental Events by Subhuti. These five omnipresent mental events (sarvatragas) constitute the basic mechanics of the mind; if you are conscious, they are present. 1. Feeling-tone (vedana) 2. Recognition (or conceptualisation) (samjna) 3. Directionality of mind (cetana) 4. Contact (sparsa) 5. Egocentric demanding (manaskara) From this we can conclude that: 1. All our experience is feeling-toned. The more conscious we are of this, the less we will react and be driven by our likes and dislikes. 2. We are always interpreting our experience with varying degrees of accuracy and depth. We can make an ongoing effort to raise the level of our experience. 3. The mind is always moving towards things. We can use cetana skilfully to move in the direction of Going for Refuge by practising the precepts etc. But we need to want to go in that direction. This talk is part of the series Mind and Mental Events (Subhuti 2001).

Our FBA Podcast this week is calledThe Buddha Beyond Siddhartha by Dassini. The first half of the talk looks at the Buddha's early life and his battle with and the defeat of Mara. Then Dassini looks at the traditional Buddhist concept of time, and the division of time into Kalpas, inconceivably lengthy periods of time. The talk concludes by looking at the Dharma niyama, the order of conditionality through which the attainment of Enlightenment is possible. Please not that as this talk progresses there is some sound disturbance that gets louder as the talk goes on. Apologies for this.

Our FBA Podcast this week is calledAnapanasati – Contemplation of Feelings given by Guhyavajra during the 2016 Anapanasati retreat at Padmaloka. The Anapanasati meditation practice and Four Foundations of Mindfulness are woven into a system of practice which when developed and cultivated is of great fruit and great benefit. Based on the Buddha's principal discourse on the subject found in the Anapanasati sutta of the Pali Canon, we explore our human experience rooted in the six senses; from the perspective of body, feeling and mind in the context of mindfulness with breathing. This talk is part of the series Anapanasati.

Our FBA Podcast this week is calledThe Sangha Context of the Anapanasati Teaching, a talk given by Shubha at the London Buddhist Centre's Women's Night Class, Nov 21st 2013. Drawing out the full sutra where the Anapanasati teaching is given speaks to the sangha context as a condition for insight.

Our FBA Podcast this week is called Inquisitive Mind, Thinking and Awakening. Here Yashobodhi talks about the relationship between thinking and insight. As long as we have a brain, we will have thoughts. Some of these thoughts are helpful. Some not so much. Becoming aware of thoughts is a good start. Whatever next?

Our FBA Podcast this week is called From View to No View by Jnanavaca on views and the need for a positive emotional engagement with those views. London Buddhist Centre in 2007

Our FBA Podcast this week is called Training in the Six Paramitas: Shila – The Essence of Ethics by Padmavajra. This is the fifth talk in a six-part series by Padmavajra exploring the Perfection of Wisdom and specifically the practice of the Six Perfections. The usual order of the practices is reversed, so here we turn to the key issue of "Ethics". Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004 as part of the series Training in the Six Paramitas.

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In this week's FBA Podcast, Working with Energy In the Bodhicaryavatara, Suryamati explores the theme of Virya (energy) in Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara. Talk given at Sangha Night, Sheffield Buddhist Centre on 29th April 2008. Part of a series on Great Buddhist Texts.

Our FBA Podcast today is brought to you by Vaddhaka entitled The Evolution of the Bodhisattva Ideal. In this elegant description of the evolution of the Bodhisattva Ideal Vaddhaka draws on his extensive reading and study, and picks out Jan Nattier's writing in particular. Given at Sangha Night at Stockholms Buddhistcenter, 8 March 2010.

Our FBA Podcast this week is by Sangharakshita from 1971. The Myth of the Return Journey has a theme which resonates with many similar stories in world literature. Here its important elements are related to the personal quest for meaning. This talk is part of the series Parables, Myths and Symbols of Mahayana Buddhism in the White Lotus Sutra.

In this week's FBA Podcast, The Bodhisattva's Practice – Six Perfections, Ratnaghosha, just back from four weeks of solitary retreat, explores the Six Perfections and how we practice them.

This week's FBA Podcast is a talk by Saccanama called Faith: the Key to the Mystery of Life. Saccanama speaks with passion, clarity and intelligence, weaving ideas with personal examples in this high quality talk.

This week's FBA Podcast is a talk by Ratnaprabha called Likes and Dislikes. On the Wheel of Life, the whole person is symbolised by a boat with passengers, the five skandhas. Ratnaprabha focuses especially on our habit energies, and our habitual preferences. Are we ruled by our likes and dislikes? Is there a creative response? How to the five Buddhas fit in?

This week's FBA Podcast is a talk by Subhuti called Beyond Karma – The Dharma Niyama. In this, the final installment of Subhuti's three-part Ramble around Reality we go beyond the realm of Karma as we glimpse the glory of the Dharma Niyama.

This week's FBA Podcast is a wonderful Interview with Parami, Tiratna's International Order Convener. Karunagita invites Parami to share snapshots from her decades in Triratna, starting with ordaining seven Mexican women the week before and going back through time and locations, roles, challenges, delights and contributions, including Spain to Glasgow and London in the late 1970s. Recorded at the NLBC monthly women's class in May 2017.

This week's FBA Podcast, is a new talk on Writing As Spiritual Practice. Drawing on her experience as a poet, Varasahaya discusses creativity, imagination, and the writing process as a spiritual practice. She reads some of her poems, and explains the process by which they came to birth, and what she learnt about letting go of self as she grappled with writing. An excellent and very accessible talk given to Sangha night at the West London Buddhist Centre.

In this week's FBA Podcast, Shifting to Indras Net, Parami evokes the reality of interconnectedness in relation to the second Dasadhamma – My life is dependent on others. I am sustained by the gifts of others – She talks about how the experience of interconnectedness is supported by wisdom, and results in compassionate activity. This talk is part of the series The Order as Practice: Shifting Paradigms.

This week's FBA Podcast, Letting Go of What Isn't There is a gentle and insightful talk by Dhammarati on the Anapanasati Sutta given at the LBC's Dharma Day festival on July 12th 2009.

This week's FBA Podcast, Spiritual Death and Radical Transformation is a rousing talk by Maitreyabandhu that goes into where Buddhism begins: with ourselves as we are and with the awake Buddha. But we don't really know either ourselves or the Buddha. He emphasises that we don't know because we so easily assume we know, or fix or lessen the goal. So what do we do? There are three approaches we need to balance and four things we have to do, to close the gap between the awake Buddha and us who are as yet unawake. Given at Sangha Night, 13 May 2013.

This week's FBA Podcast is by Triratna's International Order Convenor, Parami, speaking on one of her favorite topics: The Group and the Spiritual Community. Parami has lived and worked within Triratna for many years of her life. Sangha is very important to her and her years of experience will help us to get a clearer idea of what makes a spiritual community, rather than a positive group.

In this week's FBA Podcast, Three Ways to Insight – Working with the 3 Prajnas Subhuti considers afresh this traditional teaching of cultivating insight through hearing, reflecting and meditating.

This week's FBA Podcast is entitled The Meaning of Spiritual Community Revisited by Mahamati. One of the talks given at Padmaloka during the 2016 'Urgyen' retreat. The retreat was part of the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the founding of Padmaloka, and aimed to explore the life and teachings of our founder Urgyen Sangharakshita.

This week's FBA Podcast is entitled The Buddhas Noble Quest by Dhivan. In this talk given at a Sangha evening at Bristol Buddhist Centre, Dhivan considers what we can learn from the story of the noble quest of the Buddha. This story is recounted in the Discourse on the Noble Quest (Ariyapariyesana-sutta) in the Middle-length Discourses (Majjhima-nikaya). In it we can almost believe we are hearing a memory of the Buddhas own words, as he recounts his going forth, his study under great meditation teachers, his eventually leaving them, his austerities, and finally his awakening. Dhivan draws out some of the continuing significance of the story of the noble quest, as a kind of blueprint for the model of the Dharma life as heroic self-development.

This week's FBA Podcast is entitled The Importance of Mindfulness by Kamalashila. In this talk from September 1996, Kamalashila explores the centrality of mindfulness to the Buddhist path. He discuses the concept of intoxication, with reference to the 5th Precept and the Sutra of Golden Light. Kamalashila then considers the four foundations of mindfulness from the the Satipatthana Sutta and concludes that mindfulness is the basis of metta and allows us to embrace the realm of truth and beauty. Croydon has been home to FWBO or Triratna Buddhist communities and centres since 1968. Many early talks by well known speakers were recorded, both at Aryatara, since 1979, and at the new Croydon Centre from 1981. These are now being transferred from their crumbling cassettes to digital format, as part of the Croydon Digital Archive Project, and are being made available to everyone. This talk is in good condition but starts and ends abruptly.

This week's FBA Podcast is entitled Sangharakshita, the Unenlightened Englishman by Ratnaprabha. A 1989 film on Sangharakshita was embarrassingly titled The Enlightened Englishman. He may not be enlightened, but he has had a fascinating life and a very positive influence on a huge number of people. This talk gives an account of his life, work and teachings, including personal reminiscences. It introduce a series on Sangharakshita. This talk is part of the series Sangharakshita and his approach to Buddhism.

This week's FBA Podcast FBA Podcast is part four of a series of talks on the Triratna Vandana by Subhuti entitled Sangha Vandana. The most striking point from this talk is the importance of taking the Sangha refuge as the possibility of an Ideal Society. It is so easy to get dis-illusioned with people and groups. Yet human relationships are such an integral part of our lives we need some vision that more is possible – the arya sangha exemplify this as they relate to each other on the basis of metta as opposed to self grasping and egoistic desire.

This week's FBA Podcast FBA Podcast is a fabulous talk by Jnanavaca called The Wisdom of Words. The spiritual community, the Sangha, is the ideal context in which we can practise the Dharma. It is also a force for good in the world and an ideal in its own right. But how is the Sangha sustained? Continuing our exploration of 'The Four Sangharavastus' (or Means of Unification of the Sangha). Jnanavaca launches the year with a keynote talk on the second of these, Kindly Speech.

…There is poetry as soon as we realize there is nothing… Continuing the series celebrating the unique contribution of Urgyen Sangharakshita to modern Buddhism, Akasamitra explores his key teaching of Mind Reactive – Mind Creative in this week's FBA Podcast.

Our FBA Podcast this week is by Parami, entitled The Path to Buddhist Engagement. This talk was given at the Manchester Buddhist Centre on Triratna Night, 27 June 2016, during Buddhist Action Month – BAM!

In our FBA Podcast this week is by Mahasiddhi, entitled: Maitri, Friendship and Meaning – Being a Buddhist Chaplain In a Non-Buddhist Setting. As part of taking the Dharma into the world, Mahasiddhi talks about his experience as a Buddhist Chaplain and how the Dharma supports and informs his practice with mainly non-Buddhist patients. Mahasiddhi has been practising chaplaincy for nearly four years starting as a volunteer then for nearly past two years has been the Buddhist Chaplain at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

In our FBA Podcast this week is by Vajratara, entitled: Kshanti (Patience): A Response to the Modern World. This talk was given in Sheffield at a unique time in British politics. A few days before, the UK had voted in a referendum to leave the European Union. At a time of political turmoil with reported hate crimes increasing by 57% since the referendum, Vajratara asks how can we have a Buddhist response to political change? How can we respond particularly to the rise of 'ugly' nationalism and hate crimes? Does kshanti mean doing nothing, or can it lead to more creative action?

In our FBA Podcast this week we hear from Ratnaprabha on Gender and Sexuality In Buddhism. In this very rich and well researched talk at the Stockholms Buddhistcenter (13 June 2011) Ratnaprabha traces the view of gender and sexuality in Buddhism. He addresses these topics in an open and inquiring way, not afraid of treading on ground that many others shy away from; and he raises many new questions. Rich food for further thought.

In our FBA Podcast today, Prasadachitta delivers a beautiful set of reflections on his personal practice in Whirlpools and Clear Water. This talk by Prasadachitta is like a beautiful stillness amid the whirl of a full Order Convention. His conversational style gradually brings forth the depth of reflection behind it. And the integrity of his personal practice bubbles easily to the surface when, with humility and good humour, he shares his own experience of working across two very human tendencies that have a bearing on friendship. ?? His evocation of the river – now full of whirlpools as it flows through the Neurotaloka, now becalmed as eddies meet and resolve themselves – and his inclusion of poems from Kathleen Raine and Naomi Shihab Nye make this a genuinely lyric talk. Like a closely observed discourse on consciousness meeting Walt Whitman and finding things, in the end, go along just fine…?? With an introduction by Danadasa. Con traduccion en Espanol.??Recorded outdoors at Chintamani Retreat Centre, Mexico, as part of the 2015 Triratna Buddhist Order Pan-American Convention.

In our FBA Podcast today, The Muni and the Moonlight, Vajrasara reflects on the Buddha, his victory over pleasure and pain, and how we might bring him alive in our lives. Talk given May 2011 at Bristol Buddhist Centre.

Our FBA Podcast this week is a delightful talk in which Sangharakshita looks at his own poem 'Sripada', the translation of which gives the title:Footsteps of Delight. Evoking the more mythical side of his own spiritual quest, he challenges us in ours with an often good humoured look at what it is to Go for Refuge to the Buddha and his teaching in the context of vibrant spiritual community. With concluding remarks by Dharmachari Kulananda. Talk given in 2001.

Our FBA Podcast this week is a dynamic talk by Vadanya calledIs the Buddha Dead for Us?. In this talk on the Buddha's parinirvana, Vadanya explores how we can use our imagination to have a real living connection with the Buddha, and how we can make our own future potential for enlightenment a source of strength and guidance in our present lives. Talk given at a Men's Event, Padmaloka Retreat Centre, October 2011.

In this week's FBA Podcast entitled Reverencing the Buddha – I Bow to No One Dead Or Alive Mahamani gives an incredibly passionate talk on reverencing the Buddha. Drawing on her own experiences of struggling to understand the place of ritual in Buddhism, Mahamani guides us on her own path to finally bowing before the Buddha.

In this week's FBA Podcast Padmavajra describes how we practice the Dharma so as to create Love, respect and unity within our community and the wider world. Creating Love, Respect and Unity given at the Mens Event titled Beyond Isolation, Building the Buddha Land.

The wonderful Dhammadinna brings us this week's FBA Podcast entitled Seven Point Mind Training. This is the first of seven talks in a series based on Atisha's famous 'The Seven Points of Mind Training', and influenced both by Chekawa's commentary and Langri Tangpa's 'Eight Verses for Training the Mind'. This talk was given on April 7th, 2008 and is part of the series Seven Point Mind Training.