Dharmabytes from free buddhist audio

More storytelling! Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Story of Hatthaka an excerpt from the talk of the same title by Ratnaprabha. A brilliantly told story from the Pali Canon, about Hatthaka, who used the 4 sangraha vastus, the four means of creating a sangha, to do exactly that. The four are: generosity, kindly speech, good works or action and exemplification. Ratnaprabha explains these in the companion talk: The 4 Sangraha vastus.

Best-known stories brought together humour and lightness in Buddhist scriptures. Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Story of Little Ugly from the talk, Encounters with Enlightenment, by Saddhaloka, the author of a book of re-tellings of stories from the Pali Canon, the oldest collection of texts about the life and teachings of the Buddha. Here Saddhaloka talks about the tradition of storytelling in Buddhism, and recounts some of his own favourites. His obvious love of the tales comes shining through and#8211; sit back and enjoyand#8230;

Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2001

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Opening of the Buddha Eye by Sangharakshita. This excerpt, from the lecture, The New Man Speaks, celebrates the anniversary of the Buddhaand#8217;s decision to teach, with an account of the events just after his Enlightenment, given in 1971.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Praise of Pinghiya, an excerpt from, and#8220;Pinghiyaand#8217;s Praises Of The Way To The Beyondand#8221;, a talk given by Vadanya at Sangha Night, Sheffield Buddhist Centre on 19th February 2008. Part of a series on stories and symbols.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Becoming a Sage and#8211; On Faith by Paramananda. Faith, or confidence, not in the Buddha as a supernatural power, but rather recognizing him as a human being, even on the archetypal level. The Buddha represents us and our quest for Enlightenment. From the talk Becoming a Sage and#8211; the Buddhaand#8217;s Struggle, a talk for Buddha Day at the West London Buddhist Centre, celebrating the Buddhaand#8217;s long struggle leading up to his Enlightenment.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Myth as Call to Action from the talk At Home In the Cosmos; Myth, Magic and Us by Jvalamalini given at Bristol Sangha Night talk as part of the Building the Buddhaland series.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called The Buddha as Hero. Buddhism is sometimes seen as weak or negative. Using examples from the Pali Canon and Mahayana texts, this lecture shows that, on the contrary, heroic and positive qualities are essential in the Buddhist spiritual aspirantand#8217;s quest for Enlightenment.

From the talk, The Heroic Ideal in Buddhism, given in 1969.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called What Should we be Doing as Buddhists? Inspired by a poem from Sangharakshita entitled The Bodhisattvas Reply, Vajragupta outlines ways in which Western religious groups have historically approached engagement with social issues. Vajragupta suggests three ways in which we can work together to transform ourselves and so create a better world.

This talk, entitled, The Bodhisattvas Reply, was given at the Triratna International Retreat 2014 held at Adhisthana on 24 May 2014.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Peace and Tranquillity and#8211; Upeksha from the 1968 talk, Reason and Emotion in the Spiritual Life: Right Resolve by Sangharakshita.

We all need to find emotional equivalents to our intellectual understandings if our spiritual practice is to progress. The lecture outlines the positive emotions stressed in Buddhism, and concludes with a brief explanation of the stages of the Sevenfold Puja.

This talk is part of the series The Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Bringing Together Head and Heart by Ratnavandana.

Continuing the series of personal talks on each of the Brahma Viharas from the 2015 Rainy Season Retreat, Ratnavandana shares an intensely honest, psychologically intimate, beautifully forensic history of her personal relationship to the practice of upekkha (equanimity) throughout her spiritual life. We hear about ways to assess what is going on in the subtler realms of our experience and#8211; and how to look to move beyond them so we too can live like a riverand#8230;

From the talk, A Personal Take On Upekkha, available in the full retreat format on The Buddhist Centre Online.