Dharmabytes from free buddhist audio

Vajradevi reminds us that the word indriya ('faculty') applies to both spiritual and sense faculties and that we can use the latter to strengthen the former. Delighting in the word 'moha' sounding like 'a soft fluffy cloud', Vajradevi draws out the fact that it is the most difficult of the poisons to recognise - greed and aversion being much louder and more colourful. It's also 'a natural state of affairs' until we can create and support conditions to help wisdom flourish. She gives us tips for doing this, reminding us (in the words of Sayadaw U Tejaniya) that 'assumption, presumption and speculation are always the work of moha'.

Excerpted from the talk entitled Moha (Delusion) as a Way of Exploring the Spiritual Faculty of Wisdom, part of the series Pathways to the Beautiful Mind, given at Bristol Buddhist Centre, 2019.

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We want things to be different, that is the force that drives growth but can also be a source of pain. How does the Dharma help us relate to our experience, including the difficult aspects, and help us transform those difficulties into wisdom.

Excerpted from the talk Alchemy of the Heart - Transforming Poison Into Wisdom by Dharmashalin given at Birmingham Buddhist Centre, 2014.

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Satyalila gives us a clear and practical guide to how our spiritual journey can consist in transforming the 'poisons' (greed, hatred, delusion, pride and envy) with (and ultimately into) the five spiritual faculties (faith, wisdom, mindfulness, samadhi and energy-in-pursuit-of-the-good). It concludes with a look at how the five Buddha mandala offers an imaginative representation of the faculties as qualities of the Buddha's Enlightened mind.

Excerpted from the talk entitled Let Your Poison Be Your Cure given at the Bristol Sangha Retreat at Adhisthana, 2017. The title is a reference from a poem by Louis MacNiece, Thalassa.

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Here Sangharakshita orientates us to Vajrasattva, the primordial Buddha of Innate Purity. He introduces the Vajrasattva practice as part of the four indispensable preparatory practices (mula-yogas) of the Vajrayana devotee.

From the talk entitled The Four Foundation Yogas of the Tibetan Buddhist Tantra, part of the series An Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, 1968.

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Dhammadinna explores the various meanings of purity associated with Vajrasattva, including the aspect of innocence as well as authentic, unadulterated consciousness.

From the talk entitled Reflections On Vajrasattva - Purity, Confession and Death given as part of the Vajrasattva Festival Day at the London Buddhist Centre, 2010.

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Suryagupta shares a personal and significant story of opening up into a moment of uncertainty, and in it, learning to love, learning to give, later connecting this experience to the Buddha Vairocana.

This is conclusion of the talk entitled Vairocana & the Sunlight of the Enlightened Mind, part of the series The Symbolic World of the Five Buddha Mandala at the London Buddhist Centre, 2019.

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Taranita discusses myth and archetype in relation to our lives, our practice, and building relationships with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Excerpted from the talk entitled Myth & Archetype given at Bristol Buddhist Centre, 2018 as part of a series on Vairocana and Spiritual Regeneration. This talk follows on from the previous talk on the Dhamma Niyama.

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"Absolute fearlessness is synonymous with Enlightenment." -Sangharakshita

Here Aryadhi introduces Amoghasiddhi, the green Buddha of the North, through the Buddha's quality of fearlessness as illustrated by the story of Angulimala.

Excerpted from the talk entitled Amoghasiddhi - Journey Into Fearlessness given at Norwich Buddhist Centre, 2017.

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Evoking the mystery, power and courage of the deep-green Buddha Amoghasiddhi, Ksantikara extols us to be brave enough to encounter the depths of our being. And from the depths to gather the power to act, to move towards enlightenment and set ourselves free.

Excerpted from the talk entitled Amoghasiddhi & The Call of the Forest, part of the series The Symbolic World of the Five Buddha Mandala given at London Buddhist Centre's 2019 Winter Retreat.

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Suryagupta calls to mind the the deep red Buddha of love and meditation, Amitabha. Traversing the myth and symbolism of the Buddhist tradition with tales from her own childhood and dream-life, Suryagupta offers up a talk that truly evokes the warm love of the Buddha of the Western realm.

Excerpted from the talk entitled Amitabha & The Infinite Light, part of the series The Symbolic World of the Five Buddha Mandala given at London Buddhist Centre's 2019 Winter Retreat.

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