Dharmabytes from free buddhist audio

Here we have Parami introducing the most archetypal of all the archetypal Bodhisattvas, the 1000-armed Avalokitesvara. At his heart he holds the chintamani, the jewel of human potential. All of us have this potential within us, just as the lotuses coming up out of the mud. When you find that which fills your heart, share the love!

From the talk launching the 2015 Triratna International Urban Retreat live in Adelaide, Australia. Her theme - and the theme of the whole retreat - is Living In The Greater Mandala, and she brings this alive in the most human, poetic, and inspired of ways.

Her range is broad as she evokes the mandala itself, and the profound, playful path of the Bodhisattva. Calling forth Rumi and Hafiz, the great Buddhist Perfection of Wisdom texts, Keats, Yeats, Robert Hass, and Kenneth White, she illustrates what it looks and feels like to live dedicated to the well being of all as the most natural thing in the world. As always with Parami, her great experience shines through in this talk - a terrific encouragement to anyone thinking of undertaking the Urban Retreat and integrating this perspective of joy into the challenge of everyday life...

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Candraprabha, current Chair of Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, offers her reflections on different aspects of compassion. From the talk entitled Green Tara, she who embodies the quintessence of compassion. In good humor she reveals much about her own practice of cultivating fearlessness and courage in the face of hopelessness.

Given at Cambridge Buddhist Centre as part of the series Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, 2019.

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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?

From the talk Likes and Dislikes given at West London Buddhist Centre, 2017.

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Dhammadinna's gently balanced and encouraging talk explores various perspectives on one of the fundamental questions, and clearly lays out various Buddhist approaches to the nature of our existence and consciousness, especially in relation to the other realms of the Tibetan wheel of life. Cherishing the opportunities is one of the challenges of this reflection - and this is a great way to begin.

From the talk The Preciousness and Rarity of Human Life, part of the series The Four Mind-Turning Reflections given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2005.

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Padmavajra takes a deep look at the marvellous, terrifying, visionary world of the Bardo Thodol, or 'Tibetan Book of the Dead'.

In this episode, we plunge fearlessly down into the lower realms of the wheel of life to meet the beings who inhabit - and the Buddhas who come to meet them. A sobering but strongly felt evocation of how we make the worlds with our minds - and what we might do to counteract the dangers.

From the talk On Hell and Hungry Ghosts, part 2 of the 8-part series Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol), given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, Winter Retreat 2005.

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A story from Kalimpong

Sangharakshita shares a story from Kalimpong about being woken up in the middle of the night to a very strange occurrence – he saw a dear friend who had passed several years earlier standing in a deep pit next to his bed. His response was to chant the Vajrasattva Mantra.

Excerpted from the talk Between Twin Sala Trees, part of the series Incidents from the Pali Canon, 1983. This lecture is a series of reflections based around the Buddha's Parinirvana ('death'), stressing the importance of impermanence and explaining episodes recorded in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta.

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The wheel of life shows the six realms corresponding to six kinds of mental states that can result from our actions. How can we recognise these states in everyday life and what can we do to live with a more fully human life? In this Dharmabyte, Satyajyoti offers this personal talk introducing the realm of the titans and her transformation of competitiveness into appreciation.

Excerpted from Three Personal Talks: Realms of the Wheel where Satyajyoti, Pete and Dharmamayi share their personal experiences of three of the six realms in The Wheel of Life. Recorded at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2020.

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Sangharakshita describes in all its wealth of detail, the Wheel of Life. It's really a painting but a mirror, giving one successively more profound insights into oneself, and revealing the next step in escaping the endless round.

From the talk entitled The Symbolism of the Tibetan Wheel of Life, part of the series Creative Symbols of the Tantric Path to Enlightenment, 1972.

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Akashamitra introduces a series of podcasts ('Budcasts') at the North London Buddhist Centre on the theme of the Eight Ways of the Noble Ones with a talk on vision. Why does it start the path? Have we already had path of vision experiences?

From the talk entitled Perfect Vision - How Far Can You Go? Given at North London Buddhist Centre, 2020.

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Saraha speaks to several themes from the Sigalaka Sutra. Firstly, friends are helpful, stand by you, give you time. Secondly, those who serve and support society, do we treat them as real people? Do we (as a society) look after them when they are ill? Our Buddhist Centres are here to bring peace, love, and agency with the ability to hold suffering close to your heart. The Sigalaka Sutta guides us on how to treat our fellow human beings.

From the talk entitled Your Liberation Is Bound Up with Mine given at Birmingham Buddhist Centre, 2020.

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