Our FBA Dharmabyte today is another dip into the Yogachara from Subhuti called Our Illusory View.

This is the last in a brilliant four-part series by Subhuti on the Yogachara school of Buddhist philosophy, which provides a comprehensive psychological overview of the workings of and#8216;consciousnessand#8217;. What can we do about the veils of our basic delusions? Where do ethics come into all this? Time to steep ourselves in reality again for another session with Subhuti as he grasps the slippery snake of the mind and tries to help us see which end is which!

Please note, theses and#8216;ramblesand#8217; were given without notes and may contain quotational misrememberings and inevitable slips of the tongue!

Rambles Around the Yogachara: Talk 4, given at London Buddhist Centre, 2003

This talk is part of the series Rambles Around the Yogachara.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte Arthapriya creatively explores the question: What is actually happening? .

Arthapriya explores the Buddhist understanding of what we call reality, and how it is less common sensical than we might imagine. In particular, he questions how much our and#8216;outside worldand#8217; is in fact so strongly conditioned by our state of mind.

Covering karma, emptiness, impermanence and galaxies, this is a wide ranging talk!

From the talk The Nature of Reality of a series of three talks entitled and#8216;Reality and what to do about itand#8217;, given at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, UK, in Nov 2010.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is entitled What happens when we stop and listen? from the talk The Sound of Reality by Padmavajra.

Fabulous stuff. This richly rewarding talk explores the place and function of sound in Buddhist practice and history, as well as within Padmavajraand#8217;s own spiritual life. A wide-ranging cultural journey is made from John Coltrane to Sufi Qawwali, from mantra to Zen poetry, taking in Andre Gide, Renaissanace Neoplatonism and the ancient Pali Verses en route. Not to be missed!

Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is entitled The Buddha and Reality from the talk The Buddha, God, and Reality by Sangharakshita. Having considered Buddhism (in and#8216;The Buddha and#8211; Man or Supermanand#8217; and and#8216;Evolution: Lower and Higherand#8217;) in terms of process in time, and the Buddha himself as a historical figure, Sangharakshita now uses stories and quotations from the scriptures to show that the Buddha and reality are ultimately outside time.

Talk given in 1966.

This talk is part of the series Introducing Buddhism.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is entitled Reality and Intuition from the talk All One Gorgeous Mistake by Vajradarshini.

A jewelled casket of a talk by Vajradarshini, with poetic accompaniment. Rumi meets Tsongkhapa in the Tavern of Ruin, and Dogen, Milarepa and Nagarjuna join them to talk about and#8216;selfand#8217; and and#8216;worldand#8217;. Joanna Macy turns up too — then many voices, mixed and mingled, explore the experience of being part of an Order and following the Buddhaand#8217;s way. Quite splendid stuff.

Talk given at the Western Buddhist Order Womenand#8217;s Convention, 2005

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is called Perception (Samjna) and#8211; A Definition, taken from the 6th talk in the series The Diamond Sutra and#8211; Taking Mind to its Limits by Padmavajra.

This is the sixth in a sparkling, wide-ranging, thoroughly comprehensive ten talk series by Padmavajra on and#8216;The Diamond Sutraand#8217;. Down to the nitty-gritty now, with a useful and considered introduction to the nature and workings of perception itself. With a special emphasis too on moving from a utilitarian attitude to other people towards a genuine sense of relationship founded on loving kindness.

Talks given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004 as part of the series The Diamond Sutra and#8211; Taking Mind to its Limits.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is from a talk by Kulaprabha called The Alchemy of Happiness, a thoughtful take on the positive emotions cultivated in the and#8216;Brahma Viharaand#8217; meditations.

This excerpt, called The Fulcrum of Vedana, takes a look at the relationship between mindfulness and positive emotion.

Talk given at the Western Buddhist Order convention, 2007.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is on Worldly and Unworldly Vedana from a series of talks on the Satipatthana: A Path to Insight.

This talk (4 of 8 in the series) is clear, engaging and impassioned. In this full exploration of how to apply mindfulness practice in meditation and our lives, Prasadavatiand#8217;s depth of lived experience and love of satipatthana shines through. This series was given on an intensive meditation retreat at Taraloka for women who have asked for ordination.

Our FBA Dharmabyte, Whole Body Breathingis an excerpt from the talk Anatomy of the Breath by Padmadarshini

This talk provides a really good working context to help your meditation practice. Best to lie down comfortably as you listen to Padmadharshiniand#8217;s description of the anatomical and physiological processes involved in breathing. Sheand#8217;s a yoga teacher as well as a meditation teacher and she draws on both those sets of skills to give this talk. And as you lie there, sheand#8217;ll help you tune into your own own body with some very simple exercises and suggestions. Expect to come away with some very practical tips on how to become more aware of your breathing body.

The talk was given on and#8220;One Moment at a Timeand#8221; retreat at Taraloka and is a companion talk to the body scan meditation led by Vidyamala. (The sound quality is a little bit and#8216;fuzzyand#8217; in parts but the content more than makes up for that.)

Our FBA Dharmabyte, Working at Your Own Paceis an excerpt from an Anapanasati Retreat led by Viveka.

Vivekaand#8217;s fresh and vibrant take on the traditional practice of anapanasati and#8211; mindfulness with breathing. Using the breath as a stabilizing presence, this series of meditations (including two fully-guided practices) is designed to help us discover the nature of reality itself by encouraging us to notice what is actually happening each moment in a direct and open way. Anapanasati is a complete path to awakening or enlightenment.

Please note that some small noise artefacts can be heard occasionally on these tracks due to a poor original recording.

Retreat recorded at Taraloka Retreat Centre, 2003 This talk is part of the series Anapanasati Retreat 2003.