Dharmabytes from free buddhist audio

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is by Varasahaya called Trusting the Process. 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.

Taken from the full talk, Writing as Spiritual Practice.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is by the lovely Satyalila called A Creative Response.

Taken from the full talk, Imagination, the Buddha andamp; Us offering a practical and personal perspective on why Sangharakshita has taught that imagination is a vital ingredient in the spiritual life. Full of examples and poetry, the talk invites listeners to recognise and#8211; and harness and#8211; the great power of the imagination which is in all of us, whether or not weand#8217;re aware of it.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is about The Caste System In India by Amoghasiddhi, a public preceptor in India, who shares about the influence of Dr. Ambedkar on his life and community.

Listen to the Yashosagar, another public preceptor, on this same occasion The Caste System In India.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte gives us a glimpse into a Triratna retreat in India. Entitled A Jumbo Indian Retreat this excerpt is from the talk My Life and Dr Ambedkar by Chandrabodhi.

Given at Sangha night, North London Buddhist Centre.

Maitrivir-Nagarjuna gives us todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte: Buddhist Revival in India. This excellent talk was recorded for the San Francisco sanghaand#8217;s celebration of the anniversary of the great mass conversion initiated by Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, the great leader of the Dalit community of Indian Buddhists. It is a pretty comprehensive overview of why Dr. Ambdekar converted to Buddhism, the significance of the anniversary itself, and Ambedkarand#8217;s vision of and#8216;prabuddha bharatand#8217;: Enlightened India, and, in fact, an Enlightened world.

From the talk Dr Ambedkarand#8217;s Conversion given in 2009.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is a moving remembrance of Dr. Ambedkar. Carrying the Torch of Dr. Ambedkar is excerpted from the talk Remembering Ambedkar by Sangharakshita. This highly evocative and moving account expounds the later years and death of a true Indian hero: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Dr. Ambedkar founded the Movement of mass conversions by ex-and#8217;Untouchablesand#8217; (and#8216;Dalitsand#8217;) to Buddhism in order to escape the everyday oppressions and active persecutions they were subject to under the Hindu caste system. That movement, begun in 1956 as a deeply political act, continues today and#8211; and Sangharakshita recalls his own involvement, as well as drawing out some robust lessons for contemporary western Buddhists.

We are offered a truly radical vision of a practice of Buddhism that revolutionizes all aspects of how we live. In that sense, this is nothing short of a challenging, if kindly, broadside of a talk.

Talk given at the London Buddhist Centre, 2006

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, Make a Difference and#8211; Women in India, is excerpted from the talk Triratna Sangha In India and the Work of the India Dharma Trust by Tarahridaya. This talk was given as part of Manchester Buddhist Centreand#8217;s celebration of Dr Ambedkarand#8217;s 60th anniversary of his conversion to Buddhism. She provides a personal recount of the transformative nature of the Dharma and the Triratna Buddhist movement witnessed in India.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, Words Count, is excerpted from the talk Words Have the Power to Connect Or Create Walls by Aniruddha, an Indian Order Member working as an NVC (Non-Violent Communication) trainer in India. This talk was given in 2009 on his first visit to the Buddhafield Festival and was a great hit.

Learn more about the work of Karuna Trust

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, Ambedkar: A True Hero, is excerpted from the talk Radical Buddhism and#8211; Changing the Myth of Society by Vajratara about Dr Ambedkar and his relevance to the Western Buddhists.

In a culture of unprecedented freedom, Vajratara asks how we choose which path to follow? This was the question facing Dr Ambedkar who had a burning issue to solve and#8211; untouchability. Vajratara introduces Dr Ambedkar by showing his methods of solving this problem, and how he came to realise more than political, economic or social action was needed. She also explains how he came to choose Buddhism as a way to radically challenge the myth of Indian society. This leaves the question of what myths in our society do we need to challenge, and how do we challenge them?

Talk given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre in August 2014.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, Paradigm Shift Parami revisits Bhanteand#8217;s vision of the New Society, sharing her inspiration and love for the radical and transformative power of the Dharma.

This is the third talk entitled Revisiting the New Society in the series The Order as Practice: Shifting Paradigms.