Free Buddhist Audio

Today's FBA Dharmabyte, "Everyone Needs the Dharma - Milarepa's Song" has Sanghrakshita delightfully reciting words from the song. The Dharma is defined as whatever contributes to the development of the individual. In the full talk, "Western Buddhists and Eastern Buddhism" Sangharakshita emphasizes the importance of distinguishing Buddhism as a universally applicable path of development from the specifically Eastern cultural forms it has been associated with in the past, and explains why an authentic, non-

Today's FBA Dharmabyte, is titled "Buddhism and the Mind" is an excerpt from the talk "Meditation: the Expanding Consciousness" by Sangharakshita. A traditional exposition of Buddhist meditation looking at why we meditate; preparation for meditation; the five meditation practices designed to counteract the five mental poisons; and the three stages of meditation. Talk given in 1967.

In today's FBA Podcast, "Renunciation – Tasting Freedom," Saddhanandi says at the beginning of this talk that she's concerned she won't fully convey the depth of inspiration she feels about her theme – she shouldn't have worried, she does it full justice. Her various approaches to her subject include renunciation as giving up unreal expectations, as giving up compulsion, as continuity of purpose and commitment to values, as establishing freedom, as not being blown by the worldly winds. One of her telling quotes is " … there is no spiritual development without renunciation, and no renunciation without spiritual development …"

This is the first of three talks given on the 2009 UK Women's Order / Mitra Event. It's based on the first section of Tsongkhapa's short text "The Three Principle Aspects of the Path".

The other talks in the series are "Generating Bodhi Mind" by Vajratara, and "The Path of the Buddha's Delight" by Samantabhadri.

Given at Taraloka, May 2009.

Today's FBA Dharmabyte, "Pratitya Samutpada (Conditioned Co-production)," takes us right to the heart of the matter: How the Buddha sees things. Subhuti, with his sharp clarity and clear vision, explores one of the central teachings of the Buddha - that things arise and pass away in dependence upon conditions. Talk given at the Western Buddhist Order National Order Weekend, Wymondham 2006

Today's FBA Dharmabyte, titled "What is the Middle Way?" is extracted from the talk "Twenty Years on the Middle Way" by Sangharakshita. The Middle Way can be explored through three levels of application: ethics, psychology and metaphysics. Sagharakshita explores the extreme views associated with each as he points the way towards the Middle Way. Talk given in 1987

Today's FBA Podcast is titled: "Getting It," by Vidyadevi. Her brief here is 'study as a way to Wisdom', and she comes to it with a delightfully playful straightforwardness. As a means of exploring the 'Middle Way', she speaks of the various dualities and juxtapositions she has encountered in her own engagement with Dharma study over the years: theory and practice, metaphor and literalism, authority and personal experience, utility and beauty, etc. But she also speaks (and sings! Paul Simon…) of the need for a lightness of heart and of mind at the root of it all…

Talk given at Taraloka Retreat Centre, Great Gathering 2000

Today's FBA Dharmabyte, "What is the Spiritual Community," is an extract from the well-loved talk "The Individual, the Group, and the Spiritual Community" by Sangharakshita. Posing the questions: What is individuality? What is the difference between a group and a spiritual community? How can an ordinary group support our efforts to transcend the group? Talk given in 1971.

Today's FBA Dharmabyte, "Don't Leave Your Values at Home," Khemasuri passionately shares the case for embracing personal responsibility and community engagement as a way of effecting social change in our troubled world. This track from the talk, "Building an Ethical Underworld - Lessons from the Mafia", given at the Buddhafield Festival, Devon, 2007.

Padmavajra delivers some crazy stuff as we hit koan country! Today's FBA Podcast titled "Great Doubt" is the seventh in an excellent 8-talk sequence by Padmavajra on Zen Buddhism. The series is full of colourful stories and challenging insights from the lives of the great Masters of China and Japan.

A fascinating look at doubt in spiritual life in general, and in the lives of some of the most celebrated practitioners of Zen. Uncompromising stuff towards a more profound level of awareness – steer to the deep!

Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004

This talk is part of the series Tangling Eyebrows with Zen Masters.

Today's FBA Dharmabyte, "Doubt from Faith," takes us into some crazy stuff as we hit koan country! In this track, Padmavajra explores materialist versus religious world views, spiritual life without God and the dialectic between Great Faith and Great Doubt. Uncompromising stuff towards a more profound level of awareness - steer to the deep! FBA Dharmabyte from the full talk, "Great Doubt,", featured in this Saturday's full podcast.