Dharmabytes From Free Buddhist Audio

Find magic and ritual in todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Padmasambhava at Work.and#8221; Parami shares what itand#8217;s like ordaining someone and#8211; a channel to the transcendental. She talks about her personal link with Sangharakshita and the birth story of Padmasambhava and his taking Buddhism to Tibet and#8211; the marriage of cognition, feeling and emotion. From the talk and#8220;Energy At Its Most Abundantand#8221; by Parami given as part of a three talk series at Windhorse:Evolution, a large and successful Buddhist team-based right livelihood business.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;What is freedom?and#8221; Sagaraghosa offers a pithy talk exploring the Buddhaand#8217;s practical suggestions to find greater freedom in oneand#8217;s life and#8211; genuine freedom that does not rely on external factors to give a sense of freedom. From the talk, and#8220;The Liberated Mind,and#8221; third in a series of four talks given at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre in 2011 on the theme and#8216;The Powers of Mind.and#8217;

According to Tibetan tradition, in the bardo, an and#8216;intermediate stateand#8217; in the endless round of birth and death, we are free for an instant from that round. The Tibetan book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol) describes six of these opportunities for escape from reactivity. In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The Bardo of Dream,and#8221; Sangharakshita describes the second of the six bardos, the bardo of dreams. From the and#8220;Psycho-Spiritual Symbolism in the Tibetan Book of the Deadand#8221; given in 1967 in the series and#8220;Aspects of Buddhist Psychology.and#8221;

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The Moon and Flowers,and#8221; Ratnadharini beautifully explores the concepts of karma and#8211; our effect on others, and on the world. Includes a quote from Ryokan on the moon and flowers. From the talk and#8220;Karma and the Consequences of Our Actions,and#8221; given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2005, the fourth talk in a five-part series from Tiratanalokaand#8217;s retreat on the and#8220;The Four Mind-Turning Reflectionsand#8221;.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Unifying Symbolism of the Vajra,and#8221; Sangharakshita describes the symbolism of samsara and nirvana in the vajra. From the talk and#8220;The Symbolism of the Sacred Thunderbolt or Diamond Sceptre of the Lamasand#8221; from the and#8220;Creative Symbols of the Tantric Path to Enlightenmentand#8221; series given in 1971.

Forgetfulness and distraction are the rule in ordinary life, but awareness and a and#8216;fullness of mindand#8217; is at the heart of human growth and development. Sangharakshita gives us todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Unmindfulness Defined,and#8221; from the 1968 talk and#8220;Levels of Awareness: Right Mindfulness.and#8221; This talk is part of the series The Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Taking Awareness Deeper,and#8221; Paramabandhu draws on many years of experience as a consultant psychiatrist and Dharma teacher. He invites us to consider the lessons Buddhist techniques around meditation and mindfulness training can bring to the field of mental health and#8211; especially to problems with depression and addiction. In this excerpt, he talks about taking awareness deeper to really get a sense of impermanence ‘in our bones’. From the talk, and#8220;Mindfulness for Just About Everything,and#8221; given at San Francisco Buddhist Center, 2006

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Fill your Heart with Love,and#8221; Vanaraji shares a personal story of learning that if you fill your heart with love, there’s no room for anything else. The full talk, and#8220;The Metta Suttaand#8221; was given at the Womenand#8217;s Night Class at the LBC on July 12th 2012 and includes a lovely reading of the sutra.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Be Here Now, Is It Enough?and#8221; Ratnaprabha reminds us that discomfort is caused by avoiding discomfort. Relief from suffering is found when we drop our concerns and are present in this moment. But is mindfulness alone enough structure for complete transformation? A systematic approach to changing ones habits and engaging with sangha are both important in our approach to practice. An excerpt from the talk titled and#8220;The Structure of Buddhism.and#8221; West London Sangha night, May 2012.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Breath is Essential to Lifeand#8221; is an excerpt from the talk titled and#8220;Anatomy of the Breath.and#8221; 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.

Lifeand#8217;s unfair, what can we do about it? We can practice the Dharma and follow the Buddhaand#8217;s teachings. Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Itand#8217;s Not Fair!and#8221; is an excerpt from the talk and#8220;What to Do In An Unfair Worldand#8221; by Kalyanaprabha. A sober yet uplifting talk encourages us to practice the Dharma in the face of unfairness.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Simplicity of Lifestyle,and#8221; Amritamati talks about how we can practice simplicity in our lives: whatever our lifestyle is or whatever we want our lifestyle to be, from parenting to becoming a celibate and#8216;Anagarikaand#8217;. This Dharmabyte is excerpted from the full talk of the same name, and was given on a weekend retreat at Tiratanaloka for women who are training for Ordination.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is by the delightful Ratnasuri titled and#8220;The First Sight (Old Age).and#8221; When Siddhartha Gautama was a young man, itand#8217;s said that he was so struck by three particular observations that he felt he had no choice but to make a radical change in his life. These were the traditional and#8216;three sightsand#8217;: old age, sickness and death in his fellow human beings. This is the first of those three talks, available in the series: and#8220;The Three Sights.and#8221;

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is a curious exploration entitled and#8220;Meeting Another’s ‘Environment’.and#8221; Sharing the teaching of Lin Chi on and#8216;environmentand#8217; and how we meet a whole container of history, memories, emotions when we meet another. With stories about Hakuin, the Samurai and the Order Member Saghasen in India, this little excerpt packs a punch! From the talk and#8220;The Bliss Bestowing Hands of the True Individualand#8221; of the and#8220;Tangling Eyebrows with Zen Mastersand#8221; series given at Padmaloka Retreat Center.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Seeing the Mind by Not Seeing It,and#8221; is an excerpt from the 1965 talk, and#8220;Seeing Into One’s Own Nature and Realising Buddhahoodand#8221; by Sangharakshita. We are instructed by the Buddha that and#8216;Mind cannot be seen,and#8217; and yet the Zen Master directs us to and#8216;See the Mindand#8217;. How is the contradiction to be solved?

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is titled: and#8220;The World Is Unknown,and#8221; by Vajragupta. The world is unknown, we cannot possibly know what the world is in itself. What we call the world is much more a relationship, and it’s all rather mysterious. Exploring Buddhist practices of non-separateness, the elements, change and transformation, Vajragupta beautifully unveils our connection with nature. From the talk: We Live In a Beautiful World: Buddhism and Nature

Our FBA Dharmabyte today, and#8220;What is Life?,and#8221; is an excerpt from the talk Awareness of Nature by Dharmasakhya. Quoting the poem, Leisure, by WH Davies, Dharmasakhya makes a beautiful case for more simplicity in oneand#8217;s life.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today, and#8220;Building Sangha,and#8221; is by Vajrasara who explores the value of spiritual community, ways to encourage fuller harmony, and the many opportunities in friendship for waking up. From the talk: and#8220;Building Sangha, Creating Harmony.and#8221;

Wide open is the door of the deathless! Let those who are prepared to listen, put forth their faith! Our FBA Dharmabyte today, and#8220;Overcoming Spiritual Individualism,and#8221; is an excerpt from The Buddhaand#8217;s Victory, by Sangharakshita. Given on the full moon in May celebrating the anniversary of the Buddhaand#8217;s Enlightenment and his victory over the demon Mara. Here, Sangharakshita describes how the Buddha, following his full and perfect Enlightenment, interacts with Brahma Sahampati who implores him to communicate the truth that he has discovered. Talk given in 1987.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is titled and#8220;A Society Inspired by Bodhicittaand#8221; by Sangharakshita. We hear of Queen Vaydevi and the series of sixteen meditations as illustration to create a spiritual community without the use of the and#8216;power modeand#8217; in interacting with each other. This contrasts strongly with ordinary and#8216;groupsand#8217;, where relationships are often based on authority, sometimes the authority of a personal God. From the talk Authority and the Individual in the New Society, 1979.