Dharmabytes From Free Buddhist Audio

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.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today, and#8220;The First of the Four Gifts,and#8221; is an excerpt from The Four Gifts,

Our FBA Dharmabyte today, and#8220;Healing by Forgiveness,and#8221; is an excerpt from Love Your Enemy, the fourth in a five part series by Padmavajra on all aspects of the Metta Bhavana practice and and#8216;The Great Loveand#8217; in Buddhist discourse and practice and#8211; from metta (loving kindness) itself to Bodhichitta. Here, Padmavajra reminds us that we cannot control events, citing the poem Life is King by Sangharakshita. With readings from King Lear, John Middleton Murray and Chekov, Padmavajra explores the aspect of forgiveness in healing and connecting with others. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004

Our FBA Dharmabyte today, and#8220;Bhaisajyaraja: The Healing Aspect of Buddhahood,and#8221; is an excerpt from The Archetype of the Divine Healer, identifiable in Egyptian and Greek myths, also appears in the White Lotus Sutra as both the Medicine Buddha and the Good Physician. Talk given in 1971 as part of the series Parables, Myths and Symbols of Mahayana Buddhism in the White Lotus Sutra.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is an extract from the talk and#8220;Buddhism and Ecologyand#8221; by Akuppa, a fascinating, challenging and, in the end, realistically affirming look at Buddhist practice in the face of global climate crisis. In this section entitled and#8220;Individual Connection with Nature,and#8221; we here Akuppaand#8217;s concluding remarks and the reading of a poem by Sangharakshita, The Veil of Stars. Talk given at the Western Buddhist Order Convention, 2005

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is an extract from the talk and#8220;Entering the Mandalaand#8221; by Garava, and#8220;Embarking on an Inner Journeyand#8221;. Here, he speaks of entering the Mandala; embarking on an inner journey; letting go of the past; and preparation for the journey. A very interesting introduction to the mandala here from Garava and#8211; the idea, the myth, the image, the symbol, the experience. His own practice as an artist affords him a respectful and generous perspective, from which we are able to simply sit back and learn. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2001

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is an extract from the talk and#8220;Mahayana Buddhist Scripturesand#8221; by Nagapriya entitled: and#8220;Imagery, Myth and Symboland#8221;. Nagapriya gives an overview of the vast literature of Mahayana Buddhism in this talk. He discusses how the new texts emerged, why so many are still preserved, and how they found legitimacy in the larger Buddhist tradition. He also lays out how Mahayana texts are different than those of the Pali Canon, why they emphasize imagination and myth, and why it remains useful for modern Buddhists to explore them despite their length and repetition. Talk given at Manchester Buddhist Centre, 2009, as part of the series Visions of Mahayana Buddhism.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is an extract from the talk and#8220;Buddhism and the Language of Mythand#8221; where Sangharakshita explores the question: and#8220;How Does Buddhism Speak to us?and#8221;. Buddhism is the most rational of religions. But it appeals no less to the heart than to the head, using the language of myth to do so. This talk is part of the series Ritual and Devotion in Buddhism.

Are you looking at the wall? Or is the wall gazing at you? Another cracking take on Zen and#8211; the sutras, the experience, the dangers and the fruits… Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called: and#8220;Dogen on Practice as Enlightenmentand#8221; by Padmavajra. This is from the third in an excellent 8-talk sequence by Padmavajra on Zen Buddhism titled: and#8220;Wall Gazingand#8220;. The series is full of colourful stories and challenging insights from the lives of the great Masters of China and Japan. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004 as part of the series Tangling Eyebrows with Zen Masters.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called: and#8220;Direct Pointingand#8221; by Sangharakshita. What is the mind? What is projection? What higher states of mind are accessible? Zen challenges us to look directly within our own minds to find out. From the talk, and#8220;A Direct Pointing to the Mind of Manand#8221; given in 1965 as part of the series The Essence of Zen.

From the fabulous talk, and#8220;What is Mind?and#8221; we bring you a sparkling Dharmabyte entitled: and#8220;The Mind Is Everywhereand#8221;. Using Milarepaand#8217;s song, the Shepherdand#8217;s Search for Mind, Dhammadinna takes us on a wild, and very specific ride, in defining subjective versus objective mind. You cannot understand the mind, because that would be the mind knowing itself! This is the first talk in a series of talks from the Order Convention in 2001 offering different perspectives on the Abhidharma and exploring from a personal perspective what the study of the 51 Mental Events can tell us about our minds and how they work. Based on the classic Tibetan text and#8216;Necklace of Clear Understandingand#8217;, this is a terrific, clear introduction to the whole area of how to and#8216;Know Your Mindand#8217;and#8230; Released to complement the Dharma Training Course module and#8216;Know Your Mindand#8217; (year four, module 4). Talk given at Wymondham, 2001

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Everyone Needs the Dharmaand#8221;, is a lovely reading of one of : Milarepaand#8217;s Songs by Sangharakshita. Talk given in 1979.