Dharmabytes From Free Buddhist Audio

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Compassion: An Intrinsic Part of Reality,and#8221; by Vijayamala is an excerpt from an excellent, personal set of reflections entitled and#8220;Compassionate Koans and#8211; the Heart of the Matterand#8221;. Here she shares her thoughts on compassion as an intrinsic part of reality referring to Mandarava in and#8216;The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhavaand#8217; and describing how Bodhisattvas, messengers of the Dharma and embodiments of compassion, continue to suffer for lifetimes.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Dakinis: Forces To Be Integrated,and#8221; is an excerpt from the previously unreleased talk from 1979 entitled simply and#8220;Padmasambhavaand#8221; by Sangharakshita. In this short excerpt of the full talk, rather famously, given off-the-cuff at the London Buddhist Centre, Sangharakshita gives us a lively description of the dakini as a force to be integrated.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Padmasambhavaand#8217;s Song,and#8221; is an excerpt from the talk and#8220;Padmasambhava and the King of Tibetand#8221; by Vajratara. Hereand#8217;s another tour-de-force from Vajratara, looking to approach the great figure of Padmasambhava and#8211; the and#8216;Second Buddhaand#8217; and#8211; through his famous meeting with the King of Tibet. As ever, a provocative, fully engaged and fully engaging take on the Dharma and the challenges that face us on the Path. Talk given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2007

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Padmasambhavaand#8217;s Teachings,and#8221; is an excerpt from the talk and#8220;Padmasambhava: Tantric Guru of Tibetand#8221; by Sangharakshita given in 1972. Padmasambhava, often known as the and#8216;Second Buddhaand#8217;, is famous for converting the demons of Tibet. In this lecture we are given a brief biography of Padmasambhava and an outline of the progressive Nyingmapa practices attributed to him.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Death is Certain,and#8221; is an excerpt from the talk and#8220;The Transitoriness of Life and the Certainty of Deathand#8221; by Vajradarshini. Here she talks about disassociating from our own death and how our death really is not that significant. In imagining this, knowing this, there is freedom. The third talk in a five-part series from Tiratanalokaand#8217;s retreat on the and#8216;Four Mind Turningsand#8217; of the Tibetan tradition.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Cutting the Rope,and#8221; is an excerpt from the talk and#8220;Touching the Voidand#8221; by Jnanavaca. Here he talks about the analogy of and#8216;cutting the ropeand#8217; and taking responsibility. In the full talk Jnanavaca relates events in Joe Simpsonand#8217;s popular mountaineering book and#8216;Touching the Voidand#8217; to aspects of Buddhist practice. Look out for some wonderful quotes and#8211; from T.E. Lawrence to Einstein. Inspiring stuff all roundand#8230; Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Why Are We So Afraid?,and#8221; is an excerpt from the talk and#8220;Dying to Liveand#8221; by Vidyamala. Here she talks about being present with fear in the face of impermanence. In the full talk, Vidyamala gives a strong account of working with suffering and sorrow in life, and of transforming experience into one characterized by contentment and a sense of meaning. From her own practice of living with chronic pain comes a sane and unsentimental perspective that affords us all a measure of genuine optimism as we meet the trials of the world: bereavements and losses of all kinds can be met with a kindness and awareness that gently ease the burden, allowing something of peace to enter our lives again.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;When Reality Knocksand#8230;,and#8221; is an excerpt from the talk and#8220;What is Enlightenment?and#8221; by Jinapriya. When Reality knocks at the door we sometimes need to own painful experience and surrender. His main theme within the frame of such a big question and#8211; and#8216;What is Enlightenment?and#8217; and#8211; is the struggle to live our lives in the present moment, especially in the face of pain.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Gesture of Fearlessness,and#8221; is a short talk by Lokeshvara given during the Buddhafield East Green Man of Buddhism Retreat where he shows that benefiting others overcomes fear.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Tasting Fear,and#8221; by Kulaprabha is an an excerpt from the talk and#8220;Spiritual Death, Fear and Fearlessness.and#8221; Spiritual Death is about death of our fixed, bounded self, the self that is made up of bundled habits and preferences and views and#8211; especially views about existence and non-existence. So donand#8217;t be surprised if, when contemplating the impermanence and unreliability of that small self, you taste fear. Itand#8217;s natural enough in the circumstances. After all, fine to talk loftily about and#8216;dying to oneand#8217;s egoand#8217;, but who will be left after thatand#8217;s done? Where will and#8216;Iand#8217; be?

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is an excerpt titled and#8220;Fighting Against Change.and#8221; Sagaraghosa reminds us through the telling of the story of Kisa Gotami that we are not making a mistake if we find life difficult sometimes. On the other hand there is a possibility of freedom from dukkha if we accept things what cant be changed. From the talk and#8220;What Do Buddhists Think and#8211; Physicsand#8221; given at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, December 2012.

For todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, we offer a recently re-discovered little lost delight and#8211; Sangharakshita and Subhuti launching each otherand#8217;s books and clearly enjoying themselves. Sangharakshitaand#8217;s in fine humour and#8211; and itand#8217;s great to hear him read and quote from the bible! Is that a twinkle in his voice? In this excerpt, and#8220;Launch of The Buddhist Visionand#8221; Sangharakshita launches Subhutiand#8217;s book by reminiscing about early discussions on and#8216;what Buddhism isand#8217; and#8211; religion, philosophy or science. To listen to the full launch, see and#8220;Launch of The Buddhist Vision and the Dhammapada by Sangharakshita and Subhuti.and#8221;

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Freedom from Ragaand#8221; is an excerpt from a thoughtful and enlightening talk by Maitreyi titled, and#8220;The Root of Good.and#8221;

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is from Sangharakshita titled: and#8220;The Three Fetters.and#8221; The Fetters of self-view, doubt, and dependence on moral rules and religious observations are described in this excerpt from the full talk, and#8220;Stream Entry: the Point of No Returnand#8221; given in 1975.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte titled,and#8220;Karma Niyama,and#8221; we hear an excerpt from the talk and#8220;The Five Niyamas and the Evolution of the Human Brainand#8221; by Vaddhaka. Here Vaddhaka illustrates the volitional mental order, or Karma Niyama, that which guides our moral or ethical choices.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Radical Interconnectedness,and#8221; Satyanandi looks at radical interconnectedness and the nature of mind as it meets the world. In the full talk, and#8220;How We See the World,and#8221; she takes the listener on a very intriguing trip through the myriad worlds of consideration that arise when view, experience and reality meet. Her starting point is science and its various models for how the universe works and#8211; from mechanism to quantum physics.

Elucidating the other side of the coin, in todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte,and#8220;Enlightenment as Non-Experience,and#8221; Sangharakshita explores the alternative to considering Enlightenment as experience. Nirvana is the experience you have when you stop experiencing. The full talk, and#8220;Enlightenment as Experience and as Non-Experienceand#8221; was given in 1975.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte,and#8220;Enlightenment as Experience,and#8221; Sangharakshita exposes a modern disease of frustrated craving for experience. He suggests that spiritual life is better seen in more concrete ways; as growth, work, and duty. The full talk, and#8220;Enlightenment as Experience and as Non-Experienceand#8221; was given in 1975.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte we draw from Dayamalaand#8217;s talk on and#8220;Building the Buddhalandand#8221; In this segment of the talk entitled, and#8220;Five Hundred Parasolsand#8221; she references the early chapters of the Vimalakirti Nirdesa as a poetic example of the relationship between individual spiritual practitioners and the greater universe of all sentient beings and the Cosmic Bodhicitta.

Vishvapani looks back to the Buddhaand#8217;s day in todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8211; introducing his book on the Buddha in a talk called and#8220;The Buddha and Societyand#8221; In this segment, and#8220;The Buddha in Relation to His Societyand#8221; he looks at how the Buddha likely engaged with the political and social atmosphere of the times. Did he have a concern with the larger sphere of social life, and does the approach we take as Buddhists in the modern era need to be different?