Dharmabytes From Free Buddhist Audio

We continue to listen to Sangharakshitaand#8217;s thoughts on creating sangha in todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8220;Genuine Spiritual Community.and#8221; From the talk and#8220;The Sangha or Buddhist Communityand#8221; given in 1968 as part of the series and#8220;Introducing the Three Jewels of Buddhism.and#8221;

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Why Have a Sangha?and#8221; Sangharakshita explores the nature of spiritual friendship and why it is so essential to spiritual life. From the talk and#8220;The Spiritual Communityand#8221; given in 1966 as part of the series and#8220;Introducing Buddhism.and#8221;

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Ethics is an Expression of Humanity,and#8221; Dhammadinna reminds us that human birth is not accidental but is due to past skilful karma. What does it mean to be human? Dhammadinnaand#8217;s gently balanced and encouraging talk explores various perspectives on one of the fundamental questions, and clearly lays out various Buddhist approaches to the nature of our existence and consciousness, especially in relation to the other realms of the Tibetan wheel of life. From the talk and#8220;The Preciousness and Rarity of Human Lifeand#8221; given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2005

Our FBA Dharmabyte today explores the question: and#8220;Who creates Spiritual Community?and#8221; by Sangharakshita. Where is the spiritual community to be found? What do the members of the spiritual community do for themselves, for one another, and for the world? From the talk: and#8220;The Meaning of Spiritual Communityand#8221; given in 1975 as part of the series and#8220;Human Enlightenmentand#8220;.

Today we bring you yet another classic FBA Dharmabyte and#8220;Consciousness: Individual and Collectiveand#8221; by Sangharakshita from the 1983 talk and#8220;The Bodhisattva Principleand#8220;. Collective consciousness is the closest description of what we have come to call the spiritual community. A group of truly human individuals who share enlightenment as their ideal, who, in traditional Buddhist language go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the spiritual community is the expression of the Bodhisattva principle in the world.

In todayand#8217;sFBA Dharmabyte today, and#8220;The Revolution of the Metta Bhavana,and#8221; Khemasuri challenges us to ask ourselves what we can do individually and collectively by taking risks in our community, reminding us that collective change is not comfortable. Taking a risk herself in the title of the talk, this is an excerpt from and#8220;Building an Ethical Underworld and#8211; Lessons from the Mafiaand#8221; given at the Buddhafield Festival, Devon, 2007.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today, and#8220;Buddha Nature – Practice is Paramount,and#8221; features Dhammarati in the midst of an indispensable exploration of everyday practice of the Dharma in the beautiful light of the Tathagathagarbha Sutra. From the fantastic talk, and#8220;Breaking the Mouldand#8221; given at Triratna [FWBO] Day, London 2003

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, Satyaraja beautifully describes the need for and#8220;Ksanti in Sangha.and#8221; Ksanti, translated as and#8216;patienceand#8217; and is especially called for when encountering differing views on living a spiritual life. From the talk and#8220;Ksanti and#8211; Patienceand#8221; given on Sangha Night at Stockholms Buddhistcenter, 8 February 2010, the theme for the spring session being practicing the Dharma with concern for others.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Living the Buddhist Life: Community Lifeand#8221; is an excerpt from a conversation between Maitreyabandhu and Subhadramati as part of an evening entitled and#8216;The Dakini of Friendshipand#8217; which took place during the LBCand#8217;s Urban Retreat in 2010.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Living The Buddhist Life: Upping the Ante,and#8221; is an excerpt from a conversation between Maitreyabandhu and Subhadramati as part of an evening entitled and#8216;The Dakini of Friendshipand#8217; which took place during the LBCand#8217;s Urban Retreat in 2010.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The True Basis of Leafnessand#8221; is a true Dharma gem on the interconnectedness of all things from Paramiand#8217;s talk and#8220;The Awakening Heart.and#8221;

Weak Good overcomes Strong Evil in todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Jedi Knights and Bodhisattvas.and#8221; Parami evokes the Bodhicitta mind-heart with a vision towards interconnectedness in this excerpt from the talk and#8220;The Awakening Heartand#8221; given at Taraloka Retreat Centre.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The Zen Approach,and#8221; Sangharakshita describes the individual schools in Zen Buddhism and offers three misunderstandings about Zen. From the talk and#8220;A Special Transmission Outside the Scripturesand#8221; given in 1965.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is by the lovely Vajradarhini speaking again on poetry in the Buddhist tradition. and#8220;Dew in Zen Poetryand#8221; is a beautiful exploration of this well-loved image of impermanence. From the talk and#8220;The Transitoriness of Life and the Certainty of Deathand#8221; given as part of a series on the and#8216;Four Mind Turningsand#8216; of the Tibetan tradition given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2005.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Energy in Pursuit of the Good,and#8221; Sangharakshita shares the story of Indra and the squirrel as we learn of one of the Five Spiritual Faculties: Energy. Is such a life of everyday Buddhist spiritual practice possible in the West? From the talk and#8220;The Pattern of Buddhist Life and Workand#8221; given in 1966 as part of the series and#8220;Introducing Buddhism.and#8221;

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;and#8216;Faithand#8217; Followers and and#8216;Doctrineand#8217; Followersand#8221; Suvarnaprabha explores the variety of styles of practice and individuality withint the sangha. From the talk and#8220;What is the Sangha?and#8221; a wonderful introduction to the idea of spiritual community in Buddhism, one of its greatest potential gifts to the West.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte titled: and#8220;Talking About Sunyataand#8221; Nagapriya explores the style of thought involved in conceptualizing sunyata and#8211; speaking in terms of what it isnand#8217;t so as not to limit its definition. Excerpted from the talk, The Philosophy of Emptiness given at Manchester Buddhist Centre, 2009 as part of the series Visions of Mahayana Buddhism.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, comes to us from the talk and#8220;Simplicityand#8221; by Kamalashila titled: and#8220;Seeing Emptinessand#8221;. Here he suggests a direct approach to emptiness by seeing the free and spacious nature of things, watching the motion in the mind and recognizing the elusive nature of thoughts. Talk given at FWBO Day, 2004

FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Beginning to Noticeand#8221; Padmavajra takes us far into the strong experience of Going Forth into homelessness where we begin to notice sickness, old age and death. With the end of intoxication, the beginning of deep awareness arises. From the talk and#8220;The Buddha, Hakuin, Birth and Deathand#8221; delivered at Padmaloka Retreat Centre for men as part of the series and#8220;Tangling Eyebrows with Zen Masters.and#8221; (2004)

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is from the talk and#8220;The Transitoriness of Life and the Certainty of Deathand#8221; by Vajradarshini titled Sadness and Awakening.and#8221; This is a beautiful piece on the hardest of subjects. Using zen poetry and a happily wide-ranging series of quotations (from Tibetan lamas to Ezra Pound), Vajradarshini explores her own fatherand#8217;s death as a way to approach attitudes to death and dying.