Kamalashila , author of ' Buddhist Meditation: Tranquillity, Imagination, Insight ', introduces the fifth perfection, dhyana, in a series at the West London Buddhist Centre , 2012. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting! Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts Bite-sized inspiration three times every we...
Mar 11, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 604
Bodhilila 's first talk as part of the 'Poetics of Awakening' retreat. Looking at the symbolic and practical aspects of practice she considers how meditation itself is an expression of ourselves as a way to change through, moment by moment, being who we are in the light of the Dharma. An encouraging and inspiring approach to sitting aligned to the nature of things. Get more resources on 'The Poetics of Awakening' Home Retreat with Paramananda and Bodhilila Given at West London Buddhist Centre , ...
Mar 04, 2023•34 min•Ep. 603
Paramananda in this free-ranging talk, explains how the moon's soft light represents compassion, and recites three moon poems that evoke messages of self-knowledge and the regular tides or rhythms of being human. This talk was given at West London Buddhist Centre , 2016. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting! Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: On A...
Feb 25, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 602
How do you become a Bodhisattva? Upon the Awakening of the Bodhi Heart (Bodhichitt-otpada). In this lecture Sangharakshita defines the Bodhichitta, and describes how one can prepare for its arising through the observance of Shantideva's Supreme Worship and Vasubhandu's Four Factors. Talk given in 1969 as part of the series entitled: Aspects of the Bodhisattva Ideal *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharm...
Feb 18, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 601
Jvalamalini offers suggestions to bear in mind when reading the Bodhicaryavatara, and a few reflections from the text on how to regard self and others. "In the same way that the hands and other limbs are loved because they form part of the body, why are embodied creatures not likewise loved because they form part of the universe?" "'If I give, what shall I enjoy?' Such concern for one's own welfare is fiendish. 'If I enjoy, what shall I give?' Such concern for the welfare of others is divine." T...
Feb 11, 2023•37 min•Ep. 600
"Taking this image of the human form the Bodhicitta transmutes it into the priceless image of the Jewel of the Conqueror. Grasp tightly this highly potent elixir, known as the Bodhicitta, which must be thoroughly worked." In this talk on Shantideva's Bodhicaryavatara Padmavajra speaks of Sangharakshita's evocation of the Bodhicitta. Here, he discusses some of the verses of the first chapter, especially of verse ten, in which the Bodhicitta is likened to the highly potent quicksilver elixir of th...
Feb 04, 2023•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 599
Parami offers a clear, insightful and practical guide to the classically challenging Wisdom chapter of the Bodhicaryavatara. She places the chapter in context of the Bodhisattva Path and. with consistent warmth and humour, illuminates this part of the text for those who have been struggling with it. This talk was given at Glasgow Buddhist Centre , 2022. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, ever...
Jan 28, 2023•49 min•Ep. 598
Vajrapriya takes us into this radical and classic wisdom-text which goes to the heart of how to become free, and how to help the world become free. Enigmatic, speaking to our depths, undermining any fundamentalism or limiting views about ourselves, it asks us to dive deep into the nature of experience, looking, for ourselves, to see truly the way things are. This talk was recorded on the Four Sanghas Retreat Taraloka Retreat Centre , 2022. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On App...
Jan 21, 2023•59 min•Ep. 597
This is the culmination of Buddhist practice – but what is it and why is it so vitally needed in our lives and in the world? Subhadramati offers perspective, depth and encouragement on the Dharma path. This talk was given at London Buddhist Centre , 2016. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting! Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: On Apple Podcasts | ...
Jan 14, 2023•50 min•Ep. 596
Vishvapani explores the dynamic vision of Urgyen Sangharakshita in setting up a new Buddhist movement in the West, and asks how we might relate to him now. Voices and stories, told and untold, come echoing through as Vishvapani makes the case that a deeper examination of Sangharakshita's teaching and approach reveals a deeper rhythm to his life and work that is relevant to everyone practicing in Triratna today. A talk given at Adhisthana on the men's UK & Ireland Area Order weekend, November...
Jan 07, 2023•55 min•Ep. 595
Advayasiddhi explores two chapters from Santideva's passionate and challenging text: The Bodhicaryavatara. Chapter 4 focuses on Vigilance Regarding the Awakening Mind, while Chapter 5 explores The Guarding of Awareness. This talk was recorded at Taraloka Retreat Centre , 2022. *** Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts Bite-sized inspiration three times every week. Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On...
Dec 31, 2022•46 min•Ep. 594
We practice the Dharma so that we can transcend our self-clinging, thereby resolving our own suffering and contributing to the resolution of suffering in the world. This is the fundamental purpose of the Triratna Community. Subhuti returns to Padmaloka after many years to delve into the fundamental principles behind Integration, Positive Emotion, Spiritual Receptivity, Spiritual Death, and Spiritual Rebirth, finding in each new and deeper significance. He invites his hearers to apply them deeply...
Dec 24, 2022•57 min•Ep. 593
The Buddha spoke to everybody, from homeless wanderers to kings. So when King Ajatassattu wants to go to war against the Vajjian people, he asks the Buddha's advice! In this engaging talk, Vajratara unpacks the Buddha's reply, as he explains the 'seven things' which should be in place in order for a society to prosper and not decline. How might this teaching be interpreted in modern day terms, and what can it tell us about how we can help the dharma spread through society as a whole? This talk w...
Dec 17, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 592
From communist to Buddhist.... Vimalavajri talks of her personal involvement in the spheres of politics, feminism and Buddhism. Using Indra's net as a classic Buddhist image of interconnectedness, the talk explores what the dharma might have to say about social or political action, and asks what helps when we feel overwhelmed or stuck in ill-will. If we really see Indra's net, we will connect more deeply with life at all levels and our action will be more joyful and wholehearted. This talk was g...
Dec 10, 2022•54 min•Ep. 591
Vajragupta (m) offers a Buddhist myth of the asuras, the Titan realm on the Wheel of Life, as a way of seeing and understanding the social and political times we are living through. In this myth, the Buddha appears in the realm of the asuras holding a sword. What does that symbolize? Vajragupta suggests it can be seen as a sword of fearlessness, a sword of truth and wisdom, a sword of justice, and the sword of the archetypal "king". This talk was given at Cardiff Buddhist Centre , 2022. *** Subs...
Dec 03, 2022•46 min•Ep. 590
What does it mean to be part of a Sangha? What does true harmony mean alongside the inevitability of conflict? Srivati addresses these questions with help from the monks at Kosambi, the six memorable qualities of a Bikkhu, and the seven knowledges of the stream entrant. This talk is from the Dharmachakra Archives , given in 2002. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downlo...
Nov 26, 2022•46 min
Amoghavajra takes us back 2,500 years to the Kingdom of Magadha in Northern India to the birth of a boy called Kassapa. He grows up happily and as he gets older he becomes less and less worldly. Kassapa marries Bhadda who has equally renunciant tendancies. They both go forth together. Kassapa meets the Buddha, becomes his disciple and gains Enlightenment. He is known as a superb meditator and was foremost among the bhikkus for practising austerities. According to Amoghavajra's story, one of the ...
Nov 19, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 588
Dhammamegha speaks about Sangha as Dharma practice and how spiritual community and friendship with the admirable are part of our heritage in Triratna . Talk given on the Triratna International Gathering at Adhisthana , 2017. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting! Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts...
Nov 12, 2022•40 min•Ep. 587
Dhivan offers this short discourse showing the Buddha addressing a group of people called the Kalamas, who have heard all too many religious teachers telling them what to think, even when it contradicts what the last teacher said. The Buddha instead advises them how to judge for themselves about religion. He also teaches them how to practice the brahma-vihara meditations, and to think for themselves how effective they are. Talk given at Bristol Buddhist Centre as part of a series of four talks e...
Nov 05, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 586
Friendships hold the sangha together, genuine personal connections, that support spiritual practice. Weaving in contemporary poetry with teachings from the Buddhist tradition, Ratnaprabha explores the nature of harmonious community by taking us through the Sangha Section of the TiratanaVandana. A talk for Sangha Day given at the West London Buddhist Centre , Nov 2011. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dh...
Oct 29, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 585
Through recounting the story of the Buddha's Enlightenment and his subsequent communication about it, Ratnadeva traces the significance and depth of the Buddha's teaching of karma, as well as addressing the complexities and common misconceptions that can often arise when we approach the topic. This talk was given at Buddhafield , as part of the series Seeds of the Heart: Talks from the Dharma Parlour , 2022. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Go...
Oct 22, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 584
How can we equip ourselves to co-operate in collective action and play? How do we work with negative emotions and polarized views? Many of us long to be in deeper communication and relationships with others, but in order to do that we need to create the necessary conditions for community to arise. Drawing on the Buddha's teaching, as well as political and social thinkers, Dhammamegha looks at the tender and necessary ground for sustained action towards the deepening of our practice of community....
Oct 15, 2022•40 min•Ep. 583
In this wide ranging talk, Amalayodhin gives an introduction to the history and symbol of the cremation grounds. Given on a summer men's Great Gathering at Padmaloka, the talk covers topics such as death, taking responsibility and avoiding blame and resentment. He draws out the necessity of seeking out those places that demand more of us then we can give in our current form, and in process break and reform as more potent, loving and effective beings. Given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre , 2022. ***...
Oct 08, 2022•52 min•Ep. 582
Vidyasakhi vividly draws us into the magical world of the Eight Cremation Grounds where Padmasambhava tamed demons and engaged in his Bodhisattva training. Vidyasakhi is a musician and Padmasambhava practitioner with a background in storytelling. She has used these skills to dramatise The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava and is a very good guide into the symbolism of this sacred space. This talk was given at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre , 2017. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podca...
Oct 01, 2022•42 min•Ep. 581
Surata wanders delightfully all over the subject of 'freedom' in the context of life in a Buddhist Order. He discusses freedom of mind, freedom of choice, freedom of heart, as well as the dangers of group behaviour in communities and the joys of sharing in an ideal. Personable and disarming as ever... Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre , 2005 *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week....
Sep 24, 2022•33 min•Ep. 580
Kusalasara explores the significance of the Dakinis - a strong symbol of freedom. This talk was given at London Buddhist Centre , 2017. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting! Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts Bite-sized inspiration three times every week. Subscribe using these RSS feeds or search...
Sep 17, 2022•56 min•Ep. 579
The Buddha said that just as the taste of the ocean has but one taste, the taste of salt, so the Buddha's teaching has one taste, the taste of freedom. Liberation, freedom or emancipation are the essence of the Buddha's vision. In this wide ranging talk Padmavajra explains the conditions necessary to secure this heart's release. This talk is part of the series 'The Taste of Freedom' Revisited given at London Buddhist Centre , 2019. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podca...
Sep 10, 2022•40 min•Ep. 578
Spiritual freedom arises when your heart and mind is transformed. In order to live in a world that is harmonious, that's loving, that's enabling us to all fulfill our potential, then we all must be working for freedom in some way, working for our own and others, whoever they are. Suryagupta draws out the meaning of Freedom through the story of Nelson Mandela. A two-week seminar with the (then) brand new chair of the London Buddhist Centre , 2017. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast:...
Sep 03, 2022•57 min•Ep. 577
Maitreyabandhu draws out the deeper meaning and finer detail of five different poems, each around the theme of death with the final poem focusing on spiritual rebirth. By discussing the background of the poems and poets, the intricacies of their structure, and bringing in a Buddhist interpretation of the themes raised in the poems, Maitreyabandhu shows us the importance and profundity of poetry and how it can help us to explore Dharmic themes more deeply. This talk was given Padmaloka Retreat Ce...
Aug 27, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 576
Here and Now Ratnaghosha explores the Buddha's teaching of Spiritual friendship being the whole of the spiritual life. The talk is wide ranging, going into what spiritual friendship is and also how Buddhism sees the nature of reality. This talk was given at Nottingham Buddhist Centre , 2016. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting! Subscribe to our Dhar...
Aug 20, 2022•50 min•Ep. 575
