Dharmabytes From Free Buddhist Audio

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?

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is an segment from Sangharakshitaand#8217;s 1976 talk and#8220;A Blueprint for a New Societyand#8221; Entitled and#8220;Changing Self and Societyand#8221; he discusses two common views regarding changing the world and#8211; changing the system, and changing the individual and#8211; and how they are not mutually exclusive.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is an excerpt from Maitrisaraand#8217;s talk and#8220;Meeting the Suffering of the World and#8211; Compassion in Actionand#8221; given as the last talk of Dharmapala collegeand#8217;s and#8220;40 years of the New Societyand#8221; seminar. Entitled and#8220;Meeting Sufferingand#8221; she talks about the unique challenge of our age, having a global awareness of suffering, and she opens up the basic question for Buddhists and#8211; how do we engage with it meaningfully?

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is an excerpt from Devamitraand#8217;s riveting talk and#8220;Quang Ducand#8221; given at the London Buddhist Center. In this segment entitled and#8220;The Burning Monkand#8221; Devamitra discusses the motivations behind Quang Ducand#8217;s self-immolation in Vietnam and its after-effects, which raises many challenging questions about ethics and acting for the sake of others. An excellent talk and#8211; donand#8217;t miss the rest of it!

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is an excerpt from Dharmashalinand#8217;s longer talk given at Padmaloka on the topic of becoming a Dharma warrior. Entitled and#8220;Why Be a Warrior?and#8221; he pulls in accessible examples from pop culture and his personal experiences to illustrate the qualities of a peaceful Dharma warrior and speak to the meaning of developing in this way for our spiritual lives.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte entitled and#8220;Young People and the Dharmaand#8221; is from Lindsay Hannah in an address to members of the European Buddhist Union gathered at Taraloka. Here she shares an array of thought-provoking practical ways that Centres could inspire more young people to practice the Dharma.