Dharmabytes From Free Buddhist Audio

This weeks FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Positive Emotion and The Spiritual Lifeand#8220;, is an extract from the legendary series by Sangharakshita, and#8220;Buddhism for Today and Tomorrowand#8221; given in 1976. From the talk and#8220;A Method of Personal Developmentand#8220;, the founder of the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community speaks eloquently about how the practice of friendliness can bring about profound change in oneand#8217;s life.

This weeks FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Who Benefits?and#8220;, is a revisit to last weekendand#8217;s full talk podcast, and#8220;Brahama Viharas and the Key Momentand#8221; by Kulaprabha. In this extract, Kulaprabha reflects on who benefits when we engage in a process of cultivating loving kindness through the Brahma Vihara meditation practices.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte,and#8221;Samadhi and#8211; Concentration in the Highest Senseand#8221; is track from the talk and#8220;Buddhism and the Path of the Higher Evolutionand#8221; by Sangharakshita. In answering the question and#8216;What is Buddhism?and#8217;, Sangharakshita identifies higher evolution and#8211; the development of higher states of consciousness and#8211; with the twelve links in the progressive trend of the Buddhaand#8217;s teaching of conditioned co-production. Talk given in 1969 as part of and#8220;The Higher Evolutionand#8221; series.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte takes us into the blissful realm of Priti from a talk on the spiral path by Sangharakshita. and#8220;Priti: The Intensity of Raptureand#8221; is a selected Dharmabyte from the talk and#8220;The Stages of the Spiritual Pathand#8221; given in 1966 as part of the series and#8220;Introducing Buddhism.and#8221;

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8220;Virya and#8211; Energy in Pursuit of the Good,and#8221; is from an inspiring talk by Prajnadevi titled: and#8220;The Perfection of Energy.and#8221; Virya is the sort of energy that overflows and is fed by the Dharma, it is the ability to be spontaneous and in the moment in pursuit of the Good.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte takes us into the fascinating world of mind and mental events. and#8220;Dhammavichaya and#8211; Introspection of Mind and Mental Events,and#8221; is a crucial stage in the spiral path of spiritual development. The full talk, titled and#8220;What is Mind?and#8221; is from 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.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, simply titled and#8220;Mindfulness,and#8221; by Paramabandhu, is from the comprehensive and invaluable talk titled and#8220;Mindfulness For Just About Everythingand#8221; given at the San Francisco Buddhist Center in 2006. Drawing on many years of experience as a consultant psychiatrist and Dharma teacher, he invites us to consider the lessons Buddhist techniques around meditation and mindfulness training can bring to the field of mental health and#8211; especially to problems with depression and addiction. The talk evokes the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta to explore the four traditional foundations of mindfulness and discuss their potential use in therapeutic contexts.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8220;Seven Bodhyangas,and#8221; by Sangharakshita, is an excerpt from the talk and#8220;Mind: Reactive and Creative.and#8221; Here, Sangharakshita describes in detail the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, a creative spiral path of spiritual development.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8220;The Golden Drum,and#8221; by Sangharakshita, is an excerpt from the talk and#8216;The Bodhisattva's Dreamand#8217;. The Bodhisattva Ruchiraketu dreams of a golden drum radiating golden light which fills a totally transformed worldand#8230; Talk given in 1976. This talk is part of the series and#8216;Transformation of Life and World in the Sutra of Golden Lightand#8217;.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8220;Samsara andamp; the Three Laksanas,and#8221; by Dhammadinna, is from the first talk in a five-part series from Tiratanalokaand#8217;s retreat on the and#8216;Four Mind Turning Reflectionsand#8216; of the Tibetan tradition. This introductory talk by Dhammadinna is an ideal entry point to the world of the mind-turnings. Seen as foundations for the building of practice, the reflections encourage us to make life meaningful in the face of a relentlessly ungovernable reality. Here she explores seeing conditioned existence in terms of the three laksanas and ways of giving up craving without harmful side effects. A strong look in the mirror of the heart. Talk given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2005

Skandha is another of those untranslated terms and#8211; it literally means a trunk of a tree! In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte Sangharakshita offers his understanding of the and#8220;The Five Skandhas.and#8221; From the inspiring talk, and#8220;The Awakening of the Bodhi Heartand#8221;, from the 1969 series and#8220;Aspects of the Bodhisattva Ideal.and#8221;

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte titled and#8220;What Karma Isand#8221; Nagapriya offers a good, pithy introduction to the traditionally thorny and rather misunderstood area of karma and rebirth, teasing out its relationship to Buddhist ethics in general. This excerpt is from the talk and#8220;Understanding Karma and Buddhist Ethicsand#8221; given in Manchester, 2003

Todayand#8217;s FBA Podcast is another reading from The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras. This one, and#8220;A Hitchhikerand#8217;s Guide to the Perfection of Wisdom Sutrasand#8221; Chandana talks about the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, a category of Sutras in the Mahayana tradition.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is another reading from The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras. This one, and#8220;A Reading of the Suchness of the Skandhasand#8221; beautifully shared with us by Kulaprabha from the talk, and#8220;Reflection on the Five Skandhasand#8220;, the second guided reflection in the series and#8216;Night Lily Garden of the Midnight Way and#8211; Emptiness and the Great Compassionand#8217;. and#8220;As stars, a fault of vision, as a lamp, a mock show, dew drops or a bubble, a lighting flash or a cloud, so we should view that which is conditioned.and#8221;

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte today is and#8220;A Reading of the Heart Sutraand#8221; is just that, and itand#8217;s very beautifully read indeed! This is an excerpt from the talk, and#8220;Reflection on the Five Skandhasand#8221; by Kulaprabha, the second guided reflection in the series and#8216;Night Lily Garden of the Midnight Way and#8211; Emptiness and the Great Compassionand#8217;.

Although innumerable beings have been led to nirvana, no being at all has been led to nirvana. Sangharakshita eloquently delivers todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8220;The Diamond Sutraand#8217;s Fundamental Insightand#8221; from the talk and#8220;The Diamond Sutraand#8221; given in 1969.

Seeing is a good word to describe the dawning of insight. Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8220;Seeing with Insightand#8221; is from the fourth talk in Padmavjaraand#8217;s wonderful series on the Dhammapada, the most popular of early Buddhist texts. All of the Buddhaand#8217;s core teachings are here and#8211; held in heart and mind thereand#8217;s more than enough in the Dhammapada to take us as far in our practice as we can imagine, and then on beyondand#8230; This material is intended for use with the Dharma Training Course for Mitras (see our and#8216;Studyand#8217; section, year three). Talk recorded at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2007 The full talk, also titled and#8220;Seeing with Insightand#8220;, is part of the series The Dhammapada and#8211; the Buddhaand#8217;s Way of Truth.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte titled and#8220;In response to the Buddhaand#8221; Sangharakshita explores how we come into contact with the Buddha through our intellect, emotion and our will. From the talk and#8220;Intellect, Emotion and Willand#8221; given at the opening of the Manchester Buddhist Centre in 1996.

Exploring the first of the four and#8216;superconscious statesand#8217; todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte titled and#8220;Integrationand#8221; by Sangharakshita takes us in for a closer look at the energies of both the conscious and unconscious mind and how the process of integration leads to greater harmony and ease. Excerpted from the talk, and#8220;A Method of Personal Development,and#8221; given in 1976 as part of the series and#8220;Buddhism for Today and Tomorrow.and#8221;

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The Clouded Dragonand#8221;, is an excerpt from a gem of a talk from Abhaya. With his customary dry wit and sharp eye he leads us on the crazy paving path through the Diamond Sutra and#8211; a text guaranteed to turn your world upside-down. Sharing his love for one of Sangharakshitaand#8217;s poems titled The Clouded Dragon, Abhaya makes some excellent evocations of rigorous Dharma practice as part of the everyday business of life. This is an excerpt from the talk titled and#8220;The Diamond Sutraand#8221; given at the Triratna Buddhist Order National Order weekend 2003