We started the week by revisitng an awesome talk in Monday's FBA Dharmabyte “Self, Other and Emptiness.” Here, Parami speaks from her heart and wealth of experience. This excerpt is from the talk “Out of Compassion for the World” given at the Triratna (FWBO) International Retreat at Taraloka, May 2008.
If you weren't there, and haven't yet listened to the talk yet, it's well worth it! Parami explores the theme of the Buddha’scompassionate action and how ultimately it came from beyond self, beyond other – it emerged from his realisation of ‘Emptiness’. The Buddha realised full well how hard it was going to be to communicate what he had discovered to other people - to us. He knew that the grip of greed, hatred and delusion is very strong. He could imagine how vexatious it might be to teach. Fortunately for us, he could also see our potential. And so out of compassion he taught. Parami explores this theme of the Buddha's compassionate action and how ultimately it came from beyond self, beyond other - it emerged from his realisation of 'Emptiness'.
Dhammarati sums up both Parami's talk and Sangharakshita's who had spoken before her. Don't miss what he says. (N.B. the word 'shoogly' is Scots for shaky, uneven!)
Our second FBA Dharmabyte this week - yes! we release two every week on Mondays and Thursdays - is titled “View Meditation & Action.” This little Dharma jewel is an excerpt from the talk “Standing on Emptiness” by Dhammadassin who brings us a lovely, thoughtful exploration of the traditional Buddhist path of ethics, meditation and wisdom. She uses poetry and the ideas of contemporary science to evoke the mystery that lies at the heart of practice. This talk given at the Triratna (Western) Buddhist Order Women’s National Order Weekend, August 2004.
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And in Saturday's FBA Podcast we featured a full length talk by Saraha who takes us on a journey into the snowy mountains of the Pyrenees where he engaged in an extended solitary meditation retreat. In "Empty Cave: Reflections on Life, Practice and Enlightenment" Saraha shares how he found ‘nothing but the sound of a man breathing’ along with hope and direction through emptiness, beauty and the Buddha’s assertion that mindfulness is the way to freedom. This talk was given at Birmingham Buddhist Centre, October 2012.
Thank you to all of our speakers, members of the Triratna Buddhist Order, who share their insights, their practice, their love of the Dharma so that all of us can benefit and deepen our inspiration and understanding of the Buddha's teachings.
Tune into both our Podcasts available at Free Buddhist Audio FBA Podcast and FBA Dharmabytes
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