As part of a whole year at San Francisco Buddhist Center dedicated to the theme of 'Going for Refuge', we have this talk from Viveka. It's a personable and wide-ranging look at one of the most important aspects of Buddhist practice, whose significance is upheld in every tradition. What is it to look to the 'Three Jewels' as a response to our dissatisfaction? A thoughful exploration, taking in traditional Dharma approaches and contemporary counter-cultural art forms and ways of living...
Please note that some small noise artefacts can be heard occasionally on this talk due to a poor original recording.
Talk given at San Francsisco Buddhist Center, 2006
Here's a splendid and wonderfully detailed talk from Dharmavira about the life of one of Tibetan Buddhism's great guru's of the modern age (whose name is also sometimes written 'Chetul Sangye Dorje'). This was given as part of a series looking at Sangharakshita's main teachers.
Here's a forthright and passionate talk, taking as its starting point the great contemporary Tibetan teacher (sometimes also written 'Chatral Sangye Dorje') and his relationship to practice in the FWBO via his giving of the Green Tara practice to Sangharakshita. The main focus, however, is the need to practice the Dharma for others as part of a meaningful community, and Vajratara argues her case with a balance of down-to-earth humour and uncompromising vision. 
Here's another tour-de-force from Vajratara, looking to approach the great figure of Padmasambhava - the 'Second Buddha' - through his famous meeting with the King of Tibet. As ever, a provocative, fully engaged and fully engaging take on the Dharma and the challenges that face us on the Path. There's plenty to consider in this thoughful interpretation of the central story - with lots of light relief too, as the Refuges are explored with walk-ons from Nirvana (the band!), Samuel Johnson, Scrooge and the Beckhams. Cool.
Spiritual Death is about death of our fixed, bounded self, the self that is made up of bundled habits and preferences and views - especially views about existence and non-existence. So don't be surprised if, when contemplating the impermanence and unreliability of that small self, you taste fear. It's natural enough in the circumstances. After all, fine to talk loftily about 'dying to one's ego', but who will be left after that's done? Where will 'I' be? Kulaprabha explores this with reference to two Pali Canon suttas. You'll also hear about the eldrich sound of barn owls at night!
The teachings that Ratnaguna explores in this talk are all from the Sutta Nipata - one of the earliest of Buddhist texts. The sub-title for the talk is 'The Dharma before Buddhism'. In the Sutta Nipata the Buddha is very straighforwardly telling it like it is. So does Ratnaguna.
These reflections ask us to really take on board the 'unique occasion' of human life and, together with the reflection on the 'Ten Endowments', they descibe just how precious our human life is. Let yourself be led through them and take up the challenge of seeing just what positive circumstances we already have to do... Well, to do what with them? Therein lies the freedom and the challenge.
If we possess the 'Ten Endowments', then we are come to the right juncture in this precious human life of ours. Such is the teaching in Gampopa's 'Jewel Ornament of LiIberation'. This is part of a series of talks and reflections from Taraloka inspired by this text. 
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'.