Maitrivir-Nagarjuna's excellent talk recorded for the San Francisco sangha's celebration of the anniversary of the great mass conversion initiated by Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, the great leader of the Dalit community of Indian Buddhists. It is a pretty comprehensive oveview of why Dr. Ambdekar converted to Buddhism, the significance of the anniversary itself, and Ambedkar's vision of 'prabuddha bharat': Enlightened India, and, in fact, an Enlightened world.

Talk given in 2009

What do we revere? Is reverence a Buddhist practice? When we bow, does it mean we are unworthy?

This talk explores "the problem of how to translate knowing into being"- the function and meaning of reverence in general and bowing in particular; introduces the Three Jewels of Buddhism and the Threefold Puja; discusses religion, the rational mind, and the dangers and fetters of reverence.

With quotations by Urgyen Sangharakshita, Lama Suyra Das, and Shunryu Suzuki.

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

Padmatara is an Order member who has been working with ways to bring more awareness to her own communication and is still learning from resistance and obstacles along the way. In this interesting, down to earth talk, she discusses the ethics of speech as well as authenticity, kindness and miscommunication.