Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

FBA Podcast: Individualism, Materialism and the Challenges of the Dharma

By Sadayasihi on Sat, 18 Dec, 2021 - 06:00

After exploring the relationship between the transcendental (lokuttara) and historical time, Saccanama looks at the challenges facing us at this particular point in history. Individualism and materialism present challenges both to our society and to our practice of the Dharma. Put them together and we have a form of capitalism which is so dominant that it becomes impossible to imagine any other system. Set against this, the Dharma is always challenging.

This talk is part of the series ...

Western Buddhist Review
Western Buddhist Review

From Buddhist economics to a new Dharma politics

By Dhivan Thomas Jones on Fri, 15 Jan, 2016 - 10:59

From Buddhist economics to a new Dharma politics

By Dhivan Thomas Jones on Fri, 15 Jan, 2016 - 10:59

The following is an important and original combination of a review of Vaddhaka’s book The Buddha on Wall Street, and an article exploring some political implications of Vaddhaka’s Buddhist critique of neo-liberal capitalism.

A review-article of Vaddhaka Linn, The Buddha on Wall Street, Windhorse Publications, Cambridge, 2015

by Manjusiha

Bryan Magee, in Confessions of a Philosopher, says, of Schopenhauer and Hegel, ‘I do not think anything in the whole history of philosophy compares with this invective by one now world-famous philosopher against another’ (1998, p.466). The feud between philosophers...

Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

FBA Podcast: Buddhism and the Modern World

By Rijupatha on Sat, 14 Nov, 2015 - 11:00

This week’s FBA Podcast features Vajratara in a talk entitled “Buddhism and the Modern World”. Given on a retreat for young women training for Ordination, Vajratara describes the topical issues of the time and asks what the Buddhist response is. The refugee crisis, the rise of Jeremy Corbyn, the effects of neo liberal capitalism and environmental denigration; all point to a change in the way we see each other and the world. We...

Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabyte: Sangha as a Radical Alternative to Capitalism

By Rijupatha on Thu, 29 Oct, 2015 - 10:00

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte explores a topic deriving from one of the Six Emphases of Triratna in a talk entitled “Sangha as a Radical Alternative to Capitalism”, from the talk “Sangha As a Radical Alternative to Capitalism and Modern Youth Culture”.

Young Peoples facilitator Kara Moses talks about why industrialised Capitalist society presents us with particularly challenging conditions for Buddhist practise, and how the Sangha provides a radical positive alternative.

Talk given at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre on...

Buddhist Action Month 2015
Buddhist Action Month 2015

with stillness, simplicity, and contentment - ?

By mokshini on Mon, 29 Jun, 2015 - 08:00

with stillness, simplicity, and contentment - ?

By mokshini on Mon, 29 Jun, 2015 - 08:00

What does it mean to live ‘a simple life’ in the 21st century?

Do we even discuss this frequently, or at all, with our Buddhist friends? As we come to the end of Buddhist Action Month, but hopefully only to the beginning of further engagement with the issues raised over the month, this might be an interesting and fruitful question to discuss. How much do we make conscious the fact that we have all grown up and been conditioned by the ethos...

Norwich Buddhist Centre
Norwich Buddhist Centre

"The Growth Fetish": a talk by Vaddhaka

By Maitrisingha on Sat, 27 Jun, 2015 - 11:21

"The Growth Fetish": a talk by Vaddhaka

By Maitrisingha on Sat, 27 Jun, 2015 - 11:21

Vaddhaka, author of The Buddha on Wall Street and Chairman of the Tallin Centre in Estonia gives a talk entitled “The Growth Fetish”; an exploration of the effects of growth on nature and the environment.

Talk given as part of Buddhist Action Month (BAM) at Norwich Buddhist Centre on 23 June 2015 .

Buddhist Action Month 2015
Buddhist Action Month 2015

Vaddhaka launches new book at Dublin Buddhist Centre

By Sadayasihi on Wed, 17 Jun, 2015 - 21:32

Vaddhaka launches new book at Dublin Buddhist Centre

By Sadayasihi on Wed, 17 Jun, 2015 - 21:32

Report by Adam Dinan about the launch of Vaddhaka’s book The Buddha on Wall Street which happened as part of Buddhist Action Month in the Dublin Buddhist Centre:-

A large crowd gathered at Dublin Buddhist Centre on Friday June 13th to witness the launch of Vaddhaka Linn’s new book, The Buddha on Wall Street.  As part of the launch, Vaddhaka delivered a Dharma Talk on the topic of “Evolution, Capitalism, and The Buddha”.

He began by describing how the organisation of our economic system is greatly influenced...

Buddhist Action Month 2015
Buddhist Action Month 2015

Is Western Buddhism the perfect ideological supplement to capitalism?!

By mokshini on Sat, 13 Jun, 2015 - 10:30

Is Western Buddhism the perfect ideological supplement to capitalism?!

By mokshini on Sat, 13 Jun, 2015 - 10:30

…at least this is what Slavoj Zizek, a Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic who writes an occasional column for the Guardian newspaper in England, has suggested. Vaddhaka quotes him in his book ‘The Buddha On Wall Street’*:

“According to Zizek, what he calls ‘Western Buddhism’ is the ‘perfect ideological supplement’ to capitalism. He believes that the emphasis in ‘Western Buddhism’ on meditation encourages Buddhists to create an inner distance from the ‘mad dance’ of modern capitalism, to give up any attempt to...

Triratna News
Triratna News

Buddhism and economics: an interview with Vaddhaka

By Munisha on Tue, 19 May, 2015 - 19:14

Buddhism and economics: an interview with Vaddhaka

By Munisha on Tue, 19 May, 2015 - 19:14

Vaddhaka is on a tour of Triratna Buddhist centres in the UK and Ireland, promoting his book about Buddhism and capitalism, The Buddha on Wall Street. See below for further dates.

Before his Manchester talk, Clear Vision filmed an interview with him. What is a practical Buddhist response to capitalism? How might an economics motivated by generosity look?

(32 minutes)

Hear Vaddhaka live! The UK and Ireland tour continues:

May 21st  Nottingham Buddhist Centre
May 26th  Liverpool Buddhist Centre (Sorry, this has had to be cancelled.)
May...

Community Highlights
Community Highlights

The Buddha On Wall Street - Sample Chapter: The Waste Economy

The Buddha On Wall Street - Sample Chapter: The Waste Economy

By Candradasa on Tue, 7 Apr, 2015 - 21:59

Windhorse Publications are very excited to announce the release of Vaḍḍhaka Linn’s The Buddha on Wall Street: What’s Wrong with Capitalism and What We Can Do About It.

Described by David Loy as an ‘original, insightful, and provocative evaluation of our economic situation today’, The Buddha on Wall Street suggests that there is an alternative to our current economic system which allows us to fulfil our potential as human beings whilst living in a society...

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