Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabyte: Spiritual Friends

By Sadayasihi on Thu, 31 Jan, 2019 - 11:00

In today’s FBA Dharmabyte, we hear an excerpt entitled Spiritual Friends. Sujiva explores friendship in general & Spiritual Friendship (Kalyana Mitrata) in particular, drawing upon his personal experience in this heart-felt talk.

The full talk, Facebook Friends, Real Friends, Spiritual Friends, was given at the Auckland Buddhist Centre as a part of a Dharma night series.

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Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabyte: Reflecting on Old Age and Death

By Sadayasihi on Fri, 27 Jul, 2018 - 12:02

In this FBA Dharmabyte, ‘Reflecting on Old Age and Death’, Sangharakshita takes us through a personal ramble through the history of letters and letter writing.

As usual the range of Sangharakshita’s reflections in this is hugely impressive - taking in late mediaeval and 18th century letter culture, provocative takes on Christianity, the Romantic poets and even the economy! It’s an education and a genuine, poignant pleasure to hear him evoke a vanishing art, pass on...

Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabyte: A Network of Relationships

By Sadayasihi on Mon, 23 Jul, 2018 - 12:19

This FBA Dharmabyte podcast today is called ‘A Network of Relationships’ by Abhayanandi.

The Buddha famously said that fellowship is the whole of the spiritual life. Is that really true?! Abhayanandi has been following this teaching notably by living in a residential Buddhist community and working in a team-based right-livelihood business. Hear her inspirational and hard-won reflections on Living Sangha.

From the talk entitled “Living Sangha.

Subscribe to our Dharmabytes Podcast.

Community Highlights
Community Highlights

Ordination Training Centres Exploring Triratna @ 50 - Ordination Vows and the Great Gathering

By Sadayasihi on Mon, 29 Jan, 2018 - 17:13

2017 saw the celebrations of 50 years of the Triratna Buddhist Community and 2018 sees the 50th anniversary of the Triratna Buddhist Order.  In this context in the Padmaloka Retreat Centre - which runs ordination training retreats for men - members of the Ordination Team gave talks on each of the 4 acceptance vows, recited during one’s public ordination ceremony.  These vows essentialise what it means to be an order member practising within the Triratna Buddhist Order.  The...

Buddhist Centre Features
Buddhist Centre Features

Prasadachitta - Whirlpools and Clear Water

By Candradasa on Fri, 30 Oct, 2015 - 23:59

Prasadachitta’s talk is like a beautiful stillness amid the whirl of a full Order Convention. His conversational style gradually brings forth the depth of reflection behind it. And the integrity of his personal practice bubbles easily to the surface when, with humility and good humour, he shares his own experience of working across two very human tendencies that have a bearing on friendship. 

His evocation of the river - now full of whirlpools as it flows through the ‘Neurotaloka’, now becalmed as...

Buddhist Centre Features
Buddhist Centre Features

Lokeshvara - Five Thoughts On Friendship As A Spritual Path

By Candradasa on Thu, 29 Oct, 2015 - 22:55

Lokeshvara in lovely form, as befits his subject, sharing some thoughts around the idea of friendship (specifically kalyana mitrata in the Buddhist tradition) as a full spiritual path in and of itself. 

His five perspectives go easily beyond any cliches about the importance of friendship. What we get instead is a deeply felt and considered, always sympathetic and practical look at what it takes to transform ourselves by being a friend to others. 

To locate the practice in the Triratna Buddhist Order he draws...

Buddhist Centre Features
Buddhist Centre Features

Viriyakirti - La Lluvia del Dharma (Revisada)

By Candradasa on Wed, 28 Oct, 2015 - 05:28

Introducing the theme of kalyana mitrata - the Buddhist idea of beautiful friendship as a full spiritual path - Viriyakirti, the newest and youngest Order member in Latin America, revisits Urgyen Sangharakshita’s celebrated talk The Rain of the Dharma as a basis for looking at what makes friendship a practice in itself…

Una charla en Español y en Inglés.

View all posts from the Pan-American Convention 2015

Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

The Voice That Says ‘Be Generous’

By viriyalila on Thu, 14 Nov, 2013 - 16:54
Today’s FBA Dharmabyte is titled The Voice That Says ‘Be Generous’ by Vajratara. To have friends, we need to learn to be a friend. Friendship is an active practice, not to be left to chance. In this excerpt from the talk “How to Be a Friend” Vajratara points out the a friend reminds us of our own ethical values.
Paramabandhu
Practical Buddhism: Mindfulness and Skilful Living in the Modern Era

15 Points For Friendship

By Paramabandhu on Tue, 19 Feb, 2013 - 15:31
Review by Free Buddhist Audio.

A useful look at the role friendship plays in our lives as practising Buddhists, following a classic ‘15 Points’ model… A good-humoured, honest approach to understanding what the Buddha means when he talks about spirtual friendship being the whole of the spirtual life.

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