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Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabytes: The Clinging is the Self

By Centre Team on Thu, 21 Dec, 2023 - 11:00

Drawing on her experience as a poet, Varasahaya discusses creativity, imagination, and the writing process as a spiritual practice. She reads some of her poems, and explains the process by which they came to birth, and what she learnt about letting go of self as she grappled with writing. Excerpted from the talk Writing As Spiritual Practice given at West London Buddhist Centre, 2017.

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Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabytes: The Whole Person Growing in All Directions

By Centre Team on Thu, 7 Dec, 2023 - 11:00

Maitreyabandhu shares his reflections on the role of the imagination in the spiritual life. Drawing on his experience as an artist, poet and Buddhist practitioner. Excerpted from the talk A Further Reach - Imagination and the Radical given at Croydon Buddhist Centre, 2011.

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Free Buddhist Audio

FBA Podcast: The Moon

By Zac on Sat, 25 Feb, 2023 - 06:00

Paramananda in this free-ranging talk, explains how the moon’s soft light represents compassion, and recites three moon poems that evoke messages of self-knowledge and the regular tides or rhythms of being human. This talk was given at West London Buddhist Centre, 2016.

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Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabyte: Ways We Limit Ourselves

By Zac on Mon, 29 Aug, 2022 - 06:00

Abandoning Our Wrong Ideas About the Path

More poetry, more Rumi, more listening joy from Vajradarshini. And what a title! In fact, this is another splendid journey around the idea of Enlightenment, using the languages of surrender and discipline from the Sufi context. It’s as heady as a sumptuous wine, but also sobering and down to earth, whether we’re “following a railing in the dark” or “wandering inside the red world”. Drink up! From the talk entitled ...

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Free Buddhist Audio

FBA Podcast: A New Knowledge of Reality-Buddhism and Poetry

By Zac on Sun, 28 Aug, 2022 - 06:00

Maitreyabandhu draws out the deeper meaning and finer detail of five different poems, each around the theme of death with the final poem focusing on spiritual rebirth.

By discussing the background of the poems and poets, the intricacies of their structure, and bringing in a Buddhist interpretation of the themes raised in the poems, Maitreyabandhu shows us the importance and profundity of poetry and how it can help us to explore Dharmic themes more deeply.

This talk was...

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Buddhist Voices

Aryavacin and Manjugita: Poetry and The Dharma Life (Full Conversation in Spanish)

By Zac on Sun, 26 Jun, 2022 - 11:51

Al igual que muchas de las historias que escuchamos en el proyecto Cincuenta Años, Cincuenta Voces, la amistad ha marcado la vida de los miembros de la Orden en toda nuestra comunidad internacional. En este episodio escuchamos a dos buenos amigos que comparten sus caminos y su historia de práctica del Dharma, con un toque poético. Desde Mérida, en el corazón de los Andes venezolanos, hasta el Centro Budista de la Ciudad de México, Aryavacin y Manjugita están animados por...

Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

FBA Podcast: The Loveliest Bodhisattvas

By Free Buddhist Audio on Sat, 3 Oct, 2020 - 05:34

In this talk, Padmavajra explores the Altruistic dimension of Going for Refuge - The Bodhisattva Ideal - through Bhante’s poem ‘The Guardian Wall’.

He particularly explores the line in the poem: ‘The loveliest Bodhisattvas are the anonymous’ and what this means for somebody aspiring to practice the great ideal of the Bodhisattva.

Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre during the ‘Bodhisattva Ideal’ retreat in January 2020.

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FBA Podcast: Here, Then

By Sadayasihi on Sat, 29 Aug, 2020 - 14:00

Subhadassi talks about dharma practice in challenging times, drawing on poetry & literature (Pablo Neruda & Franz Kafka) and the Perfection of Wisdom Tradition (especially the Heart Sutra). We also bump into the householder Vimalakirti, Subhadassi’s wife & children, the Diamond Sutra, Compassion, the Three Lakshanas & Hakuin along the way.

Talk given for...

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Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabyte: Infinite Spaces + Boundless Awareness

By Sadayasihi on Mon, 6 Jul, 2020 - 14:00

It is possible to move our sense of who we are, our stories are changeable. Vidyamala invites us into the world of myth, symbol and poetry to challenge our fixed sense of self.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a fluid sense of oneself? Responding to whatever arises with kindness, with love, with compassion, with infinite creative potential.

She finishes emphasising kindness with a wonderful quote from Patrul Rimpoche: “Have a good heart and act with kindness. There is no higher teaching.”

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Free Buddhist Audio

FBA Podcast: Sangharakshita Foresees His Death In 'Padmaloka'

By Sadayasihi on Sat, 1 Feb, 2020 - 09:00

Vishvapani beautifully explores Sangharakshita’s poem ‘Padmaloka’ in which he looks forward to his own death.

It’s a poem about death, rebirth and nature, and Vishvapani connects it to other poetry which it echoes.

This talk was given a week after Sangharakshita’s death in November 2018 at Cardiff Buddhist Centre.

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