Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabyte: Faith as Metta

By Sadayasihi on Mon, 19 Nov, 2018 - 13:00

Today’s FBA Dharmabyte, is called Faith as Metta by Saddhaloka from the talk entitled Amitabha. This is the fourth talk in a six-part series on the figures on the Wheel of Life. Saddhaloka introduces us to Amitabha, the red Buddha of the West who represents and inspires the highest love of all. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, winter retreat, 1997

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Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabyte: Shradda - A Curious Intuition

By Sadayasihi on Mon, 5 Mar, 2018 - 17:25

Drawing out concepts from the Dhammapada’s verses, Padmavajra explores the qualities of faith (or shraddha) in this FBA Dharmabyte entitled “Shraddha - A Curious Intuition”.

From the talk “Changing Hatred into Love - Dhammapada Verses 3 to 6” given in 2007, and part of a larger series “The Dhammapada - The Buddha’s Way of Truth”.

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Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabyte: Changing Faith

By Sadayasihi on Wed, 21 Feb, 2018 - 17:36

In this FBA Dharmabyte entitled ‘Changing Faith’, Sangharakshita discusses how Faith (shraddha) arises in dependence on unsatisfactoriness (dukkha). From the talk The Dynamics of Being given in 1966 as part of the series Introducing Buddhism.

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Buddhist Centre Features
Buddhist Centre Features

Reverencing the Buddha At the Place of His Enlightenment by Purna

By Free Buddhist Audio on Wed, 7 Feb, 2018 - 07:36

As his contribution to evoking the “lion’s roar” of the Buddha, Purna talks about myth and the importance of reverence in any spiritual life, regardless of temperament. We are given a faith-centered tour of the seven traditional spots around the Bodhi tree marking different aspects of the Buddha’s Enlightenment experience. And Purna enjoins us to “release faith” by following in the Buddha’s footsteps and dropping our rigid self view…

Recorded at Bodhgaya, India, 2018.

See all posts from the 2018 Convention

Buddhist Centre Features
Buddhist Centre Features

Great Faith, Great Wisdom - Complete Retreat Recordings By Ratnaguna

By Centre Team on Fri, 22 Sep, 2017 - 15:05

On this retreat, recorded during the recent Rainy Season Retreat at Bristol Buddhist Centre in the UK, Ratnaguna guides us on a journey into Amitābha’s Pure Land, Sukhāvati – a mythical realm where the ground is golden, trees are made of jewels, heavenly musical instruments play ravishing music, and magical birds sing the Dharma. It is a vast ‘illumined image’ – a symbol of the beauty and joy of the spiritual life. The three Pure Land sutras invite...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Great Faith, Great Wisdom, Day 6 - Rainy Season Retreat 2017 by Ratnaguna

By Centre Team on Sat, 16 Sep, 2017 - 15:23

All this week, Ratnaguna and the Bristol Triratna sangha have turned their urban Centre into a realm for exploration of Sukhavati, the Pure Land of Amitabha. Now on the last day of our retreat, we meet the Buddha. This is what the retreat has been building up to…

With readings from the Guan Jing and from the Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava.

Recorded as part of Ratnaguna’s retreat on Great Faith, Great Wisdom at Bristol Buddhist Centre, Sept 2017.

Talk 9: The Buddha Beyond the Buddha
Ratnaguna...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Great Faith, Great Wisdom, Day 5 - Rainy Season Retreat 2017 by Ratnaguna

By Centre Team on Thu, 14 Sep, 2017 - 22:04

On the 5th day of the Rainy Season Retreat, Ratnaguna takes us into the world of the the Sutra on the Visualisation of the Buddha Amitayus, or Guan Jing. Some wonderful guided meditations, conversation, and another excellent talk await…

The Guan Jing or Sutra on the Visualisation of the Buddha Amitayus - Introduction and Reading, Queen Vaidehi’s Predicament Followed by a Visualisation of the Setting Sun
Ratnaguna starts the fifth day of the retreat with a brief introduction to the Guan...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Great Faith, Great Wisdom, Day 4 - Rainy Season Retreat 2017 by Ratnaguna

By Centre Team on Wed, 13 Sep, 2017 - 20:20

Day 4 brings us a bumper crop of great Dharma exploration and evocation from Ratnaguna and friends in the Bristol sangha as they deepen into their retreat together.

Talk 6: The Sutra as a Practice of Annussati - Recollection of the Three Jewels
Ratnaguna introduces the practice of reading the longer Sukhavativuyha Sutra as a recollection of the Buddha, Dharma and arya-Sangha.

Reading from the Longer Sukhavativyuha Sutra - The Living Beings of the Buddhafield
Ratnaguna briefly recaps on how...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Great Faith, Great Wisdom, Day 3 - Rainy Season Retreat 2017 by Ratnaguna

By Centre Team on Tue, 12 Sep, 2017 - 21:34

Two more recordings from Ratnaguna’s beautiful retreat, going on all week in Bristol, UK, with the Triratna community in the heart of the city. A great fifth talk, and a different approach from the first day’s visualisation to imagining Sukhavati, the great jewelled realm of Amitabha.

Talk 5: The Mystery of the Pure Land
This talk corrects some common misunderstandings about the Pure Land texts. The sutras are not to be read as philosophy but appreciated as...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Great Faith, Great Wisdom, Day 2 - Rainy Season Retreat 2017 by Ratnaguna

By Centre Team on Tue, 12 Sep, 2017 - 21:17

A wonderful second pair of talks, bringing to life Sukhavati, the great Pure Land or Happy Land of Amitabha.

Talk 3: The ​D​eathless Buddha - Possible Roots of Sukhavati in the Pali Canon
In this fascinating talk, Ratnaguna shows us remarkable resonances between the Sukhavativuyha sutras and two late Pali suttas - the Mahaparinibbana sutta and Mahasuddassana sutta, and suggests the Sukhavativuyha sutras may have arisen from the distress of the Buddha’s followers after his Parinirvana. 

We also explored meanings of...

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