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Dharmabytes from free buddhist audio

Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabytes features bite-sized dharma, three times a week, from the Free Buddhist Audio archives. Themed in conjunction with our weekly full length talk podcast, these are inspiring short extracts from over 5,000 talks on Buddhism, meditation and mindfulness!

Tune in, be inspired!

  • 1,444 episodes
  • Updated Yesterday

Episodes1444

  • Jun 11, 2012 · 6 min

    The Richness of the Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The Richness of the Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutraand#8221; is an introduction to one of the seven themes in the sutra, The Way of Non-Duality, from chapter nine of the work, The Dharma Door of Non-Duality. The full the talk and#8220;The Way of Non-Dualityand#8221; was given in 1979 as part of the series and#8220;The Inconceivable Emancipation and#8211; Themes from the Vimalakirti Nirdeshaand#8221; and will be featured in Saturdayand#8217;s podcast.

  • Jun 7, 2012 · 6 min

    Ritual, Metaphor and Poetry

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Ritual, Metaphor and Poetryand#8221; is an excerpt from the talk and#8220;Standing on Emptiness: View, Meditation, and Actionand#8221; by Dhammadassin. This beautifully weighted talk challenges us to look at how we think and how we act, and is rooted in a moving fidelity to experience as the ground of our inspiration. One to be treasured! Talk given at the Western Buddhist Order women's national Order weekend, August 2004

  • Jun 4, 2012 · 5 min

    Ryokan's Poems

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is a lovely introduction to and#8220;Ryokanand#8217;s Poemsand#8221; from the inspiring talk by Padmavajra titled and#8220;Bliss Bestowing Hands.and#8221; Packed with poetry and typically robust Zen reflections, this talk makes sure we are left with a heightened sense of the present moment as our only ground of being. From the not-to-be-missed series and#8220;Tangling Eyebrows with Zen Masters.and#8221;

  • May 31, 2012 · 5 min

    Creative, Committed and Clear

    In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyteand#8221; Sangharakshita speaks on the positive counterparts of the Three Fetters: Creative, Committed andamp; Clear.and#8221; From the talk and#8220;Entering the Sanghaand#8221; given on Sangharakshitaand#8217;s first visit to the Buddhafield Festival, Devon 2007.

  • May 28, 2012 · 4 min

    Tension Between Self and Other

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Tension Between Self and Other,and#8221; by Kavyasiddhi is from the accessible talk, and#8220;Learning the Metta Bhavanaand#8221; given on a retreat open to people of all levels of meditation experience. Here she shares a personal account working with the tension arising between focusing on oneand#8217;s self and focusing on the needs of others.

  • May 24, 2012 · 11 min

    Meghiya – Readings from the Pali Canon

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, is a lovely reading of the story of and#8220;Meghiyaand#8221; by Sangharakshita. Beautifully read by Sangharakshita, these readings are taken from the oldest scriptural texts and evoke the real spirit of early Buddhism and#8211; the struggles, the joys and the triumphs of ordinary people who followed the path to Truth. The and#8220;Readings from the Pali Canonand#8221; was recorded in 2000 to mark the Digital Legacy project to begin transferring Dharmachakraand#8217;s archive to digital format!

  • May 21, 2012 · 9 min

    Creating Spiritual Friendship

    In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, Paramabandhu offers us ways of and#8220;Creating Spiritual Friendship.and#8221; Includes a reading of the lovely poem on compassion titled The Unseen Flower by Sangharakshita. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, May 2001

  • May 17, 2012 · 5 min

    Sincerity, Thoroughness, and Strenuousness

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Sincerity, Thoroughness, and Strenuousness,and#8221; is a thoughtful look at the synthesis of the total Buddhist tradition emerging in the western world. Sangharakshita points out that as a living religion, Buddhism is very new in our western cultures. The Chinese occupation has had enormous effects on Tibetan Buddhism. What future does it have, and what can Western Buddhists learn from its unique heritage? From the talk and#8220;The Future of Tibetan Buddhismand#8221; given in 1968, part of the series: and#8220;An Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism.and#8221;

  • May 14, 2012 · 8 min

    The Three Yanas in Tibetan Buddhism

    In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The Three Yanas in Tibetan Buddhism,and#8221; Sangharakshita explores how in Tibetan Buddhism we can learn about all three yanas and#8211; the Hinayana, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana. From the talk and#8220;The Future of Tibetan Buddhismand#8221; given in 1968.

  • May 10, 2012 · 5 min

    The Bardo of Life, An Extraordinary Opportunity

    In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The Bardo of Life, An Extraordinary Opportunity,and#8221; Padmavajra explores the great text that reveals the realms between death and new life, where anything is possible in the Bardo and#8211; the and#8216;intermediate stateand#8217;. and#8221; From the first talk in the series and#8220;Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol).and#8221;

  • May 7, 2012 · 5 min

    Buddhism Beyond Samsara

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Buddhism Beyond Samsaraand#8221; takes us into the reflections of Vajradarsini on practicing purely with insight in mind. Buddhism is not being better at samsara nor is it relying on the material plane. From the talk and#8220;The Transitoriness of Life and the Certainty of Deathand#8220;, part of a five part series titled and#8220;The Four Mind Turnings.and#8221; given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre for women training for ordination in the Triratna Buddhist Order.

  • May 3, 2012 · 7 min

    Flowers from the Dhammapada

    Todayand#8217;s Dharmabyte is a closer look into the chapter titled and#8220;Flowersand#8221; from the and#8220;Dhammapadaand#8220;, by Padmavajra. The ideal student masters the realm of death by entering the transcendental path while discerning the Verses of Truth.

  • Apr 30, 2012 · 12 min

    How to Hold a Vision

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is brought to us by the delightful Saddhanandi and#8220;How to Hold a Visionand#8221; from the talk and#8220;Enlightenment as Heart, Life as Whole.and#8221; Are we nourished or are we burdened by our ideals? Ideals need to be well-rooted in our heartsand#8230; beyond the worldly windsand#8230; not an abstraction, our vision is our direction and our orientation that guides us along the way.

  • Apr 26, 2012 · 11 min

    The Buddha's Gratitude

    Todayand#8217;s Dharmabyte is on and#8220;The Buddhaand#8217;s Gratitudeand#8221; discussing the importance of gratitude for the spiritual life, even for the Buddha following his Enlightenment. The talk, and#8220;Looking at the Bodhi Tree,and#8221; given in 1975 by Sangharakshita, is as relevant today as it was then.

  • Apr 23, 2012 · 7 min

    Bahiya – In the Seen Only the Seen…

    This weeks FBA Dharmabyte,and#8221;Bahiya and#8211; In the Seen Only the Seenand#8221; is a reading from the book and#8216;Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened Oneand#8217; (Quercus, 2011) by Vishvapani. The original talk, Imagining Gautama, is part of series launching the book from February 2011.

  • Apr 19, 2012 · 9 min

    What is Enlightenment?

    This weeks FBA Dharmabyte titled: and#8220;What is Enlightenment?and#8220;, from the talk, and#8220;Enlightenment as Experience and as Non-Experienceand#8221; by Sangharakshita exposes a modern disease of frustrated craving for experience. Sangharakshita suggests that spiritual life is better seen in more concrete ways; as growth, work, and duty.

  • Apr 16, 2012 · 5 min

    Practising Purely

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Practising Purely,and#8221; by Varjadarshini, is from the third talk in a five-part series from Tiratanalokaand#8217;s retreat on the and#8220;Four Mind Turningsand#8221; of the Tibetan tradition titled: and#8220;The Transitoriness of Life and the Certainty of Death.and#8221;

  • Apr 12, 2012 · 5 min

    Trying to Make Samsara Work

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, is brought to us by Maitreyi titled: and#8220;Trying to Make Samsara Workand#8220;. Another gem from the talk and#8220;The Defects and Dangers of Samsaraand#8221; where Maitreyi looks at pleasure and suffering in the context of samsara and#8211; compassionate responses to self and other, and how to loosen the bondsand#8230; Talk given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2005 This talk is part of the series and#8220;The Four Mind-Turning Reflectionsand#8220;.

  • Apr 9, 2012 · 11 min

    The Four Rivers of Samsara

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The Four Rivers of Samsaraand#8221; is from the second talk from the 2009 UK Womenand#8217;s Order / Mitra Event titled and#8220;Generating Bodhi Mindand#8221; by Vajratara. She guides us through the second section of Tsongkhapaand#8217;s short text on and#8220;The Three Principle Aspects of the Pathand#8221;. The verses contain some strong and striking images for what it feels like being caught in Samsara and they come to life in Vajrataraand#8217;s talk. She relates how she nearly came to death herself swept away by a Indonesian river and that was just an ordinary river current, never mind the current of Samsara!

  • Apr 5, 2012 · 4 min

    Cultural, Political and Social Change

    Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Cultural, Political and Social Changeand#8220;, is an extract from a question and answer session with Sangharakshita at the Croydon Buddhist Centre in November, 2004. The full recording can be found here: and#8220;An Evening with Sangharakshita.and#8221;