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Dharmachakra

Free Buddhist Audio has been serving free recordings of high quality, full-length Dharma talks since 2006. Over 3 million downloads and counting... Get our free weekly Dharma talk podcast with inspiring speakers on Buddhism, meditation and mindfulness.

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#786
Saturday · 1 hr 10 min
Initiation From the Naga King
After the Buddha's Enlightenment, the Buddha sat in a grove of trees, absorbing what had happened, his experience unfolding in all directions. A great storm arose, and a huge Cobra came and wrapped its coils around him, protecting him from the rain and wind. What does this story hold for us in our Dharma lives, particularly meditation? Vajratara looks in depth at the symbolism of the Naga King and his protection of the Buddha, exploring the forces of the unconscious and the symbolism of energy centres in the body. Talk given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre for those training for ordination, 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#785
August 29 · 32 min
How to Change Your Mind, Meditative States and Indirect Methods
In this talk, Satyagosha explores "How to Change Your Mind" by looking at meditative states and the "indirect methods" that support them. He unpacks the stages of internal development and how we can use everyday activities like ethics, ritual, devotion, the arts, and service to support our spiritual growth. This talk was given at North London Buddhist Centre, 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#784
August 22 · 1 hr 3 min
Me, the Buddhist Centre, and the State of the World
We live in a time ridden by crisis and difficulty. How should Buddhist's respond? This is a personal and very honest talk from Vajragupta, looking squarely at the challenges, and owning his own doubts and fears. There are no easy answers, but some suggestions of where to begin. One suggestion is that we look to the example of the Buddha, who also lived in very turbulent, troubled times. This is a challenging but ultimately inspiring talk, about Buddhism and Triratna in the world today. It was given at Croydon Buddhist Centre, 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#783
August 15 · 58 min
A Vision of Human Existence
Revisiting the original series by Sangharakshita, entitled Buddhism for Today – and Tomorrow, given in 1976, Jnanadhara slightly rearranges the sequence of the talks. He begins with a verse from the Udana and proceeds to outline the cyclic and progressive trends in conditionality. Jnanadhara discusses the importance of faith/shraddha and an exploration of the functioning of carving/trsna and attachment/upadana. It finishes with a quote from the 'Tibetan Book of the Dead'. This talk was given at Sudarshanaloka Retreat Centre and is part of the series Buddhism for Today – and Tomorrow Revisited, 2026. The original series by Sangharakshita is now digitally remastered! Support the Digital Legacy project by Dharmachakra: https://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/digital-legacy *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#782
August 8 · 53 min
Sangharakshita: The Mystic and the Poet
Karunadhi explores the mythic and spiritual dimension of Bhante Sangharakshita's life and what the emotional significance of Going for Refuge. Through stories, poetry, and the image of the refuge tree, she reflects on his love for the Three Jewels, his connection to his teachers, and his dedication to the Bodhisattva ideal. Talk given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre as part of a series celebrating Sangharakshita's 100th birthday, 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#781
August 1 · 37 min
How Do You Navigate Yourself On the Buddhist Path
How do you navigate yourself on the Buddhist Path? How do you choose the right direction of travel if you don't know where you're going or what the Goal is? If the Goal is Enlightenment, do you understand what the Buddha means by Enlightenment? Or is your understanding of it a bit vague and muddled? The Buddha is specific. Saddhaloka will be looking at this whole area. This talk was given at Buddhistisches Tor Berlin, 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#780
July 25 · 34 min
The Story of Bahia
Back in the Buddha's time, it's thought that there were lots of people who were looking for meaning, going from teacher to teacher. Sometimes they were householders, sometimes royalty, but they were all shopping around - shopping for wisdom. The Buddha met many people like this. He also met people who'd achieved quite a bit by following other teachers, or those who had themselves become teachers. There were those who worshiped fire and those who practised austerities. There were nihilists and eternalists. And then there was Bahiya – Bahiya of the Bark Garment, as he was known. Here, Jayagupta reads his own story, 'Looking for Bahia' in which he reflects on his own quest for meaning, using that as a context for retelling and reflecting on the life and death of Bahiya and the simple teaching that he received from the Buddha. This talk was given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#779
July 18 · 37 min
Dying Into Freedom: Spiritual Death In the Triratna System of Practice
As part of the series on Personal Development (system of practice) Parami helps us understand how important spiritual death is in our lives. She explores the small moments of letting go which help us to break through ego clinging, allowing freedom and creativity to emerge. This talk was given at Glasgow Buddhist Centre, 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#778
July 15 · 56 min
The Cremation Ground is Everywhere
Padmavajra explores the symbolism of Padmasambhava's famous exile in the eight great cremation grounds. And explores the important teaching that The Eight Consciousnesses (aṣṭa vijñānakāyāḥ) of the Yogacara are regarded in Tantric Buddhism as the eight great cremation grounds. So, we are always in the realm of decay and death. Yet the cremation ground is also the place of initiation, and in this masterful and fascinating talk, remembering his own teacher Sangharakshita's period of "exile" from respectable Buddhist circles in the 1960s in London, Padmavajra explores a significant series of initiations that Padmasambhava received during a crucial period in his life and mythic story. This talk was given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, on the men's Spring Great Gathering, 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#777
July 4 · 37 min
The Lineage of Practice
In this imaginative talk, which begins with an evocation of how unbelievably fortunate we are to be able to practice together in community, Candradasa speaks to one of the four lineages of our sangha as drawn out by Urgyen Sangharakshita, Triratna's founder. He evokes the lineage of practice as a continuous chain of human inspiration and curiosity – from ancient peoples around the fire, to Siddhartha on the cusp of personal failure under the bodhi tree, to Sangharakshita in India, and finally to the current generation of practitioners who must embody and transmit the Dharma. This talk was given in March 2026 as part of the 'Live United' retreat, bringing together members of the Order holding positions of responsibility in Canada and the U.S. with visiting guests from Europe who also hold major responsibilities in Triratna. Aryaloka Buddhist Center, 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#776
June 27 · 56 min
May Our Communication With One Another Be Sangha
Padmavajra explores the profound lines from Sangharakshita's Dedication Ceremony: "Here seated, here practising My our mind become Buddha, May our thought become Dharma May our communication with one another be Sangha" Recorded at the Autumn Going for Refuge weekend retreat at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2024. https://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/audio/details?num=LOC6267 *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#775
June 20 · 40 min
Wisdom's Gathering: the Difference That Makes a Difference
Dhammamegha speaks about Sangha as Dharma practice and how spiritual community and friendship with the admirable are part of our heritage in Triratna. A talk given on the Triratna Buddhist Community International Gathering at Adhisthana, 2017. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#774
June 13 · 1 hr 2 min
A Blueprint for a New World
Is it possible to create a society in which all social, economic, and political arrangements will support the development of true individuality? In this lecture, Sangharakshita discusses a number of principles essential to the successful transformation of our current society. This talk is part of the series Buddhism for Today – and Tomorrow, given in 1976 and digitally remastered in 2026. Support the Digital Legacy project by Dharmachakra *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
June 6 · 54 min
"This Is Truth! This Is Not Truth!": Beyond Outrage
The Dharma meets androcentricity and culture wars. Maitrisiddhi explores how we can relate to views on gender without polarising. She asks, how do we bring the Dharma to bear on our and others' deeply-held views? And how do we hold some of Sangharakshita's conditioned views? Honest, nuanced, sensitive. This talk was given at Taraloka Retreat Centre, as part of the series entitled Daughters of the Buddha: Lineage of Freedom, 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
#772
May 30 · 56 min
Awakening As Gratitude
There's a story about the Buddha bowing to the tree under which he has just gained Enlightenment. Inspired by this this story, Vajragupta sees the whole path to Awakening in terms of gratitude. The grasping mind cannot feel grateful. But the Awakened know and feel just how deeply they are supported and enabled by other people, other life, and conditions in the world around them. Vajragupta uses poetry and anecdotes to give four suggestions for "turning our lives into gratitude". He sees the practice of gratitude as a wisdom or insight practice. From the mind-set and perspective of gratitude, the world becomes larger, more beautiful and abundant, and we naturally wish to give back. This talk was given at Croydon Buddhist Centre, 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB
#771
May 23 · 36 min
Absorption - After the Enlightenment
How do you get used to being Enlightened? What happened to the Buddha in the weeks after his breakthrough experience? Kamalashila explores these questions in two ways - using the framework of our System of Meditation to shed light on the process that unfolded in the Bodhisattva's mind and body as Enlightenment dawned; and connecting us imaginatively with the symbolism and image of Muchalinda, the great serpent, coiling his body protectively round the meditating Buddha. This talk was given on the Triratna Buddhist Community's International Retreat, 2008. Kamalashila passed away in October 2024, to learn more about him and his contributions to Triratna, visit https://kamalashila.co.uk/ *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB
#1434
May 19 · 3 min
Our Biggest Hindrance
When we Go for Refuge, we can only Go for Refuge to that which is lokuttara - 'beyond the world'. In the third talk in this series, Satyaraja speaks of the need for a total orientation of our being towards Enlightenment through setting up conditions (pratitya samutpada), and the development of the Five Spiritual Faculties. Excerpted from the talk entitled 'For the Attainment of Enlightenment' given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2021. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB
#770
May 16 · 43 min
Enlightenment As Experience and Non-Experience
Here, Saddhanandi speaks about the nature of enlightenment, as experience and as non-experience, based on Bhante's lecture of the same name, given to the Buddhist Society in 1975. Given on retreat at Adhisthana, 2022. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB
#769
May 9 · 46 min
Vajrasana, the Tree of Life and the Revolution of Consciousness
Sanghadhara reflects on the Buddha's resolve to sit on the vajrasana beneath the Bodhi tree until he broke through conditioned existence and awoke. The talk explores vajrasana as the "diamond throne," drawing on an audio excerpt from Sangharakshita to unfold its meaning as the central point of the cosmos: the spiritual axis where the Buddha awakens, and where the symbolism of the vajra, the tree of life, and the Bodhi tree all meet. From there, the talk evokes Buddhist cosmology, the six elements, and the emergence of life and consciousness as part of a vast evolutionary movement that culminates in the possibility of awakening. The second half of the talk reflects on what this awakening reveals about selfhood, individuality, and reality itself. Talk given at Manchester Buddhist Centre, 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB
#768
May 2 · 36 min
Encountering Mara - Enlightenment Under Attack!
Have we got what it takes to wake up? Sanghagita follows Siddhartha Gautama's extraordinary quest to its turning point. In him we meet a seeker who turns down power, prestige and leadership, turning his back on the received wisdom of harsh asceticism, choosing instead something far more radical: to meditate alone in the comfortable shade of a beautiful tree. Here he meets Māra: tempter, accuser, embodiment of fear, desire, and doubt, unleashing everything he has to prevent Siddhartha's awakening. This talk was given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB

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