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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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787 episodes
Updated Saturday

Episodes787

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Jul 4, 2020 · 28 min
Radical Kindness In a Violent World
"The creative mind loves when there is no reason to love." Sangharakshita Viryajyoti gives the second talk in a series on Compassion for a Modern Word on a theme close to her heart. The Bodhisattva aim is to free all beings from suffering – what about here and now in the 21st century? What is radical kindness? What would it be like to be radically kind? The Buddha represents the spiritual ideal of Buddhism and through his life and teaching he exemplified a path of increasing selflessness, loving-kindness and a deep desire to help people achieve liberation. So how do we follow the example of the Buddha in our own time? In this age of modernity, what would the total, radical response of a Buddha to the world look like? And is it still possible to be liberated from the world while choosing to work for its good? Talk given at Cambridge Buddhist Centre, 2020. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Jun 27, 2020 · 57 min
Spiritual Receptivity and Just Sitting
Vessantara shares reflections that emerged during his three year retreat, namely a poignant opportunity to let go of self reference and enjoy the simple awareness of the present moment. This talk was given at the Triratna Buddhist Order European Order Gathering at Wymondham College August 25, 2012. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Jun 20, 2020 · 47 min
Entrance Into the Heart of the Mandala
Visuddhimati explores how we really need to know ourselves deeply and experientially to allow us to let go into the deep mystery at the heart of the mandala. She shares her reflections on initiation, spiritual death and rebirth, inspired by a Rilke poem. Using the structure of the Rilke poem she explores how engaging with images and allowing them to unfold their meaning within us, allows us to let go into wisdom. The mandala symbolism is explained with an emphasis on the significance of the circles of protection, including the circle of the 8 great cremation grounds which we may pass through on our journey into the heart of the mandala. Visuddhimati gives a personal account of the process of turning towards experience, making the darkness conscious in meditation, just sitting in the cremation grounds, and how this opens up the entrance to the bright clear light at the heart of the mandala. A talk given on the Women's Area Order Weekend at Adhisthana, March 2020. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Jun 13, 2020 · 39 min
Mindfulness and Insight
Drawing on his book on the Buddha, Vishvapani explores the connection between awareness of our immediate experience and seeing the true nature of existence. Talk given at Cardiff Buddhist Centre, 2018. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Jun 6, 2020 · 47 min
Appearance and Emptiness Are Inseparable
Karunagita explores emptiness through Padmasambhava's advice to Queen Ngang Chung: During the time of insight which is surrounded by a calm, gentle aura, openness and appearance are inseparable. The six senses come forth, though appearance and voidness are inseparable; this is the real foundation, without which no means exists. Talk given at Dhanakosa Retreat Center, 2017. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
May 30, 2020 · 56 min
Letting Go and Insight
Nagabodhi offers his reflections on the Buddha's enlightenment. What is it are we actually trying to achieve? How intensely are we cultivating and experiencing metta, friendship, kindness, compassion, patience and love? This talk is part of the series The Bridge, the Path and the Goal given at Adhisthana, 2019. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
May 23, 2020 · 49 min
The Tumble Dryer of Karma
In this talk, Moksatara explores what karma really means and how we can work with this law of the universe to leave behind the 'snakes and ladders' game of repetitive ups and downs, moving instead on a liberating path of growth. By understanding the importance of conditionality and ethics, we can take charge of our lives and move in the direction we want to go. Recorded at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, January 2020. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
May 16, 2020 · 35 min
Brahmaviharas and the Awakening of the Bodhi Mind - Karuna
Concise and essential, Satyaraja draws out practical and profound aspects of the four Brahmaviharas, considering them as both meditation practices and as realms that we can occupy. This is the second talk in a series of four talks on the topic of karuna, compassion. From the series Brahmaviharas and the Awakening of the Bodhi Mind given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre Winter Retreat, 2016. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
May 9, 2020 · 59 min
Great Compassion Penetrates Into the Marrow of the Bones
A stirring and penetrating talk by Dhammadinna around the image that a Bodhisattva's compassion runs as deep as their very bones. Nagarjuna, Milarepa and others add their voices as Dhammadinna makes an emotionally resonant but clear-eyed attempt to lay out the ground of a practice that is moving towards the development of Bodhichitta. Why bother? she asks us, and shows how open-heartedness can respond realistically and well to suffering in our own lives and in the lives of others. Talk given at the Triratna (Western) Buddhist Order Convention, 2009. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
May 2, 2020 · 53 min
Dharma Wondrous Strange
Ratnaguna gives us ten pieces of advice from the Buddha that speak to the isolation we're experiencing whilst the world is in lockdown. The talk was given via Zoom, following the temporary closure of Manchester Buddhist Centre due to the Coronavirus pandemic, April 3, 2020. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Apr 25, 2020 · 46 min
Wheeling, Spiralling, and the Fork In the Road
Vilasamani gives an introduction to the twelve links on the wheel of life, specifying how the spiral path emerges from the gap between feeling and craving. Talk given at West London Buddhist Centre, 2016. Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Apr 18, 2020 · 47 min
Communicating Through Symbols
Here we have Maitreyi talking about communicating through symbols, this time round through the hub of the wheel of life. Talk given at Mid Essex Buddhist Centre, February 2020. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Apr 11, 2020 · 53 min
The Wheel, The Spiral and The Goal
Vadanya launches a series of talks on three great Buddhist symbols that describe the way things are: the wheel of life, the spiral path, and the ultimate goal of Enlightenment. Together they form a guide to escape from the ultimate vicious circle into the complete freedom and fulfilment of Awakening. Here, Vadanya explores on the wheel by describing the symbolism of each of the four concentric rings which make up this rich representation of samsara, the never-ending repetition of habitual patterns in which it feels our life is lived for us. The scenes described within the wheel help us to recognise the states of mind we inhabit and offer guidance towards healthier realms from which we can make real progress. Ultimately the aim is not to conquer the world but to go beyond it altogether, escaping the wheel and enter upon the spiral path, the threefold path of ethics, meditation and wisdom. Recorded at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2020. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Apr 4, 2020 · 49 min
Sangha as the Way to the End of Dukkha
Instead of the traditional description of the Fourth Noble Truth - the Eightfold Path - Saccanama explores Sangha as a means to counter the individualism of our times. What exactly is the true meaning of Sangha? And how can the mysterious 'third order of consciousness' or Bodhicitta help us to transcend our preoccupation with ourselves? He looks at three stories from Buddhist tradition that explore the true meaning of Sangha - the Anuruddhas, the Pure Land and the passage from the Vimalakirti Nirdesa about the 500 Licchavi youths. Concluding the series as a whole, he shares some personal experiences of Sangha. This talk is part of the series Challenging Dharma for Challenging Times given at Nottingham Buddhist Centre, 2020. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Mar 28, 2020 · 40 min
Good Friends
Kalyana Mitrata is spiritual friendship, even 'the lovely intimacy', the need for close and supportive connections with others in treading the path. Ratnaprabha explores why the Buddha said spiritual friendship is 'the whole of the Buddhist Life'. Is it as important now as it was in the Buddha's time? Is a Kalyana Mitra the same thing as a guru or teacher? How can we make the intimate connections in our lives really stimulating and nourishing? How do we learn to communicate kindly and openly? Talk given at West London Buddhist Centre, 2013. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Mar 21, 2020 · 52 min
Spiritual Friendship and the Tantric Rites
Vajratara introduces the theme of spiritual friendship or kalyana mitrata. What is spiritual friendship? How is it distinguished from ordinary friendship? How can we make friends? What is the difference between vertical and horizontal friendship? Using stories, personal anecdotes and images she introduces the overall theme to prepare for more talks in this series, which focusses on the tantric rites and friendship. This talk is part of the series Spiritual Friendship and the Tantric Rites, given at a Tiratanaloka/ Buddhafield retreat for women who have asked for ordination within the Triratna Buddhist Order, 2019. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Mar 14, 2020 · 54 min
A Helping Hand
Ratnaghosha reflects on how friendships and connections are woven into the tapestry of his life, how other people give our lives a sense of richness and abundance. In the sangha, people are passing on the Dharma through their relationships – living, breathing Dharma is passed on through spiritual friendship. The Buddha was the original spiritual friend, exemplifying for us that Enlightenment demands communication. From a series of talks given during the Year of Kalyana Mitrata at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, 2013. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Mar 7, 2020 · 43 min
Tantra For the Modern World
Satyajyoti introduces the tantra: Buddhism to set life aflame through deep personal transformation of our direct experience. Out with abstractions and theory, it's time to act 'as if your turban was on fire!' In the words of Sangharakshita, 'making Buddhism respectable is the last thing we should do'. In her introductory talk, Satyajyoti outlines five key principles of Tantric Buddhism and explains the tantric equivalents of the three Buddhist refuges, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Recorded at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2019. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Feb 29, 2020 · 55 min
Imagining the Tantric Gathering
When we approach the Dharma and looking at Buddhism try to imagine the people from who it comes, the communities from which it arises. In the origins of Indian Tibetan Buddhism there isn't a lot of material available, and there are lots of secrets! Padmavajra rounds out a series of talks at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre (UK, 2017) on the Tantric Path with this thought-provoking investigation into the spiritual intimacies of Buddhist sangha. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud
Feb 22, 2020 · 36 min
The Burning Ground
Moksatara introduces the dakini, the tantric embodiment of what's possible when all of our energy is completely engaged, alive and flowing. These beings of limitless space have complete freedom of mind, fierce energy and a full emotional engagement with life. In order to meet the dakinis we must travel to where they dwell: the cremation grounds, where bodies are taken to be burnt. The deepest, darkest energies to be transformed are associated with fear. By deliberately plunging into crucial situations which mirror these burning grounds, old ways are forced to change and we are compelled to grow. Recorded at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, November 2019. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today. Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, two times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud