Podcasts about subhuti

Here is a recently re-discovered little lost delight - Sangharakshita and Subhuti launching each other's books and clearly enjoying themselves. Sangharakshita's in fine humour - and it's great to hear him read and quote from the bible! Is that a twinkle in his voice?  Talk given at Triratna [FWBO] Day celebrations in 2001. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting!Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts Bite-sized inspiration three times every week. Subscribe using these RSS feeds or search for Free Buddhist Audio or Dharmabytes in your favorite podcast service! Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone: donate now! Follow Free Buddhist Audio: YouTube  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Soundcloud  

TLK Lotus Sutra - part 19 – Resolve and Discernment. Introducing a parable, Subhuti and the other senior monks, explain their error as they also profess their joy at this supreme Law they are now hearing. E-books – “Threefold Lotus Dharma Sutra” –  Artist's Proof   Threefoldlotus.com/home/Ebooks.htm

In this talk Subhuti sets out a vision of the 'Power of the Dhamma' as a force within the nature of reality that leads to growth and development. This is the Dhamma Niyama, to reify it is a mistake, but to deny it leaves us with an impoverished sense of the nature of things. The new society is about allowing this order of things to manifest within us and on that basis have a transformative effect on society. This talk was given at Dharmapala College, 2010. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting!Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts Bite-sized inspiration three times every week. Subscribe using these RSS feeds or search for Free Buddhist Audio or Dharmabytes in your favorite podcast service! Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone: donate now! Follow Free Buddhist Audio: YouTube  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Soundcloud  

“If you don't have the perception of a self, you're probably not going to get angry. But… we can discuss whether maybe sometimes it's okay to get angry if someone chops off your arms and legs…” - Jason Dodge   In a flash, Subhuti understands everything, and in a flash Buddha pulls the rug out from him (and us!) and frees him from his own enlightenment. Join us as Jason bravely (and expertly) takes us into an epic chapter of the Diamond Sutra where we learn what exactly holds us back, how to free ourselves from it, and how get over ourselves once we manage that. Plus! The Buddha regales us with tales of his past lives cavorting with concubines and tangling with kings and his own pesky feelings. Is it possible to free ourselves of our own perceptions? Is it advisable? Is anger a choice? And is it sometimes a necessary one? What is the prescribed antidote to the three poisons and where can we get ourselves some? Find out here!

Modern Dharma Challenges: Building Sangha in a rootless society with Subhuti. The third of three special evenings with Subhuti, the LBC's President and a renowned teacher of fifty years experience. What does a Buddhist life look like in practice? Where can we hope to get and what are the essential teachings that will get us there? Come along for meditation and a series of exciting new talks - a real highlight. Talk given at London Buddhist Centre, 2022. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting!Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts Bite-sized inspiration three times every week. Subscribe using these RSS feeds or search for Free Buddhist Audio or Dharmabytes in your favorite podcast service! Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone: donate now! Follow Free Buddhist Audio: YouTube  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Soundcloud  

Here, Subhuti speaks to the amount of effort to maintain unity across a growing spiritual community. Excerpted from the talk Adhisthana, Sanghakaya and Unity, the second talk in a series called Triratna Three Strands, Adhisthana, 2013. The three strands of Triratna are the Triratna Buddhist Order, the Triratna Buddhist Community and the Preceptors' College. *** Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts Bite-sized inspiration three times every week. Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting! Subscribe using these RSS feeds or search for Free Buddhist Audio or Dharmabytes in your favourite podcast service! Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone: donate now! Follow Free Buddhist Audio: YouTube  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Soundcloud  

Bright on Buddhism 58 - Who is Subhuti? What role does he play in the texts? What is his role in Mahayana Buddhism? Resources: Adamek, Wendi Leigh (2007), The Mystique of Transmission: On an Early Chan History and Its Contexts, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0-231-13664-8, archived from the original on 2022-05-06, retrieved 2020-11-03; Buswell, Robert E. (2004), Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Buswell, Robert E., Jr., 1953-, New York: Macmillan Reference, USA, ISBN 0-02-865718-7; Buswell, Robert E. (2014), The Princeton dictionary of Buddhism, Lopez, Donald S., Jr., Princeton, NJ, pp. 2105–2106, ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8; Ikeda, Daisaku (2008), The Living Buddha: An Interpretive Biography, Middleway Press, ISBN 978-0-9779245-2-3; Johnston, William M. (2013), Encyclopedia of Monasticism, Routledge, ISBN 978-1-136-78716-4; Nan Huaijin (2004), Diamond Sutra Explained, Florham Park: Primodia, ISBN 978-0-9716561-2-3; Pine, Red (2009), The Diamond Sutra, Counterpoint Press, ISBN 978-1-58243-953-2; Ping Shao (Nov 2006), "Huineng, Subhūti, and Monkey's Religion in Xiyou ji", The Journal of Asian Studies, 65 (4): 713–740 Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by finding us on email or social media! https://linktr.ee/brightonbuddhism Credits: Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brightonbuddhism/message

In episode # 162, Dr. Reese is joined by James Gattuso & Joe LaChance to read one of the most famous teachings of the Buddha called, the Diamond Sutra. At the end, they provide some commentary as to what Gotama the Buddha was saying to his student, a monk named Subhuti. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/drreese/message

We practice the Dharma so that we can transcend our self-clinging, thereby resolving our own suffering and contributing to the resolution of suffering in the world. This is the fundamental purpose of the Triratna Community. Subhuti returns to Padmaloka after many years to delve into the fundamental principles behind Integration, Positive Emotion, Spiritual Receptivity, Spiritual Death, and Spiritual Rebirth, finding in each new and deeper significance. He invites his hearers to apply them deeply in their own lives.  This talk is part of a series The Five Aspects of the Dharma Life given on a retreat at Padmaloka Retreat Centre for men who have asked for ordination, 2013. *** Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts Bite-sized inspiration three times every week. Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting! Subscribe using these RSS feeds or search for Free Buddhist Audio or Dharmabytes in your favourite podcast service! Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone: donate now! Follow Free Buddhist Audio: YouTube  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Soundcloud

The realization of equanimity brings Subhuti to tears. 

This is a recording from Cross River Meditation Center in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Our Dhamma classes are streamed live on Tuesday at 7:15 pm, Thursday at 2:15 pm, and Saturday at 8:30 am Eastern Us Time.  Please support  future recordings and the continued restoration, preservation, and presentation of the Buddha's Dhamma, please consider a donation: Support John and B ecoming-Buddha.com  There are guided Jhana meditations, more than 300 restored Suttas and 800 Dhamma class recordings at Becoming-Buddha.com Each Dhamma class will have a Jhana meditation session followed by my Dhamma talk and Sangha discussion. We conclude with mindfulness of Metta.   My talks and classes can be joined live:   Through your web browse: https://zoom.us/j/9083919079  Through your Android device here: Zoom Android App  Through your IOS device here: Zoom IOS Ap   New audio and video recordings are posted typically within twenty-four hours post-class:   Podcast/Audio Archive   Video Archive   If you are subscribed to my Podcast on Podbean or iTunes, you will receive notifications when new videos are posted.   To schedule private individual or group Dhamma instruction via video conference please  Email John

yearly before our Summer Retreat we review what going for refuge to the three jewels means. In this Talk Christopher Kakuyo talks about taking refuge in general and more specifically regarding taking refuge in the Buddha.  As westerns we seem to have a challenge taking refuge in the Buddha. This may be because of our Post Religious' Stress Disorder. We embrace the Dharma and even the Sangha, but the Buddha we keep at arms length, lest he becomes some sort of deity.  Christopher thinks, that by doing this we are doing a disservice to our practice.    EXCERPT By keeping this distance from the Buddha, we miss out on something; we miss out on the Buddha's personality, temperament, and example. We miss an intimate human connection to one of the most fully and realized humans.  I struggle with this.  There are times that I feel so connected to the historical Buddha and or the mythic Buddha Amida, that I find tears in my eyes when washing the statue'd face of the Buddha. I have found that my practice is easier and more natural during these times. I am easier to get along with, and when I feel disconnected from the Buddha, or the Buddha feels like nothing more than some dusty figure of history, my practice becomes more challenging if I am practicing at all.  I appreciate this from Subhuti, a Buddhist teacher in the Tritania order. Subhuti writes about re-imagining the Buddha and how we need to try to imagine the Buddha and his Enlightenment in a way that intellectually and emotionally stirs us.   Why emotionally?  Our practice is not just a practice of the mind but the heart-mind. In Chinese kanji, the symbol for heart and mind are the same; there exists no independent thought without accompanying feeling, no distinct feeling without thought, and no compassion in the absence of intellect—in short: no heart without mind or mind without heart. Our connection to the Buddha is intellectual and emotional at the same time so that we can mobilize our energies to Go for Refuge to him, to his teachings and example. How do we do that for us who have and will be taking refuge in the Buddha? He writes,  "We can only imagine the Buddha wholeheartedly by discovering his image in our minds, inspired and supported by the images around us. Images of this kind cannot be ordered or devised. They must live and grow and, like plants, they must emerge from their own natural environments: the psyches of the individuals in which they appear.   

Subhuti Anand Waight is a former British political journalist, who worked in the Houses of Parliament. He first traveled to India in 1976, when he met the enlightened mystic Osho, then called Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and became a disciple, or sannyasin. He gave up his job as a reporter, stayed with Osho for 14 years and wrote a book about his experiences, titled “Wild Wild Guru.” Subhuti has lived in India for half his life. He is now based in Europe, but returns each year to spend time in the country he loves.

In this episode Dayamati and I discuss Thomas Kasulis' chapter on Shinran from his book 'Engaging Japanese Philosophy.' Kasulis offers a stimulating and imaginative sketch of Shinran's religious vision. He gives an account of key concepts such as 'hakarai' (the calculating mind), the notion of lateral transcendence (or crosswise transcendence), and the notion of Amida-for-us and Amida-in-itself. As part of this discussion, we offer a reflection on differing models of the Buddhist path and of awakening and how these may relate to Subhuti's model of the Three Myths. We conclude that it is not easy to fit differing models of awakening into simple categories. Overall, this episode offers an overview of some of Shinran's key emphases.

Subhuti offers a brilliantly evocative and personal call to connection, across all boundaries and conditionings. *** What the World Needs Now: Triratna's Gift is a day celebrating our Dharma community's contribution to the world. A vision of truth, communicated in a culture of kalyana mitrata (beautiful friendship) for the benefit of all. For more inspiring Dharma from the day + access to live events year round on Buddhism, meditation, mindfulness and culture, visit: thebuddhistcentre.com/triratna-gift *** Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts Bite-sized inspiration three times every week. Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting! Subscribe using these RSS feeds or search for Free Buddhist Audio or Dharmabytes in your favourite podcast service! Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone: donate now! Follow Free Buddhist Audio: YouTube  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Soundcloud

We are all human beings, all human beings are in us. Subhuti offers a brilliantly evocative and personal call to connection, across all boundaries and conditionings. In order to be deeply challenged, in order to transcend our self view, we need to go for refuge with people different from ourselves. Excerpted from the talk What the World Needs Now: Triratna's Gift, An International Community and A Transcendental Vision given on Triratna Day, April 2022. *** Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts Bite-sized inspiration three times every week. Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting! Subscribe using these RSS feeds or search for Free Buddhist Audio or Dharmabytes in your favourite podcast service! Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone: donate now! Follow Free Buddhist Audio: YouTube  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Soundcloud

Y LLOVIERON FLORES: CHARLAS SOBRE HISTORIAS ZEN Subhuti era uno de los discípulos de Buda. Él llegó a comprender la potencia del vacío, la realidad de que nada existe sino en una relación de subjetividad y objetividad. Un día, cuando Subhuti estaba sentado bajo un árbol en un estado de sublime vacío, empezaron a llover flores a su alrededor. "Te alabamos por tu discurso sobre el vacío", le susurraron los dioses. "Pero yo no he hablado del vacío", dijo Subhuti. "No has hablado del vacío, no hemos oído el vacío", respondieron los dioses. "Esto es verdadero vacío". Y llovieron flores sobre Subhuti. Osho comenta algunas de estas historias zen desvelando su significado más profundo. En sus comentarios, Osho no sólo explica el pensamiento zen, sino que, además, lo integra con diversas vertientes del pensamiento oriental y occidental en una extraordinaria síntesis que tanto le caracteriza y que constituye su peculiar visión: global, atemporal y pícaramente iconoclasta. https://www.amazon.com/s?me=A1P0HKGH39IBZ3&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dany-mac-pherson/support

The mind is intrinsically pure. How do we realize the ever present purity of the mind? Tejananda offers his reflections on Buddha Nature through discussing the Myth of Self-Discovery, drawing from an article by Subhuti entitled The Three Myths (Madhamavani, 2003). Excerpted from the talk The Myth of Self-Discovery given at Mid Essex Buddhist Centre, 2021. *** Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-sized inspiration three times every week! (Apple Podcasts) Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! (Apple Podcasts) Subscribe using these RSS feeds or search for Free Buddhist Audio or Dharmabytes in your favourite podcast service! Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone: donate now! Follow Free Buddhist Audio: YouTube  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Soundcloud

In the first weeks after his Enlightenment, the Buddha stayed alone near the Bodhi tree, assimilating his profound discovery and enjoying its bliss. But from the first moment he encountered another human being, the force of his compassion led him to revolt against the social hierarchies of his day. In this impassioned talk at the London Buddhist Centre's 2021 Buddha Day celebrations, Subhuti explores the nature of social conditioning. In doing so, he calls for greater efforts to understand differing experiences and an attempt to relate on the basis of the Buddha's radical vision for humankind. *** 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  

The complete audiobook is available for purchase at Audible.com: https://tinyurl.com/pdvx6mc4 The Diamond Sutra Translated by William Gemmell Narrated by Denis Daly The Diamond Sutra is one of the most revered philosophical texts in Buddhist literature. It has long been very popular among Buddhists in China, and with the exception of the Lotus of the Good Law, and the Leng-Yen-Ching, perhaps no other Sutra ascribed to Buddha is held by the Chinese in such esteem. The Diamond Sutra has been designated "The Sutra of Wonderful Effects". It is a treatise in which Sakyamuni Buddha instructs Subhuti, one of his conspicuous disciples, in The Prajna-Paramita of transcendent wisdom.

Subhuti considers the significance of Sangha day falling on the cusp of winter, and the importance of the seasons in human life. He recalls the genesis of Sangha day from the time of the Buddha, and considers it's relevance for us here in the 21st century. Ultimately Subhuti focus on the Sangha jewels itself; its vital importance for the individual practitioner and as a real sign of hope for this world. Talk given for the Sangha Day Celebration at London Buddhist Centre, 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  

Según nos cuenta la leyenda, Sun Wokung surgió de una piedra mágica y pronto fue proclamado como Rey de los Monos tras mostrar su valor al saltar desde una altísima cascada. Pero lejos de contentarse con su suerte, toma conciencia de que algún día morirá, por lo que decide emprender un viaje busca del secreto de la vida eterna. En la primera etapa de su viaje conoce a uno de los discípulos de Buda, el venerable Subhuti, quien le muestra asombrosas técnicas para dar saltos....

In this episode, the Venerable addressed the following questions from the audience, Is it true that the Buddha and his disciples were not vegetarian. They had to ask for food on alms round and therefore had to eat anything that was given. Some gave meat and non-vegetarian food into their bowls. If you are trying to explain Buddhism to someone, but he is reluctant, what should you do? Do you persist or stop? What is the Buddha of Medicine Ceremony? I'm not as wise as Subhuti, and even though I've been practicing for over a year, I have not been successful with quieting the voice in my head. What do you suggest me to do? If future, present and past are semantics in representing the concept of time, does it mean that they don't exist? What are The Five Contemplation While Eating?

In this episode, the Venerable addressed the following questions from the audience, Is it true that the Buddha and his disciples were not vegetarian. They had to ask for food on alms round and therefore had to eat anything that was given. Some gave meat and non-vegetarian food into their bowls. If you are trying to explain Buddhism to someone, but he is reluctant, what should you do? Do you persist or stop? What is the Buddha of Medicine Ceremony? I'm not as wise as Subhuti, and even though I've been practicing for over a year, I have not been successful with quieting the voice in my head. What do you suggest me to do? If future, present and past are semantics in representing the concept of time, does it mean that they don't exist? What are The Five Contemplation While Eating?

A series of personal exchanges with Subhuti about the central issues of life.  Subhuti is among the most prominent and experienced of Western Buddhists. He has spent the past forty-odd years practising the Buddha’s teachings and travelling the world helping make it possible for others to do the same.  Hosted by Subhadramati during his Presidential visit to the London Buddhist Centre, which he was instrumental in founding in 1978. *** 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

Subhuti shares his reflections on Urgyen Sangharakshita in the days following his death and funeral ceremony. He explores the double response to Sangharakshita as an effective Dharma teacher and former of Sangha alongside the various difficulties and paradoxes in his life. The two last papers Sangharakshita wrote, completed just over two weeks before he died, examine the three main paths of Buddhism, among other things, and thereby offer three different ways of understanding his own role as teacher. This helps us to understand both his human personality and his significance for us. This talk is part of the series Who is Urgyen Sangharakshita? Talk given at London Buddhist Centre, November 29, 2018. *** Help keep FBA free for everyone! Become a supporter today.  Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast - bite-size pieces of Dharma inspiration, three times a week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

Delve into the fundamental principles behind Integration in Triratna’s System of Practice with this week’s FBA Podcastentitled The Five Aspects of Dharma Life - Integration by Subhuti. With integration we begin by taking fully responsibility for our karmic agency. This is the third talk in a series of eight from the System of Practice retreat at Padmaloka for men who have asked for Ordination. Subhuti invites his hearers to find new and deeper significance with the fundamental principles behind Integration, Positive Emotion, Spiritual Receptivity, Spiritual Death, and Spiritual Rebirth. This talk is part of the series The Five Aspects of the Dharma Life. Subscribe to the FBA podcast

In this week’s FBA Podcast Subhuti offers The Significance of Dr Ambedkar In the West. Speaking during a festival day in 2010 held to celebrate the life of Dr Ambedkar, Subhuti speaks about what significance Dr Ambedkar has outside India. The main thrust of the talk is a list of three reasons why someone might convert to Buddhism, enumerated by Dr Ambedkar but applied to our situation in the West. Perhaps the most important is Dr Ambedkar’s insights into the need for society to be grounded in Ethics that are ‘sacred and universal,’ obviously he felt the Dhamma was the best expression of that. The final section of the talk covers the importance of being engaged in wider society; this has topical relevance with the forthcoming General Election. Subhuti encourages to engage with the democratic process and make the Buddhist voice, calling for awareness and ethicality, be heard.

Subhuti, one of the most senior and respected members of the Triratna Buddhist Order, reflects on his own experience on the relationship between inspiration, spiritual experience, and human fallibility.  In this set of three rambles, Subhuti unpacks his 15 minute funeral oration for Sangharakshita (founder of the Triratna Buddhist Order) on 10th November 2018 at Adhisthana. He demonstrates how someone can be considered a very great teacher, exemplar, and even guru, yet also be a human being with his own personality and even failings.

Sangharakshita’s last two papers, completed just over two weeks before he died, examine the three main paths of Buddhism, among other things, and thereby offer three different ways of understanding his own role as teacher. This helps us to understand both his human personality and his significance for us. In this set of three rambles, Subhuti unpacks his 15 minute funeral oration for Sangharakshita (founder of the Triratna Buddhist Order) on 10th November 2018 at Adhisthana. He demonstrates how someone can be considered a very great teacher, exemplar, and even guru, yet also be a human being with his own personality and even failings.

Subhuti, one of the most senior and respected members of the Triratna Buddhist Order,  explores a distinction made by Sangharakshita that helps to understand some of the paradoxes that Sangharakshita has left us with, as well as helping us to understand how we too can be so uneven in our Dharma lives. In this set of three rambles, Subhuti unpacks his 15 minute funeral oration for Sangharakshita (founder of the Triratna Buddhist Order) on 10th November 2018 at Adhisthana. He demonstrates how someone can be considered a very great teacher, exemplar, and even guru, yet also be a human being with his own personality and even failings.

In this weeks FBA Podcast we offer In Conversation with Subhuti. Suryagupta converses with Subhuti about his life and practice. Subhuti has been the President of the London Buddhist Centre for over 30 years and was part of the original team who built the LBC in the 1970s.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is another dip into the Yogachara from Subhuti called Our Illusory View. This is the last in a brilliant four-part series by Subhuti on the Yogachara school of Buddhist philosophy, which provides a comprehensive psychological overview of the workings of and#8216;consciousnessand#8217;. What can we do about the veils of our basic delusions? Where do ethics come into all this? Time to steep ourselves in reality again for another session with Subhuti as he grasps the slippery snake of the mind and tries to help us see which end is which! Please note, theses and#8216;ramblesand#8217; were given without notes and may contain quotational misrememberings and inevitable slips of the tongue! Rambles Around the Yogachara: Talk 4, given at London Buddhist Centre, 2003 This talk is part of the series Rambles Around the Yogachara.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:Subhuti’s backgroundSubhuti's journey from the UK Parliament to India How Subhuti met OshoSubhuti enters the UK Parliament in orange clothes and his Guru's mala around the neckWorking as Osho PRThe most challenging PR event to handle for OshoWild Wild Country: what's changed in the media perception from the 80s to today?Subhuti and his passion for EnneagramWhat is Enneagram?Subhuti talks about Osho Risk in Denmark Subhuti talks about his creative writing and booksSubhuti's morning routineSubhuti's favourite meditationSubhuti and Osho todayResourcesSubhuti websiteSubhuti on FacebookOsho Resort Pune, IndiaWild Wild Country on NetflixOsho Risk, DenmarkLove Osho Youtube channelLove Osho Free Guide - How to meditate if you can't sit quietlyConnect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram*** REVIEW! ***If you’ve enjoyed the show, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps us improve the show and makes it easier for other people to find us and benefit from the content. Thank you so much!

Our FBA Podcast this week is called Mind and Mental Events by Subhuti. These five omnipresent mental events (sarvatragas) constitute the basic mechanics of the mind; if you are conscious, they are present. 1. Feeling-tone (vedana) 2. Recognition (or conceptualisation) (samjna) 3. Directionality of mind (cetana) 4. Contact (sparsa) 5. Egocentric demanding (manaskara) From this we can conclude that: 1. All our experience is feeling-toned. The more conscious we are of this, the less we will react and be driven by our likes and dislikes. 2. We are always interpreting our experience with varying degrees of accuracy and depth. We can make an ongoing effort to raise the level of our experience. 3. The mind is always moving towards things. We can use cetana skilfully to move in the direction of Going for Refuge by practising the precepts etc. But we need to want to go in that direction. This talk is part of the series Mind and Mental Events (Subhuti 2001).

This week’s FBA Podcast is a talk by Subhuti called Beyond Karma – The Dharma Niyama. In this, the final installment of Subhuti’s three-part Ramble around Reality we go beyond the realm of Karma as we glimpse the glory of the Dharma Niyama.

Our Dharmabyte podcast today is entitled Inspiring Confidence, an excerpt from the talk entitled Sanghakaya and the Heart’s Release about the Sangha Jewel and itand#8217;s place in the spiritual life, given at the Manchester Buddhist Centre on Triratna Night, 14 December 2015. Maitreyi says, “I had something of an epiphany on first hearing the term Sanghakaya in a talk by Subhuti in India. It seemed to give expression to a whole direction and momentum of my life and practice, while simultaneously both deepening and opening out the mystery of the enlightened mind, expanding beyond any sense of individual consciousness or attainment.”

A great talk by Subhuti, live streamed around the world from London at the time, to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Triratna Buddhist Community. The fire of peace has been ignited in the world by the Buddha. It burns brightly today in the Triratna Order and movement, and inspired by Sangharakshita's vision will burn well into the future – but how do we fan the flames so that the heat of practice transforms the world? Chaired by Subhadramati. Recorded in London, 8th April 2017 N.B. This is an edited and remastered audio version of the introduction, the talk and the main part of the summing up. The original audio was quiet, though we've turned up the volume and this version should be easily audible. We may replace it with a higher quality version when one is available. #triratna #triratna50 #buddhism #buddhist #dharma #community #sangha #gratitude #forgiveness #London #FWBO #Sangharakshita

Following on from his statement of personal regret about the publication of ‘Women, Men And Angels' and the views expressed in it, here is Subhuti in conversation with Maitreyi, going into detail around that regret, and sharing his thoughts on a very painful episode in Triratna history, including the story of how it all happened. What emerges in the course of the interview is an exemplary look by two good, old friends at how confusion can arise - and how clear apologies can help with any process of healing or reconciliation that might result. Our thanks to Sanghadhara and Clear Vision for facilitating this discussion. For more: https://thebuddhistcentre.com/adhisthana-kula #gender #women #Triratna #FWBO #BritishBuddhism #Buddhism #Buddhist #Dharma #Sangharakshita

This week’s FBA Podcast FBA Podcast is part four of a series of talks on the Triratna Vandana by Subhuti entitled Sangha Vandana. The most striking point from this talk is the importance of taking the Sangha refuge as the possibility of an Ideal Society. It is so easy to get dis-illusioned with people and groups. Yet human relationships are such an integral part of our lives we need some vision that more is possible – the arya sangha exemplify this as they relate to each other on the basis of metta as opposed to self grasping and egoistic desire.

Todayand#8217;s Dharmabyte podcast is delivered by Subhuti entitled The Importance of Intention In the Stage of Positive Emotion. This excerpt from the talk of the same name was given during a retreat on the system of meditation. Subhuti emphasises the importance of intention in the metta bhavana; it is not a practice about feeling good, but transforming our responses; a karmic action which then has a result of feeling happier and more positive.

Subhuti talks about his reasons for leading study on the Bodhicitta for the College meeting #Subhuti #Bodhicitta #Preceptors' College

What does being alive feel like? Michael tells the story of Subhuti and the questions he asks the Buddha about how to practice. Haven’t we been blessed with greatest of trusts? Aren’t we all blessed? Isn't meditation learning how to trust? Spirit Loft, Toronto, 28 min.

A special edition of Buddhist Voices, from India at the height of celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the mass conversion to Buddhism in 1956 of hundreds of thousands of Dalit (ex-Untouchable caste) Indians, inspired by their great leader Doctor Bhimrao Ambedkar to escape the horrors of the Hindu caste system and work towards a more just society in India. Subhuti, a longstanding champion of Doctor Ambedkar as an exemplar of democratic principles for the whole world gives us a wonderful introduction to the life and work of someone who deserves a much wider audience. From his remarkable early life and education to his framing of the Indian constitution itself, we hear of the intimate connection between that constitution (still the basis of Indian society and law) and the work of the mind represented by conversion to Buddhism in pursuit of freedom, equality, and justice. Inspiring conversation at a time of great uplift for the new Buddhists of India! For more, visit www.thebuddhistcentre.com/stories/ambedkar/ #Ambedkar #India #Dhamma #Dharma #Buddhism #Buddhist #Buddha #Indian #Dalit #caste #justice #society #democracy #freedom

A special edition of Buddhist Voices, from India at the height of celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the mass conversion to Buddhism in 1956 of hundreds of thousands of Dalit (ex-Untouchable caste) Indians, inspired by their great leader Doctor Bhimrao Ambedkar to escape the horrors of the Hindu caste system and work towards a more just society in India. Subhuti, a longstanding champion of Doctor Ambedkar as an exemplar of democratic principles for the whole world gives us a wonderful introduction to the life and work of someone who deserves a much wider audience. From his remarkable early life and education to his framing of the Indian constitution itself, we hear of the intimate connection between that constitution (still the basis of Indian society and law) and the work of the mind represented by conversion to Buddhism in pursuit of freedom, equality, and justice. Inspiring conversation at a time of great uplift for the new Buddhists of India! For more, visit www.thebuddhistcentre.com/stories/ambedkar/ #Ambedkar #India #Dhamma #Dharma #Buddhism #Buddhist #Buddha #Indian #Dalit #caste #justice #society #democracy #freedom

In todayand#8217;s Dharmabyte podcast entitled, and#8220;Karma with a Twistand#8221;, Subhuti clearly describes how unwholesome mental states influence how we interpret our experience. This is why we begin with sila (ethics) on the path. From the talk, Rambles Around the Yogachara: Talk 1, part of the series Rambles Around the Yogachara by Subhuti. the Yogachara school of Buddhist philosophy, which provides a comprehensive psychological overview of the workings of and#8216;consciousnessand#8217;. This talk introduces the whole (complex!) subject with an admirable easy humour, leading us through the mazy twists and turns of the mind. We wonand#8217;t even try to sum it up here and#8211; listen and marvel in an appropriately bewildered kind of wayand#8230; Please note, theses and#8216;ramblesand#8217; were given without notes and may contain quotational misrememberings and inevitable slips of the tongue! Talk given at London Buddhist Centre, 2003

Having now entered the mandala, we begin in the East with Akshobya on the theme of Integration with “The Five Aspects of Dharma Life – Integration”, this weeks by FBA Podcast. Subhuti delves into the fundamental principles behind Integration and invites his hearers to apply them deeply in their own lives. We begin by taking fully responsibility for our karmic agency. This talk is part of the series The Five Aspects of the Dharma Life.

Today’s FBA Podcast is entitled “Sanghakaya and the Heart’s Release” by Maitreyi. She describes having somewhat of an epiphany on first hearing the term ‘Sanghakaya’ in a talk by Subhuti in India. It seemed to give expression to a whole direction and momentum of her life and practice, while simultaneously both deepening and opening out the mystery of the enlightened mind, expanding beyond any sense of individual consciousness or attainment. This talk is about the Sangha Jewel and it’s place in the spiritual life, given at the Manchester Buddhist Centre on Triratna Night, 14 December 2015.

In the last interview from the November Preceptors' College meeting, Subhuti talks to Saccanama about how the College has developed over the last 25 years and how he sees it developing in the future. #Subhuti #Preceptors' College #Triratna

In this week’s FBA Podcast, Subhuti gives a very comprehensive introduction to one of the Six Emphases of the Triratna Buddhist Community with “The History of and Value in Team-Based Right Livelihood”. Subhuti gives a rousing talk on some of the history behind team-based Right Livelihood within the Triratna Buddhist Movement. He then goes on to explain why it is so important; because it represents an opportunity to live a ‘full’ Buddhist life for ourselves and present society with an alternative to consumerism and the myth of progress through buying a bigger TV.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Aligning yourself with the Karma Niyama from the talk Spiritual Death and Rebirth, a New Perspective On the Dharma Niyama by Subhuti. The stages of spiritual death and rebirth are key to the system of meditation, they represent the culimination and fulfilment of the Buddhas vision. During this talk given at Padmaloka Subhuti explains some new elements of Sangharakshitas thinking about how they relate to the Niyamas, particularly the Dharma niyama and#8211; exciting, and challenging stuff.

How do we know? This week’s FBA Podcast is the first of three rambles from Subhuti, entitled “Knowledge of Reality – Ramble One”. Subhuti draws inspiration from Europe’s first Buddhist, Schopenhauer, and India’s ancient Yogachara. With immaculate clarity Subhuti takes us deep into the nature of mind and beyond. Talk given at the London Buddhist Centre in October 2014.

Vidyatara spends time with Subhuti & Parami talking about the day's highlights, their long association, their experience of knowing and working with Dhammarati and the qualities that Saddhaloka will bring to chairing the College.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, Going Forth as Skilled Action, Maitreyabandhu adds a liveliness and concreteness to the theme of going forth. From the talk Positive Emotion and#8211; Skilled Action given during a 4-day retreat in May 2013, at Dharmagiri retreatcenter, Sweden. Maitryeabandhu gave four seminars on and#8216;The five great stages of spiritual lifeand#8217;, as it is viewed and practiced within the Triratna Buddhist community. He draws substantially on the writing and teaching that Sangharakshita and Subhuti has produced in recent years.

Vidyatara is joined on the sofa by Sanghadevi & Moksananda to talk about the highlights of the College meeting so far - rejoicing in Manjuvajra and Padmasuri, study with Subhuti and reflections on Dhammarati's time as Chair and Saddhaloka's poetry... #Buddhism #Buddhist #community #Triratna

For our FBA Dharmabyte today we chose an excerpt titled and#8220;Defining Imaginationand#8221; by Subhuti from the Rambles Around the Imagination 1 and#8211; Defining Imagination. Following on from a recent set of conversations with Sangharakshita, Subhuti gives the first in a series of Rambles on the important subject of Imagination. What is imagination and why is it important not just in our spiritual lives but in terms of what it means to be human.

This week for our FBA Podcast we offer a key in accessing the potentiality of consciousness in: “Consciousness Unfolds”. In this first talk from a series of three, Subhuti continues his well-known Rambles Around Reality at the LBC, this time enquiring into the nature of consciousness from the point of view of Urgyen Sangharakshita’s particular presentation of the Dharma.

In this week’s FBA Podcast we picked one of Subhuti’s “Rambles Around Reality – The 5 Niyamas.” Here Subhuti talks about the fundamental basis of Buddhism’s conception of reality; Pratitya Samutpada. He introduces it in the form of the 5 niyamas, in the course of his ramble he emphasises that these are forces, or the way things are rather than ‘laws’. The talk culminates in the Karma and Dharma niyamas and particularly emphasising the importance of the Dhamma niyama, which is that in the universe that makes enlightenment possible. However to philosphise or abstract from it is to miss the point, in the end it must remain a mystery that we must experience for ourselves.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The Mystery of the Dhamma Niyamaand#8221; Subhuti concludes the first talk in one of his Rambles Around Reality series. Here he describes the Dhamma Niyama as having itand#8217;s own conditioned laws which are potentially working within us. Using the metaphor of the stream, our effort, our karma puts us in the current, but the current itself is the Dharma Niyama and#8211; mysterious patterns in conditionality that take us well beyond ourselves.

For todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, we offer a recently re-discovered little lost delight and#8211; Sangharakshita and Subhuti launching each otherand#8217;s books and clearly enjoying themselves. Sangharakshitaand#8217;s in fine humour and#8211; and itand#8217;s great to hear him read and quote from the bible! Is that a twinkle in his voice? In this excerpt, and#8220;Launch of The Buddhist Visionand#8221; Sangharakshita launches Subhutiand#8217;s book by reminiscing about early discussions on and#8216;what Buddhism isand#8217; and#8211; religion, philosophy or science. To listen to the full launch, see and#8220;Launch of The Buddhist Vision and the Dhammapada by Sangharakshita and Subhuti.and#8221;

This week’s FBA Podcast is the third talk in the LBC Buddhophany series by Subhuti titled:“Meeting the Buddha In Reality”. Subhuti concludes with a rousing call to take the Buddha’s invitation to meet him in reality. To do this we need to engage with the Buddha on the level of history and myth.

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;A Creative Response,and#8221; Subhuti encourages us to and#8220;Ignite your heart!and#8221; Duality is inherently unsatisfactory. By opening yourself up to the sufferings of the world, you open up to a transcendental force, which is the only real solution to the problem of suffering. An excerpt from the talk, and#8220;Eight Verses for Training the Mind: Talk 4,and#8221; part of the series and#8220;Eight Verses for Training the Mind.and#8221;

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The Greatest Tragedyand#8221;, Subhuti invites us to look into the tragedy of not knowing what we want. He shares his thoughts on the nature of Samsara, contact with the Dharma and realisation as the deepest happiness. This is and#8216;Eight Verses for Training the Mindand#8217;: Talk 1 from the four-part series on this Tibetan text attributed to Kadampa Geshe Langri Tangpa.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Pratitya Samutpada (Conditioned Co-production),and#8221; takes us right to the heart of the matter: How the Buddha sees things. Subhuti, with his sharp clarity and clear vision, explores one of the central teachings of the Buddha and#8211; that things arise and pass away in dependence upon conditions. Talk given at the Western Buddhist Order National Order Weekend, Wymondham 2006

Today’s FBA Podcast is the first talk in a brilliant series titled “Eight Verses for Training the Mind” by Dharmachari Subhuti. Based on the Tibetan text by Kadampa Geshe Langri Tangpa, Subhuti introduces the verses in the context of the development of Buddhism in Tibet and India. We then have a full treatment of the first verse itself: “May I always cherish all beings, Withe the resolve to accomplish for them The highest good that is more precious Than any wish-fulfilling jewel.” Talk given at Madhyamaloka, Birmingham, 2004 For the full series: “Eight Verses for Training the Mind.”

In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Cherishing Living Beingsand#8221;, Subhuti tenderly takes us into the meaning of cherishing and#8211; looking after others, caring for them, and engaging in small acts of kindness. From the first talk in the series and#8220;Eight Verses for Training the Mind (talk 1).and#8221; and#8220;May I always cherish all beings, With the resolve to accomplish for them The highest good that is more precious Than any wish-fulfilling jewel.and#8221; Talk given at Madhyamaloka, Birmingham, 2004 This Dharmabyte excerpt is part of the series and#8220;Eight Verses for Training the Mind.and#8221;

In celebration of the 43rd anniversary of the founding of the Triratna Buddhist Community, (formally the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order) we bring you an moving and engaging talk by Subhuti: “Awake to the Cries of the World” the keynote talk from the FWBO celebrations a decade ago. How do we respond to the suffering in the world? Subhuti speaks from his experience of years trying to answer that question – the joys and pitfalls of trying to ‘help’ as part of a committment to the Bodhisattva Ideal. Complete with an introduction by Padmavajra on Avalokiteshvara. Talk given on FWBO Day, 2001.

In this talk Subhuti gives a concise and inspiring account of the Honeyball Sutta. Starting with some background to his work in Hungary amongst the oppressed Gypsies there, he presents the Buddha’s understanding on the basis for civil, in fact all kinds of, strife. The Buddha’s analysis takes the form of a nidana chain beginning with actual experience, that when we begin to proliferate or move away from facts to interpretations inevitably leads us into a secondary reality that easily leads to conflict with others, who have different versions of reality. A brilliant talk, covering ground rapidly but concisely bring together the Buddha’s wisdom both in terms of transforming society and how we work within meditation, in fact we need to employ the same tools in both situations.

The ‘Just Sitting’ practice has been part of the FWBO’s system of meditation since the very beginning yet is not often discussed and not always understood. Here Subhuti gives his own inspiring and brilliantly refreshing take on the practice as a central element in his own meditative life. A must-listen piece for all those enthused by ideas of formal and ‘formless’ meditation – ‘Just Hear’ it and you”ll see what we mean!

This is the first in a series of talks from the Western Buddhist Order Convention in 2001 offering different perspectives on the Abhidharma and exploring from a personal perspective what the study of the 51 Mental Events can tell us about our minds and how they work. Based on the classic Tibetan text ‘Necklace of Clear Understanding’, this is a terrific, clear introduction by Dhammadinna to the whole area of how to ‘Know Your Mind’. Tracked version includes the following detail: 1. Lineage of material on Mind; Yeshe Gyaltsen’s ‘Necklace of Clear Understanding’; Sangharakshita’s ‘Know Your Mind’; Subhuti’s talks on ‘Mind and Mental Events’ 2. The Abhidharma – classification of mental events; transforming mental states and actions; sharing and confessing 3. What is ‘Mind’? Introspection – Dharma-Vichaya (dhammaviccaya); the seven ‘Limbs of Enlightenment’ (Bodhyangas); reflecting on the lakshanas and Pratitya Samutpada 4. Practical aids in working with mental events; different Abhidharma traditions; lists as tools 5. Defining and experiencing Mind; manas (state of consciousness); impossible to pin down; Milarepa and the Shepherd’s Search for Mind; mind and the subjective 6. Subjective versus objective; the Yogachara perspective; the skandhas and vijnana; the Enlightened person and non-identification with the subjective) 7. The eight vijnanas and the five Wisdoms or Jinas; Yeshe Gyaltsen’s focus on the senses 8. Characteristics of mind – i. clarity ii. cognition iii. momentary iv. conditioned v. karma 9. Primary Mind (chitta, citta); mental events as how the mind takes hold of objects; experiencing ‘Pure Mind’ through prajna; Milarepa’s list of requirements 10. A Look at the 51 mental events; six categories and two perspectives 11. Summary – transforming mental states; Padmasambhava on Mind Talk given at Wymondham, 2001 To help us keep this free, please think about making a donation.

The Diamond Sutra is a Mahayana sutra from the genre of Prajnaparamita ('perfection of wisdom') sutras. In this series Norman will referernce the Diamond Sutra - Red Pine Edition.  Norman covers Chapters 16 thru 32 (the end)of the Diamond Sutra, Red Pine Edition. Due to recording issues the first five minutes of the talk are missing. Diamond Sutra 5 By Zoketsu Norman Fischer | November 26, 2008 Abridged and edited by Barbara Byrum and Cynthia Schrager Chapter 17: Again the venerable Subhuti asked the Buddha, "Bhagavan if someone sets forth on the bodhisattva path, how should they stand? How should they walk? And how should they control their thoughts?" The Buddha said, "Subhuti, someone who sets forth on the bodhisattva path should give birth to the thought: 'In the realm of complete nirvana I shall liberate all beings. And while I thus liberate beings, not a single being is liberated.' And why not? Subhuti, a bodhisattva who creates the perception of a being cannot be called a 'bodhisattva.' Neither can someone who creates the perception of a life, or even the perception of a soul, be called a 'bodhisattva.' And why not? Subhuti, there is no such dharma as setting forth on the bodhisattva path." Here we see the combination of compassion and emptiness. The bodhisattvas are all about saving beings, all about this universal desire to benefit others, but with the recognition that the bodhisattva himself - herself - and the beings are empty of any separation. So in a way, it is not a big problem to save all beings, because the thought of saving in your own mind is also saving all beings, because there is no separation. There is no real difference. There is no such dharma as setting forth on the bodhisattva path. It is empty of any separation, any distinction. "What do you think, Subhuti? When the Tathagata was with Dipankara Tathagatha, did he realize any such dharma as unexcelled, perfect enlightenment?" To this the venerable Subhuti answered, "Bhagavan, as I understand the meaning of what the Tathagatha has taught, when the Tathagatha was with Dipankara Tathagata, the Arhan, the Fully-Enlightened One, he did not realize any such dharma as unexcelled, perfect enlightenment." [You can imagine an innocent, faithful Buddhist hearing that and saying, "What are you saying?"] And to this the Buddha replied, "So it is, Subhuti. When the Tathagatha was with Dipankara Tathagata, the Arhan, the Fully-Enlightened One, he did not realize any such dharma as unexcelled, perfect enlightenment. If the Tathagatha had realized any dharma, then Dipankara would not have prophesied of him, 'Young man, in the future you shall become the tathagata, the arhan, the fully-enlightened one, named Shakyamuni.'" Why? Because if you think there is an unexcelled, perfect "something," you have a conceptual belief in something that isn't empty. That's exactly the opposite of awakening. Awakening is the recognition that there is no such thing as awakening. That is awakening - recognizing that there is no such thing as a being; no such thing as a person; no such thing as a self. That is awakening. "Subhuti, imagine a perfect person with an immense, perfect body." The venerable Subhuti said, "This perfect person whom the Tathagata says has an 'immense, perfect body,' has no body." The Buddha said, "So it is, Subhuti, and if a bodhisattva says 'I shall liberate other beings,' that person is not called a 'bodhisattva'. And why not? Subhuti, is there any such dharma as a bodhisattva? 'Beings,' Subhuti, are said by the Tathagata to be no beings. Thus are they called 'beings.' Thus does the Tathagata say that all dharmas have no self. All dharmas have no life, no individuality, and no soul." When you read this, you can see how people would think this is nihilistic. It sounds kind of bleak - no dharmas, no life, no soul, no nothing, no individuality. But maybe to get the sense of it better,

  The Diamond Sutra is a Mahayana sutra from the genre of Prajnaparamita ('perfection of wisdom') sutras. In this series Norman will referernce the Diamond Sutra - Red Pine Edition. This is the fourth talk in this series. Diamond Sutra 4 By Zoketsu Norman Fischer | November 12, 2008 Abridged and edited by Barbara Byrum and Deborah Russell     Last time we were discussing the Diamond Sutra and the earlier Buddhist path of the arhat, the path of renunciation. We feel our own pain, and we know that there is something to be done; there is something to let go of, so we let go. We renounce. But, then, maybe we get attached to that brilliant sacrifice that we have made, to our renunciation and our sense of identity with the renunciation, to our holiness, and to our difference from others, who have not yet done this great thing that we have done. In contrast, in the bodhisattva path - the path of emptiness and compassion - we don't have the imperative to take a moral action, which is to renounce self, the world, and so on. Rather than the compunction to take a moral action, we have an ontological commitment to seeing that things are empty of anything that could be held on to. We understand that there is nothing to renounce, and there is nobody to renounce anything. Even if we do renounce something, we know that it is not an actual renunciation. So we are liberated from renunciation, and we are liberated from our sense of our difference from others. We are fully identified with others as non-others, and so, without any others, naturally, just living is an act of compassion. In other words, there is nothing but love and compassion, because we have realized that there is really non-difference. So we love the world and others as we love ourselves. Life by its very nature is loving-kindness, no matter what goes on. You know the wonderful phrase in the Zen koan, speaking of compassion, "It is as natural as reaching behind in the night for your pillow." Nothing special, just that natural action to bring comfort to a weary head, whether it is your own or someone else's. It hardly matters. So in the Diamond Sutra a shift is being proposed from a religious act to what I am calling an ontological commitment; to an understanding of the way that the world really is. So let's read Chapter 13: This having been said, the venerable Subhuti asked, "Bhagavan, what is the name of this dharma teaching, and how should we remember it?" The Buddha told the venerable Subhuti, "The name of this dharma teaching, Subhuti, is the Perfection of Wisdom. Thus should you remember it. And how so? Subhuti, what the Tathagata says is the perfection of wisdom the Tathagata says is no perfection. Thus it is called the 'perfection of wisdom.'" "Subhuti, what do you think? Is there any such dharma spoken by the Tathagata?" Subhuti said, "No, indeed, Bhagavan. There is no such dharma spoken by the Tathagata." The Buddha said, "Subhuti, what do you think? Are all the specks of dust in the billion-world-system of a universe many?" Subhuti said, "Many, Bhagavan. The specks of dust are many. And how so? Because, Bhagavan, what the Tathagata says is a speck of dust is no speck. Thus it is called 'a speck of dust.' And what the Tathagata says is a world system, the Tathagata says is no system. Thus it is called 'a world system.'" The Buddha said, "Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata, the Arhat, the Fully Enlightened One be seen by means of the thirty-two attributes of a perfect person?" Subhuti said, "No, indeed, Bhagavan. The Tathagata, the Arhat, the Fully Enlightened One cannot be seen by means of the thirty-two attributes of a perfect person. And why not? Because, Bhagavan, what the Tathagata says are the thirty-two attributes of a perfect person, Bhagavan, the Tathagata says are no attributes. Thus are they called the 'thirty-two attributes of a perfect person.'" This is the famous and strange logic of the Diam...

he Diamond Sutra is a Mahayana sutra from the genre of Prajnaparamita ('perfection of wisdom') sutras. In this series Norman will referernce the Diamond Sutra - Red Pine Edition.  This is the third of four talks on the Diamond Sutra.Third in a series on the Diamond Sutra, Red Pine Edition Diamond Sutra Third in a series on the Diamond Sutra - Red Pine Edition By Zoketsu Norman Fischer | May 28, 2008 Abridged and edited by Barbara Byrum and Cynthia Schrager   So tonight chapter six: This having been said, the venerable Subhuti asked the Buddha, "Bhagavan, will there be any beings in the future, in the final epoch, in the final period, in the final five hundred years of the dharma-ending age, who give birth to a perception of the truth of the words of a sutra, such as that spoken here?" The Buddha said, "Subhuti do not ask, 'Will be any beings in the future, in the final epoch, in the final period, in the final five hundred years of the dharma-ending age, who give birth to a perception of the truth of the words of a sutra, such as that spoken here?' Surely, Subhuti, in the final epoch, in the final period, in the final five hundred years of the dharma-ending age, there will be fearless bodhisattvas who are virtuous, capable, and wise, who give birth to a perception of the truth of the words of a sutra, such as that spoken here. "Indeed, Subhuti, such fearless bodhisattvas will have honored not just one buddha, and they will have planted auspicious roots before not just before one buddha. Surely, Subhuti, such fearless bodhisattvas will have honored countless hundreds and thousands of buddhas, and they will have planted auspicious roots before countless hundreds and thousands of buddhas. In the words of a sutra such as that spoken here, they are sure to gain perfect clarity of mind. The Tathagata knows them, Subhuti, by means of his buddha knowledge. And the Tathagata sees them, Subhuti , by means of his buddha vision. The Tathagata is aware of them, Subhuti. For they all produce and receive a measureless, infinite body of merit. "And how so? Because, Subhuti, these fearless bodhisattvas do not create a perception of a self, nor do they create a perception of a being, a life, or a soul. Nor, Subhuti, do these fearless bodhisattvas create the perception of a dharma, much less the perception of no dharma. Subhuti, they do not create a perception nor no perception. "And why not? Because, Subhuti, if these fearless bodhisattvas created the perception of a dharma, they would be attached to a self, a being, a life, and a soul. Likewise, if they created a perception of no dharma, they would be attached to a self, a being, a life, and a soul. "And why not? Because surely, Subhuti, fearless bodhisattvas do not cling to a dharma, much less to no dharma. This is the meaning behind the Tathagata's saying, 'A dharma teaching is like a raft. If you should let go of dharmas, how much more so no dharmas.'" What are attributes of the Buddha? That was the question we discussed last week. How is a Buddha, a Buddha? How are we, as awakened human beings, awakened human beings? What are the attributes? The Buddha has said that we can see and appreciate an awakened person by means of attributes that are no attributes. So there are attributes, but they are no attributes. So, on the one hand, there are no specific qualities that would identify an awakened person - no graspable, identifiable attributes or qualities. On the other hand, we know an awakened person. There are attributes; that is, there is a difference between us when we are awakened and us when we are not. But the difference is not a difference that is distinct or graspable. When we come to practice, we are always looking for a distinction, a difference that we can identify and grasp, and we don't find that kind of difference. Yet, at the same time, there is a distinct and important difference. It's just that it is hard to put your finger on i...

Second talk on the Diamond Sutra, Red Pine Edition Diamond Sutra 2 By Zoketsu Norman Fischer | May 21, 2008 Abridged and edited by Barbara Byrum and Deborah Russell The sutra begins with Subhuti asking the Buddha about the bodhisattva path that we are following. How should a bodhisattva stand, walk, and control her thoughts? That is the question that elicits the whole material of this sutra. This is to be taken literally - how to stand, how to walk, and how to work with our thoughts - but also figuratively. How to "stand" might mean what qualities should we develop; what guidelines to ethical conduct should we have; how can we control our thoughts; what attitudes should we be developing? The Buddha's surprising and wonderful response was not to take up the details of that question, but instead to say that all a bodhisattva has to do is to give rise to a thought, to give birth to a thought. And the thought is, "I will save all beings." All kinds of beings, no matter what kind, will be saved, and having saved all beings, no being at all will be saved. Why? Because bodhisattvas have no perception of a self, no perception of a being, and no perception of a person. So in the beginning of the sutra, we see the point of the sutra and also the point of the bodhisattva path: the twin or double-edged sword of compassion and emptiness. Compassion and emptiness are two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, a tremendous altruism and love for all beings; and not only love, but a desire to be active in benefitting them. On the other hand, emptiness - the recognition that beings are not what we think they are, and that "saving" is not what we think it is. In emptiness, beings are without separateness, without substance, without fixed reality. That recognition is itself their salvation. Beings are suffering - we are suffering - because of not knowing who we are. And as soon as we know who we are, beings are saved, and we are saved. Seeing the empty nature of ourselves and beings is the salvation. This emptiness of beings could, on the one hand, certainly be seen as a philosophical assertion and a religious doctrine; but in this sutra we learn that emptiness does not have to do with a philosophical assertion or a religious doctrine. It actually has to do with our very acts of perception. Emptiness is a psycho-physical reality. It is there in the acts of perception. In English, as well as in Sanskrit, perception means literally "to grasp." To perceive something is to grasp something. On a practical level - apart from religious or philosophical interpretations - emptiness means physically to recognize that there is nothing to grasp, and, therefore, nothing to perceive. So perception can be soft, knowing that the perception that we usually practice is based on separate objects and is a kind of illusion, a kind of magic show. We are seeing something and interpreting it as being something that isn't actually there - a person, a being, a separate autonomous entity. So the compassion of the bodhisattva is a compassion that recognizes that perception - grasping objects - is false. This compassion is not an exhausting compassion, an obligatory compassion, a burdensome compassion, but a soft, energizing, non-exhausting compassion. So it is not hard, not troublesome, and not difficult. Then it makes sense that dana paramita is the next topic that is taken up in the sutra. How does a bodhisattva conduct herself? Having this altruism and emptiness at the same time, how do you practice giving? How do you practice benefitting others? The essence of giving as a bodhisattva practice - being a bodhisattva who practices emptiness as well as compassion - is giving without attachment. Giving based on non-perception, non-grasping of sights, smells, and so on. When you read this in the sutra, at first it seems esoteric or unusual; but actually we are quite used to this kind of talk.

A new year’s talk by Subhuti to help dust away all those mental cobwebs hanging over from the last one! Just the thing for sharpening your wits, deepening your understanding of the thorny area that is ethics, and generally pulling your socks up on the awareness front… A friendly but thoroughly enagaging first step into a profoundly interesting area of Buddhist philosophy and practice — just how does the mind work? To help us keep this free, please think about making a donation.