Podcasts about triratna buddhist order

In this talk Suddhayu explores images from the Fire Sermon and the Parable of the Burning House in relation to the current political climate in the USA. From a Buddhist perspective, the world is always on fire — and sometimes it feels like the heat gets turned up. He uses the theme of 'Going Forth from Samsara' to speak about personal transformation and a compassionate response to the suffering of others. This talk was given on Sangha Night at Aryaloka Buddhist Center, Newmarket NH USA, 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967  

Subhadramati gives a talk for Cambridge Sangha night as part of a series on the Six Distinctive Emphasis of the Triratna Buddhist Community. A talk full of energy, insight and inspiration on Ordination within Triratna. Given at Cambridge Buddhist Centre,  2016. *** 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  

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______________Prasadachitta was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2011 and he became the Chair of the San Francisco Buddhist Center in April 2022. He was born on a “back to the land” commune in rural Northern California and that background has inspired his engagement with others in building the SFBC's rural meditation center called Dharmadhara. He also helped to establish a community of sangha members who support the retreats there. He supports himself as a documentary filmmaker and photographer but his real life's work is training others who want to practice Buddhism within the Triratna Buddhist Community. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

In this 3-part series, Danadasa covers the "Three Great Turnings" of the wheel of the dharma that resulted in the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.In this final talk, he explores the Vajrayana tradition's emphasis on holistic self-acceptance and using all aspects of experience—including anger—as part of the spiritual path. He discusses the contrast between early Buddhism's emphasis on self-liberation, Mahayana's interconnectedness, and Vajrayana's transformative approach that integrates even difficult emotions. By reframing anger as energy that can be directed toward wisdom or compassion, Vajrayana encourages acceptance and the practice of self-love as a pathway to freedom.Danadasa also reflects on the cultural influences shaping different Buddhist practices, such as Tibetan Buddhism's devotional aspects compared to Western Buddhism's rationalist tendencies. He shares his personal journey through conflict and how Vajrayana practices helped him transform anger and grief into deeper wisdom. Central to his teaching is the idea of surrender—letting go of control and embracing impermanence, which leads to the unworldly bliss of freedom from attachment. Through cognitive dissonance and contemplative affirmations, Danadasa encourages trusting the process of transformation, fostering forgiveness, and connecting with higher wisdom.______________Danadasa (he/him) began meditating and practicing Buddhism in 1993 and was ordained in the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2011 at the San Francisco Buddhist Center. At his ordination, he received his Buddhist name Danadasa which, in Sanskrit, means “servant of generosity”. In 1995, he developed a heart connection with the archetypal Buddha Amitabha, rooted in the Japanese Pure Land tradition Jodo Shinshu (known in the Western world as Shin Buddhism), and has been practicing an Amitabha sadhana (devotional practice) since 2011.Danadasa is deeply passionate about teaching meditation, mindfulness and Buddhism in a somatic and embodied way, bringing the Buddha's teachings to life in our imaginations through images and storytelling. Embodied practice is the path of getting out of our heads and into our bodies, for it is in our bodies that liberation reveals itself.Over the past 20 years, Danadasa has held various administrative and leadership roles within the San Francisco Buddhist Center (SFBC). And in 2023, he resigned from all of his formal SFBC roles, as well as taking a break from teaching for a period of wandering in the wilderness, free from the external responsibilities, expectations and social norms of the monastery, following in the footsteps of the great “crazy wisdom” Mahasiddhas of the past. Since then, many lineage Masters and archetypal Buddhas have provided Danadasa with guidance and inspiration, including Tilopa, Naropa, Padmasambhava, Vajrakilaya, and Machig Labdron. In 2024, Danadasa received Vajrayogini initiation and empowerment. Through Vajrayogini, the Mother of All the Buddhas, the meaning of the Buddha's words is beginning to reveal itself. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

In this 3-part series, Danadasa covers the "Three Great Turnings" of the wheel of the dharma that resulted in the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.Here in Part 2, he explores how Mahayana Buddhism builds on early Buddhist teachings to emphasize interconnectedness and engagement with the world. He contrasts embodied imagination—a tool for liberation—with fantasy, which is mere escapism. Through imagination, we can transform harmful narratives into those fostering peace and well-being. Danadasa highlights the Mahayana method of creating archetypal symbols, like Amitabha Buddha, to inspire and guide practitioners, encouraging reliance on higher wisdom rather than individual control.He also addresses balancing inner peace with active engagement in a polarized world. By using meditation to cultivate an inner “bounded space,” individuals can replenish emotional resilience and learn to let go of toxic tendencies, such as mental proliferation and polarization. Danadasa emphasizes that true freedom arises not from avoiding the world but from embracing impermanence and interconnectedness, offering practical steps for thriving in challenging circumstances.______________Danadasa (he/him) began meditating and practicing Buddhism in 1993 and was ordained in the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2011 at the San Francisco Buddhist Center. At his ordination, he received his Buddhist name Danadasa which, in Sanskrit, means “servant of generosity”.  In 1995, he developed a heart connection with the archetypal Buddha Amitabha, rooted in the Japanese Pure Land tradition Jodo Shinshu (known in the Western world as Shin Buddhism), and has been practicing an Amitabha sadhana (devotional practice) since 2011. Danadasa is deeply passionate about teaching meditation, mindfulness and Buddhism in a somatic and embodied way, bringing the Buddha's teachings to life in our imaginations through images and storytelling. Embodied practice is the path of getting out of our heads and into our bodies, for it is in our bodies that liberation reveals itself. Over the past 20 years, Danadasa has held various administrative and leadership roles within the San Francisco Buddhist Center (SFBC). And in 2023, he resigned from all of his formal SFBC roles, as well as taking a break from teaching for a period of wandering in the wilderness, free from the external responsibilities, expectations and social norms of the monastery, following in the footsteps of the great “crazy wisdom” Mahasiddhas of the past. Since then, many lineage Masters and archetypal Buddhas have provided Danadasa with guidance and inspiration, including Tilopa, Naropa, Padmasambhava, Vajrakilaya, and Machig Labdron. In 2024, Danadasa received Vajrayogini initiation and empowerment. Through Vajrayogini, the Mother of All the Buddhas, the meaning of the Buddha's words is beginning to reveal itself. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

In this 3-part series, Danadasa covers the "Three great turnings" of the wheel of the dharma that resulted in the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.Here in Part 1, Danadasa touches on Theravada perspectives, emphasizes the original teachings of the Buddha from the Pali canon, such as the concept of the "two darts": physical pain as inevitable (the first dart) and the additional suffering we create through our mental reactions (the second dart). He explains that liberation lies in recognizing these reactions as echoes from the past rather than intrinsic truths, allowing us to let them naturally fade. This practice shifts our perspective from intellectual understanding to embodied wisdom. He also connects these teachings to social polarization, highlighting the need to balance inner peace with outer engagement. By setting boundaries, cultivating resilience, and embracing impermanence, Danadasa urges us to navigate modern challenges compassionately, breaking free from habitual suffering and fostering harmony within ourselves and with others.______________Danadasa (he/him) began meditating and practicing Buddhism in 1993 and was ordained in the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2011 at the San Francisco Buddhist Center. At his ordination, he received his Buddhist name Danadasa which, in Sanskrit, means “servant of generosity”.  In 1995, he developed a heart connection with the archetypal Buddha Amitabha, rooted in the Japanese Pure Land tradition Jodo Shinshu (known in the Western world as Shin Buddhism), and has been practicing an Amitabha sadhana (devotional practice) since 2011. Danadasa is deeply passionate about teaching meditation, mindfulness and Buddhism in a somatic and embodied way, bringing the Buddha's teachings to life in our imaginations through images and storytelling. Embodied practice is the path of getting out of our heads and into our bodies, for it is in our bodies that liberation reveals itself. Over the past 20 years, Danadasa has held various administrative and leadership roles within the San Francisco Buddhist Center (SFBC). And in 2023, he resigned from all of his formal SFBC roles, as well as taking a break from teaching for a period of wandering in the wilderness, free from the external responsibilities, expectations and social norms of the monastery, following in the footsteps of the great “crazy wisdom” Mahasiddhas of the past. Since then, many lineage Masters and archetypal Buddhas have provided Danadasa with guidance and inspiration, including Tilopa, Naropa, Padmasambhava, Vajrakilaya, and Machig Labdron. In 2024, Danadasa received Vajrayogini initiation and empowerment. Through Vajrayogini, the Mother of All the Buddhas, the meaning of the Buddha's words is beginning to reveal itself. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Prayer to Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom May all beings experience happiness and its causes Be free from suffering and its causes, Never be parted from happiness And dwell in the condition of equanimity Ever since his introduction to Buddhism in 1976, Mahamati has been attracted to collective, collaborative contexts. He was, from the start, delighted to find a group of people with whom he could live his whole life, practising and working together with a vision for the transformation of both self and the world. This has long characterized his relationship with the Triratna Buddhist Order and with its founding teacher, Urgyen Sangharakshita, whose lecture The Meaning of Spiritual Community ignited something magic in Mahamati's life that continues to find new expression today. This vision of transformation is what Mahamati will be bringing to a major role in our community as Chair of the College of Public Preceptors, starting in November 2024. Mahamati speaks about Triratna's primary mission - and his own spiritual life - in terms of responding to suffering in the world and a vision of ‘transcendent happiness'. Understanding what that might mean - and how that works, both at an individual level and at the level of serving a spiritual community - is key.  We hear about the many-layered role of the College of Public Preceptors: its central role in welcoming new members into the Order, upholding an established lineage of practice (particularly after the death of Sangharakshita in 2018), and addressing ethical issues. What shines through most is the deeply personal lifelong connection that marks ordination into our particular community; how people are transformed through a shared sense of common project ready to meet the challenges and sorrows of the world. Happiness and the potential for it is never far away throughout the conversation as Mahamati unfolds his own sense of how that initial act of commitment - choosing to become a Buddhist - blossoms and fruits over time into a path of service and of responsibility capable of changing a life in quite profound ways. An encouraging, inspired evocation of the opportunities to serve that light up a life lived on the Buddhist path. Show Notes

Kamalashila is dying. So are we - we are dying. Really.  In this recent conversation with Kamalashila following his diagnosis of terminal cancer - and in the closing guided meditation reflecting on death - this is the core theme to which we keep returning: the value of familiarising ourselves with our impermanence: dying and death are going to happen to every single one of us. As Kamalashila says, “Taking it out of the taboo cupboard”. We hear Kamalashila's perspective starting out on what he refers to in his cancer blog as “A Voyage into the Unknown”. What it's like to be in relationship to other people's responses as he himself comes to terms with what's happening. What he is carrying with him by way of reflections on a path of Buddhist practice, regrets in relationship to his own Dharma life and community, and thoughts on the nature of sangha itself.  Exploring how, as Buddhists, as humans, we can work effectively with the intimations of our own mortality that are there if we only choose to look. We revisit the themes of previous conversations: modes of Buddhist practice and ways of seeing community; the effect of landscape as a space of practice; the ongoing life of a particular spiritual context (the Triratna Buddhist Order) and his sense of sometimes being “a square peg in a round hole” within it. We hear Kamalashila's sense of Triratna's history, its up and downs, its many gifts, its changes for better or worse, its historical dynamics, its tensions and contradictions - all with a temperamental leaning towards personal agency in practice, trust in community, and finding unity through diversity.  The exchanges here are grounded in Kamalashila's present experience - but his thoughts on the past are naturally part of it. And as anyone who knows him might expect, we are never too far from his sense of depth connection to the importance of playful, curious, committed meditation practice and teaching, one of the great love's of his 50+ years as a Buddhist. Whether he's talking about life back in the London of his childhood or the nature of agnosticism in relation to the teaching of Padmasambhava, Kamalashila is always a good companion in attending to what matters. This is a fascinating and generous hour of engaged conversation - followed by a beautiful 20 minute gently guided reflection on how our bodies and our consciousness (parsed by Kamalashila as “manifesting a world”) might, in time, come into relationship with our own dying and death. Show Notes Follow ‘A Voyage into the Unknown': a blog by Kamalashila Online classes and retreats with Kamalashila (with teaching archive) Read Kamalashila's thoughts on his diagnosis and upcoming meditation teaching Some previous podcast conversations with Kamalashila: Kamalashila's Quarterly No.1 Kamalashila's Quarterly No.2 - On Landscape And Experiment Kamalashila's Quarterly No.3 - On Gonzo Psychogeography and New Beginnings The Magic Of Meditation with Kamalashila Parami & Kamalashila Talk About Meditation Satyaraja and Kamalashila Talk About Meditation Other links: Read free digital editions of ‘Crap, I've Got Cancer' by Suvarnaprabha Amitasuri on her work as a Buddhist chaplain Watch Seamus Heaney reading his poem ‘Mint' Follow us on YouTube and Instagram *** Visit The Buddhist Centre Live (events year-round on Buddhism, mindfulness, meditation, and culture) Come meditate with us online six days a week! Theme music by Ackport! Used with kind permission.

After an account of the Buddha's life, Sangharakshita asks how, if at all, such a man can be defined or categorised. This talk was given in 1968 as part of the series Introducing the Three Jewels of Buddhism *** 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

Sanghamani reveals her early days on the Buddhist path by sharing a dream she had about ‘going home' with Bhante Sangharakshita as her guide. From the talk Discipleship, Magic and Myth given at the Triratna Buddhist Order weekend, held at Adhisthana, 2014. *** 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  

Mahamati  talks on actualizing the myth of the Order- symbolised in the 1000 armed Avalokiteshvara. Excerpted from the talk Actualizing the 1000 Armed Avalokiteshvara given on a Triratna Buddhist Order weekend at Padmaloka, 2010. *** 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

Here is a strong, beautiful talk by Parami from the final day of the Triratna Buddhist Order's International Convention 2013 in India, bringing us back to the task in hand as members of the Order and as Buddhists: engaging with breaking the fetters and weakening the hold that self-clinging exerts upon our minds and our ways of seeing things. *** 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 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  

What does it mean to go beyond separation as described in the Heart Sutra? Prasadachitta prefaces this rich talk by asking us to consider all the ways we are steeped in separation. This is evidenced by our language's practice of adding -ism to a tradition or condition to define ourselves or others -- a practice that can serve as a judgment that fosters separation. He goes on to state that the word dharma can have multiple meanings:Realizing the nature of reality as sentient beings experience it. The teachings of the Buddha The lifestyle that a practitioner follows after taking precepts. He describes 'taking on' precepts as accepting a challenge, an ethical code that is often uncomfortable, but changes how we move through the world. He then recites and expands upon the Heart Sutra. It describes attaining release from suffering and attachment by letting go of duality. He frames it as a conversation between a fully realized being, the Bodhisattva of Compassion (Avalokiteshvara with 1,000 arms), and Sariputra - a wise student who intellectually knows all the teachings yet is still not free. ______________Prasadachitta was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2011 and he became the Chair of the San Francisco Buddhist Center in April 2022. He was born on a “back to the land” commune in rural Northern California and that background has inspired his engagement with others in building the SFBC's rural meditation center called Dharmadhara. He also helped to establish a community of sangha members who support the retreats there. He supports himself as a documentary filmmaker and photographer but his real life's work is training others who want to practice Buddhism within the Triratna Buddhist Community. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Padmavajra first met Sangharakshita when he was 17 and in this talk he shares some of his own most cherished memories of Bhante, including his experiences of being with him in India when he returned there in the 1970's to found the Order there. Urgyen Sangharakshita - Bhante - who died in 2018, is not only the founder of the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community, but also teacher and spiritual friend to Padmavajra. Excerpted from the talk entitled Urgyen Sangharakshita: The Bodhisattva's Reply given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2019. *** 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  

Tantric Buddhism is concerned with the direct experience of who we are and what we can become. Its aim is to help us realize our potential by transforming the energy locked in by old habits, fears, and views. This experience cannot be mediated by concepts; it needs to be evoked with the help of symbols. Subhadramati gave this talk at London Buddhist Centre, 2020. *** 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  

Dharma friends for over 30 years, Danadasa and John Del Bagno present Dharmic poetry, artwork, and chanting.View the artwork and poetry selections athttps://gaybuddhist.org/podcast/art-poetry-and-the-imagination-danadasa-chan-john-del-bagno/______________ Dhammachari Danadasa has been practicing with the San Francisco Buddhist Center (SFBC) community since 1993 and was ordained in 2011. His current area of exploration is the cultivation of metta (universal loving kindness) as a response to all the hatred, discrimination, and bigotry in the world out there. ______________ John Del Bagno is a poet, spoken word performer, visual artist and gerontologist. He was ordained in the Triratna Buddhist Order for many years and was one of the founders of the San Francisco Buddhist Center. After meditating every day for over two decades, he turned to the Pure Land Way which relies on Amitabha Buddha and the recitation of the Buddha-name. His first book is a collection of his essays, poems and prints: Hope from the Pure Land Way in Unnerving Times. Learn more at www.purelandartwork.com Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

In this latest episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, we follow the personal journeys of Sarvananda and Satyadaka, two lifelong friends and dedicated Dharma practitioners who have lived together in various contexts for over twenty years. It's a rare opportunity to listen into stories from such a close companionship, making this conversation a true delight to share with you. This episode covers a wide array of topics, including our friends' individual private ordinations, the evolution of their Dharma practices over time, and their profound connections with the Arts as a key aspect of spiritual life. Both Sarvananda and Satyadaka became involved in the Triratna Buddhist Community during their early twenties. Their journey began at Vajraloka Retreat Center in Wales, and they later relocated to Norwich where they found like-minded Order members who shared their passion for Buddhism and the life of the artist. Sarvananda has been a devoted writer throughout his life within the Order, while Satyadaka has nurtured a strong musical practice. Interview originally conducted by Satyalila for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project in 2018, our online project to document 50+ years of people's commitment and practice within the Triratna Buddhist Order around the world. Listen on The Buddhist Centre Online Visit the dedicated site for Fifty Years, Fifty Voices Read more about Season Two of Fifty Years, Fifty Voices *** Subscribe to our Buddhist Voices Podcast: On Apple Podcasts  |  On Google Podcasts  |  On Spotify  |  On others podcast networks Our long form podcast, featuring full-length interviews from Fifty Years, Fifty Voices, and other great in-depth conversations with Buddhists from around the world. Inspiring stories that 

In this episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, we explore the personal journey and reflections of Dharmacharini Maitripala, a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order as well as a private and public preceptor, based in Brunswick, Australia.  Initially leading a seemingly idyllic life, Maitripala's quest for 'more' was sparked by a serene moment of beauty as she noticed the glistening morning dew delicately resting on the cobwebs on her laundry line. Such a potent image seems to have gradually awakened something within her. But it would be some time before she would find herself in a shrine room remembering that same image. She came across the Dharma in 1991 when attending a weekend course led by Buddhadasa and Guhyavajra in Melbourne. Both Buddhadasa and Dayamegha were her first main dharma teachers. During this time she was bringing up her three daughters in the lovely forest town of Emerald about an hour and half from Melbourne. Throughout the episode, Maitripala reflects on the evolution of her spiritual practice, with a particular emphasis on her deep appreciation for the Metta Bhavana practice, or the cultivation of loving-kindness. She describes it as an insight practice and encourages fellow practitioners not to give up on the practice if they've found it difficult in the past The Metta Bhavana has been a cornerstone of her life and goes some way in describing why she was named, "Maitripala," which translates as "Guardian of Love and Kindness." She shares how her name serves as a living testament to her commitment to the Bodhisattva path and her mission to promote love and kindness in the world. Maitripala's journey deepens further when she is asked to become a public preceptor, a substantial responsibility within the Triratna Buddhist Order. She recounts the moment she received this request and how it instigated a profound shift in her perspective. This transition has brought about new challenges and opportunities for personal growth, allowing her to serve the Order in a more profound capacity. The conversation also touches on the common pitfalls newcomers to the Dharma face and the importance of patience and spiritual friendship on the path. Another important thread within this interview is the evolving relationship she's had with her family and being a mother of three. Join us in this episode as we follow Maitripala's inspiring journey, underscoring the transformative power of practice, commitment, and the embrace of the Bodhisattva path. From an interview conducted for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project, our online project to document 50+ years of people's commitment and practice within the Triratna Buddhist Order around the world. Visit the dedicated site for Fifty Years, Fifty Voices Read more about Season Two of Fifty Years, Fifty Voices *** Subscribe to our Buddhist Voices Podcast:  On Apple Podcasts  |  On Google Podcasts  |  On Spotify  |  On others podcast networks Our long form podcast, featuring full-length interviews from Fifty Years, Fifty Voices, and other great in-depth conversations with Buddhists from around the world. Inspiring stories that 

In this latest episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, we take a deep dive into the life and transformative journey of our guest, Dharmachari Samasuri. Our guest's journey began whilst struggling her way through medical school in London. Sharing a house with long time friend Karunamati when she found herself on the brink of a breakdown.  Amidst the backdrop of Glastonbury Festival, she fondly remembers marching up to the Buddhafield tent to learn meditation. Having grown up in South Devon, Samasauri has always had a strong connection with nature, and the mythic dimension of practice. The warmth of the people she encountered, the sense of belonging, and the unique enchantment of rituals led by Varabhadri on her inaugural retreat with the London Buddhist Centre resonate vividly in her memory.  The narrative expands further as we delve into Samasuri's experiences on Buddhafield family retreats. Embracing the chaos of being on retreat with her two children and finding extraordinary ways to integrate practice into her family routines. These retreats not only impacted her but also nurtured a sense of Dharma practice within her children, offering them glimpses into the mythic realm and ethical living. Satyalila gracefully opens up the challenges of being a parent within our movement in the past as Samasuri shares in her own experience of deciding to become a mother and the strong upsurge of maternal instinct that arose in her early 30's. Describing needing to seek wider support from the Steiner movement. The episode concludes with a reflection on her yidam, Mamaki, the yellow female buddha of the east and the resonance with her ordained name, meaning "equanimous heroine". Evoking a powerful connection. As Samasuri navigates her spiritual journey, equanimity has become an important guiding principle, embracing abundance without getting overwhelmed. From an interview conducted for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project, our online project to document 50+ years of people's commitment and practice within the Triratna Buddhist Order around the world. Listen on The Buddhist Centre Online Visit the dedicated site for Fifty Years, Fifty Voices Read more about Season Two of Fifty Years, Fifty Voices *** Subscribe to our Buddhist Voices Podcast:  On Apple Podcasts  |  On Google Podcasts  |  On Spotify  |  On others podcast networks Our long form podcast, featuring full-length interviews from Fifty Years, Fifty Voices, and other great in-depth conversations with Buddhists from around the world. Inspiring stories that illuminate for modern times the Buddha's example of how to live and find true freedom.

John Del Bagno discusses Pure Land Buddhism and reads his poems devoted to Amitābha Buddha. John describes Pure Land Buddhism as an alternative to self-powered practice, which often engages the willful, striving aspects of our ego. Pureland relies instead on an 'other power' to bring us to enlightenment: Amitābha Buddha. This is accomplished through the habit of reciting the Buddha-name, believed to make the attainment of Buddhahood possible in only one lifetime. ______________ John Del Bagno is a poet, spoken word performer, visual artist and gerontologist. He was ordained in the Triratna Buddhist Order for many years and was one of the founders of the San Francisco Buddhist Center. After meditating every day for over two decades, he turned to the Pure Land Way which relies on Amitabha Buddha and the recitation of the Buddha-name. His first book is a collection of his essays, poems and prints: Hope from the Pure Land Way in Unnerving Times. Learn more at purelandartwork.com Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Saddhanandi riffs off a talk that Sangharakshita gave to the Buddhist Society in 1975 entitled 'Enlightenment as Experience and Non-Experience'. She reflects on the content as well as the context, just what was happening with these early lectures by Sangharakshita, just six years after the first ordinations. Given on retreat at Adhisthana, 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  

In this episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, we delve into the life of Dharmachari Jyotipala. Ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in the late 1970s, Jyotipala's spiritual journey has taken in many different contexts within the Order, including a spell living in India wearing formal Buddhist robes. However, his spiritual life started much earlier than that. Raised a catholic he became inspired by Thomas Merton and joined a then new monastery in Utah, ‘Our Lady of the Holy Trinity', with the intention of becoming a Trappist monk.  In this insightful interview conducted by Satyalila in 2018, Jyotipala's remarkable level of honesty and humility shines through. His path in the Order has taken a number of unforeseen twists, and he candidly discusses his own challenges and shortcomings with a charm that's deeply endearing. His conversation exudes an unmistakable sense of contentment, coupled with a strongly resonant faith. Indeed, he describes himself simply with the Indian term 'japawolla', someone who finds solace in the chanting of mantras.  In 2002, after distancing himself from the Order, Jyotipala's life took another turn as he made plans to relocate to New Zealand with his then second wife. Amid these shifts he resigned from the Order, leading him into what he refers to as a phase ‘in the wilderness'. He sought refuge at Throssel Hole, a Buddhist Abbey and retreat center nestled in Northumberland, England, a place that felt like home and offered what he describes as a simpler practice of ‘just sitting'.  For eight years, he found peace in this phase of his life, until receiving an unexpected phone call and card from an old friend, Padmavajra… Join us as we explore Jyotipala's heartfelt story of challenge and faith, and witness something of the serenity he carries within him. Extracts from this interview were used in the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project. Visit Fifty Years, Fifty Voices on The Buddhist Centre Online

Vidyapala draws on various Pali suttas, and the Buddha's own life, to suggest ways we might move from suffering to faith in this talk given at Manchester Buddhist Centre, 2023. *** 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 enjoy this conversation, come explore the theme online on our Home Retreat with Vidyamala and Vishvapani! Join Entering the Mandala: Mindfulness and Imagination, September 1-7 “Imagine an enormous subterranean chamber all lit up from within. We are living in a tiny chamber next to – indeed, part of – the larger one. We can see nothing at all of what's going on in the large chamber. In fact, we have no idea that the large chamber is even there.” Sangharakshita This week we're opening portals to awareness and the wonders that can arise when we really start to pay attention to everything that's going on in the world around us. What would it be like to experience yourself without restrictive concepts? What dimensions might open up in your life as you engage with myths and symbols? Awareness, or mindfulness, is an essential foundation for all spiritual growth. And through knowing experience directly we can transform difficulties and become happier, calmer and more fulfilled. But awareness offers much more: it also provides a doorway to other dimensions in the large chamber of our being. Awareness of the body, heart and mind can blossom into awareness of boundlessness, love and mystery, as Buddhist teachers have taught down the millennia. Imagination is a key to this opening. When our minds are clear and we're alive to what's within us and around us, our imaginations wake up to new possibilities. Kusaladevi joins Vidyamala and Vishvapani in a conversation exploring the theme of their upcoming Home Retreat, Entering the Mandala: Mindfulness and Imagination. This Home Retreat is an opportunity to live for a week with mindfulness, kindness, poetry and creativity, even in the midst of our daily lives. An exploration of mindfulness and imagination through talks, meditation, creative activities, discussion and shared ritual, particularly focused on the richly evocative symbol of the mandala. Come join us in the vastness of the present moment! *** Show notes Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Urgyen Sangharakshita Dharma talks by Vidyamala | Dharma talks by Vishvapani More about the Five Buddha mandala Listen to 'Vidyamala, OBE! - A Platinum Jubilee Honour for Breathworks' From Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour. July 13, 1798 by William Wordsworth —And I have felt A presence that disturbs me with the joy Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime Of something far more deeply interfused, Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, And the round ocean and the living air, And the blue sky, and in the mind of man: A motion and a spirit, that impels All thinking things, all objects of all thought, And rolls through all things.  William Wordsworth *** Vidyamala was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1995 and is co-founder of Breathworks, a leading mindfulness organisation and she focuses particularly on using awareness and kindness training to work with pain and illness. This draws on her own experience of managing spinal pain and disability. She is an award-winning author of three books and was awarded an OBE in 2022 for her services to pain management and well-being. She regularly leads retreats and workshops, and speaks at international summits, events and webinars. Vidyamala has long had an interest in the creative mind and heart and how to access this through myth, ritual and non-conceptual approaches and looks forward to deepening this even more on this online retreat. www.vidyamala-burch.com www.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk Vishvapani has practised meditation and Buddhism for over 40 years. He's a writer, best known for Gautama Buddha: the Life and Teachings of the Awakened One and as the Buddhist contributor to Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4. He's a prominent figure in the UK's mindfulness world and has taught over 150 mindfulness courses. He loves to explore poetry, myth and imagination, along with Buddhism, in his writing, teaching and practice. www.vishvapani.org www.mindfulnessinaction.co.uk *** Visit The Buddhist Centre Live (events year-round on Buddhism, mindfulness, meditation, and culture) Come meditate with us online six days a week! Theme music by Ackport! Used with kind permission.

Drawing upon the myths in the life of the Buddha Satyapara explores the role the body plays when we take up Buddhist practice. She describes the Buddha as a child under a rose apple tree being deeply in touch with his surrounding and when calling upon the earth he gains confidence in his practice and overcomes his doubts. With these stories Satyapara invites us to trust our body. Given in Cambridge, UK, in the Young People's Evening, 2016. *** 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

Bodhivajra talks about Enlightenment in a direct and very down-to-earth way, making the whole notion of Enlightenment more accessible, approachable, and relevant. Norwich Buddhist Centre, May 2015. *** 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

In this interactive talk, Prasadachitta reflects on the practice of chanting and then leads the sangha in a few chants. In the Triratna tradition, chanting engages the imagination, which helps counterbalance the more cognitive aspects of the dharma teachings that engage the rational mind. He describes how chanting and imagery can help us open up to all aspects of the present moment, the vast world around us, and our own being. In one, he introduces the figure of Green Tara from the South Indian tradition, who rose from the lake of tears shed by the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. ______________ Prasadachitta was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2011 and he became the Chair of the San Francisco Buddhist Center in April 2022. He was born on a “back to the land” commune in rural Northern California and that background has inspired his engagement with others in building the SFBC's rural meditation center called Dharmadhara. He also helped to establish a community of sangha members who support the retreats there. He supports himself as a documentary filmmaker and photographer but his real life's work is training others who want to practice Buddhism within the Triratna Buddhist Community. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Vijayamala addresses the 2022 UK & IE Triratna Buddhist Order convention, exploring what breaking through and seeing the nature of reality means for us as an Order. The Buddha went forth to seek an end to suffering, to go beyond what binds us to the samsaric world. The theme of this event also encompasses ‘going beyond' and the ways in which we are approaching that as an Order. Part of the series Going Forth, Going Beyond: 2022 UK & Ireland Order Convention, 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

In this podcast episode, we have the pleasure of hearing from Rijumayi, currently based in Melbourne, Australia, as she shares her spiritual journey as part of the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project. Rijumayi takes us back to her formative years, recounting her initial encounters with Buddhism during her teenage years. Her interest in the teachings was ignited whilst in high school, she attended a lecture by the Dalai Lama in the city. The reverence and respect that people had for him would leave a lasting impression on her. As well as delving into her evolving experience with meditation and the Dharma, Rijumayi remarks that in her search for meaning, she really found the framework for transformation that she was looking for at the Melbourne Buddhist Centre, which lead to her eventual ordination into the Triratna Buddhist Order.  Throughout the discussion, Rijumayi stresses the importance of seizing this precious opportunity to practice, encouraging listeners not to postpone their spiritual journeys and to cultivate meaningful spiritual friendships. She generously shares insights into her daily routine, revealing how it supports her steadfast commitment to going for refuge in the three jewels.

Maitreyabandhu explores the path to insight in the context of Triratna's system of practice. He does this by exploring the three myths of self-development, self-surrender and self-discovery, as well as spiritual death and spiritual rebirth in the dharma life. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2019. *** 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

Paradigms are the shared ideas in the minds of society, the deepest set of views and beliefs about how the world works. Dhammadinna draws on the teachings of Sangharakshita and applies her lived experience in the Triratna Buddhist Order to explore the first verse of the Dasadhamma Sutta - I am no longer living according to worldly aims and values. This is the second talk in a series of six entitled: The Order as Practice: Shifting Paradigms, given at Adhisthana, 2015, looking at how different the Spiritual Community is from our surrounding culture and how our Going for Refuge shifts paradigms. *** 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  

As part of the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project, celebrating 50 years of the Triratna Buddhist Order; In this episode of the Buddhist Voices podcast, we hear from Manjuvajra, a member of the Order for over 45 years, who shares their experience of reassessing their relationship with the order after withdrawing from their previous institutional roles. Manjuvajra notes that the order they joined many years ago was very different from the current manifestation, making it harder to identify with the practicalities of the order. Reflecting over many decades of practice, Manjuvajra describes an ever-deepening confidence in the existence of the Buddha, which illuminates both the Dharma and Sangha jewels. They also reflect on the development of spiritually supportive friendships that provide intimacy without emotional bondage. Manjuvajra has found a deepening of their connection to the three jewels through long retreats and expresses a desire to create a culture of long retreats within the community, where individuals can develop their own particular strand of practice with the support of a small group. Overall, this conversation initiated by Dharmacharini Satyalila is honest and intimate, not shying away from the challenges of practising within a spiritual community and the importance of deepening one's confidence in the teachings.

Sanghamani shares a significant dream she had of Bhante as a mythic guide. Excerpted from the talk Discipleship, Magic and Myth given to the Triratna Buddhist Order on the theme of Discipleship, 2014. *** 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

In 2018, Satyalila had the pleasure of sitting down with Akasasuri at the Adhisthana Library for an interview as part of the Fifty Years Fifty Voices project. Extracts from this interview were used in the project, and now we are gradually releasing the full interviews to provide a deeper dive into the lives of various members of the Triratna Buddhist Order across the globe. In this far-reaching conversation, Satyalila and Akasasuri touch on many aspects of her life in the order. They begin by discussing where it all began as well as the events that led to Akasasuri joining the then "Friends of the Western Buddhist Order" and her experiences with other teachers who influenced her journey. Her journey began with training as a Gestalt therapist and psychosynthesis in Holland. Like many conversations in the 50 Voices project, Akasasuri emphasizes the importance of friendships within the Triratna Buddhist community. She speaks warmly of Dharmacharini Vajrayogini, who she regards as a formidable woman and a great Dharma teacher. Despite their age difference, they established a deep friendship, and Akasasuri regards her as her first teacher. Later, they discuss Akasasuri's experiences of working for the movement, which spanned several different Triratna contexts, including various Buddhist centres and her work as a van driver for Windhorse Trading. Throughout the conversation, the importance of Going for Refuge to the three jewels in Buddhism is highlighted, and they discuss how it can be put into action through kindness and service. Visit the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices on The Buddhist Centre Online

In this podcast episode, Amritavani shares her journey towards the Dharma, starting from her childhood fascination with something bigger calling her. She talks about her exploration of different spiritual paths, including yoga, Christianity, and the divine feminine, before finally finding her way to the Dharma through a meditation class in Croydon. It was at the Croydon Buddhist Centre that she met two inspiring order members who left a lasting impression on her, Vijayasri and Sucimani, who made her feel accepted and heard, which eventually led her to deepen her exploration of the spiritual life within the context of the Triratna Buddhist Order. Amritavani also speaks movingly about her experience of being a mother and how it informs her practice. With limited retreat time. Working with guilt when she goes away from her young children whilst having limited energy for formal practice because she loves them dearly and needs to take care of them. However, despite these limitations, she often finds herself inspired by her name, which translates to have the word "limitless" in it, challenging any perceived limitations she might have within the moment.   Finally, White Tara's warm embrace echoes throughout the interview. Her warm embrace offers the guidance and support needed to deal with the challenges that motherhood and Dharma practice can face.  Extracts from this interview were used for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project: Visit the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices on The Buddhist Centre Online Recorded in Cambridge with Simone Moore in 2018.

A real beauty of a ‘lost' episode from our archives! Recorded in a very lovely garden in Mexico in 2019, with nature sounds all around, Bodhikamala and Sanghadhara, who've been soul mates of a sort since before the age of 10, explore with us their long history of friendship as young people. A shared love of the arts, of musicals, and Harry Potter brought them together in summer camp and, eventually, led them to explore Buddhism together. Now as ordained members of the Triratna Buddhist Order they discuss their strange routes to the Dharma life, taking in auras, fear of aliens and the apocalypse, and early struggles with social despair that found only limited expression in other kinds of activism. A magic story of how intuitive philosophy and a feeling for truth developed from a sense that while pain is inevitable in life, suffering is optional. Early insights turn into a meaningful, lived experience of Buddhist practice where mind is seen and felt as primary, and it makes all the difference. Our two “Cookie Searchers” take us from Plato's Cave to yoga retreats with grandmothers and, eventually, across continents. What is constant – through challenges with acceptance by parents and all questioning and doubts – is a friendship where love and vital interest are irrepressible. Join us for laughter, sparkling reflection, and an uncommonly strong, easy evocation of friendship as a path that can transcend even time itself. Recorded at Chintamani Retreat Centre, Mexico 2019. *** Visit The Buddhist Centre Live (events year-round on Buddhism, mindfulness, meditation, and culture) Come meditate with us online six days a week! Theme music by Ackport! Used with kind permission.

Prasadachitta talks about the appeal of Buddhism and the concept of 'Stream Entry' -- the initial point at which one is drawn to Buddhism and enlightenment. He shares what drew him to Buddhism and how it relates to the concept of faith. Then he explores how expanding our thinking about what is possible and worthwhile can enliven and broaden our practice. He explains that Stream Entry involves the falling away of: Doubt and indecisionA fixed identitySuperficial rights and ritualsHe also responds to the question of the role of worship in Buddhism, that what we worship and appreciate is actually the value of the dharma.  ____________ Prasadachitta was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2011 and he became the Chair of the San Francisco Buddhist Center in April 2022. He was born on a “back to the land” commune in rural Northern California and that background has inspired his engagement with others in building the SFBC's rural meditation center called Dharmadhara. He also helped to establish a community of sangha members who support the retreats there. He supports himself as a documentary filmmaker and photographer but his real life's work is training others who want to practice Buddhism within the Triratna Buddhist Community. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Welcome to a new season of the podcast! ❤️ Since the 1970s Kamalashila has been exploring meditation and, as an author and teacher in the Triratna Buddhist Order, shaping our understanding of meditation in all its practical magic and mystery. These days he spends much of his time at home in rural England, leading in-depth meditation retreats online for members of the Order. Join us in his garden amongst the summer birds and wildflowers of Suffolk for a conversation about how sadhana – a lifelong, 360º approach to Buddhist meditation and practice – transforms our consciousness and our whole way of experiencing the world. You can't understand it all rationally, Kamalashila says, and this perspective sits comfortably with his embrace of technology and the Internet as effective, if imperfect, tools with which to pursue a personal and communal exploration of the Dharma. What emerges is a vision of Buddhism that knows to be genuinely learning we must also accept that how we see things is often simply wrong. In giving himself to a relationship with something truly mysterious, Kamalashila invites us to be open to a kind of magic whose roots in Indian and Tibetan tradition are made most meaningful today by our own sustained, faithful practice.    Show Notes This podcast includes a short closing meditation on the sounds of nature! Listen to episodes of Kamalashila's Quarterly from the podcast Visit Kamalashila's website for resources on Buddhist meditation Buy ‘Buddhist Meditation: Tranquillity, Imagination and Insight' by Kamalashila

On a cold winter's evening towards the end of 1969, at number 14 Monmouth Street, a small shop named Sakura, accessed via a side entrance through an alleyway, then down a narrow set of stairs into a basement, a meditation class was being held. Seated at the back of the room was Sangharakshita, dressed in robes, with a western pullover underneath, wearing an abundance of rings and long hair. Buddhadasa recalls this first encounter with a clarity as if it had happened only last year. “May I join you?” He asks. As it turns out, for him, these were prophetic words. It often seems hard to believe that the Triratna Buddhist Community we encounter today had such humble origins. It wasn't long after this potent encounter that Buddhadasa decided to dedicate all his time to supporting Sangharakshita's efforts to establish a new Buddhist movement, leaving behind a career in architecture and becoming the Chair/Secretary/Treasurer of the then Friends of The Western Buddhist Order, all at same time. Over 50 Years later, Buddhadasa has done just that–dedicating his whole life to the development and spread of the Dharma. In this full interview recorded for the Fifty Years Fifty Voices project, we hear reflections on his 50+ years of involvement with the Triratna Buddhist Order: from the very earliest days in London to further adventures helping establish the Dharma in New Zealand and Australia.

Being a disciple doesn't require an emotional allegiance, but a spiritual one. Dhammadinna speaks about Sangharakshita as a spiritual friend while exploring the topic of discipleship in the Triratna Buddhist Order. We don't go for Refuge to Bhante, we Go for Refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Aryasangha.  Excerpted from talk entitled Discipleship given at the Triratna Buddhist Order Women's UK and Ireland Area Order Weekend at Adhisthana, 2014. *** 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

Growing up in Chorley, Lancashire, in the northwest of England, Abhaya (1936-2022) recalls his early life as the youngest of four siblings, raised by parents who were run off their feet. With Dad away at the war, mum managed a small chip shop in which he and his brothers used to help out. Following in the footsteps of his older brother Jack, Abhaya would later spend several years at a Catholic Seminary, a period he jokingly characterizes as being like 12 years imprisonment. Christianity plays a strong conditioning factor in the early part of Abhaya's life, the northwest being “rife with Catholicism” and his older brother going on to become a priest. Yet Abhaya's path would stray off that given course, and in the 1960s he travelled to Thailand where his life would well and truly change, meeting his future wife and encountering the counter-culture of the '60s and '70s. Returning to England he would then come into contact with Urgyen Sangharakshita and the very beginnings of the Western Buddhist Movement. Satyalila had the pleasure of interviewing Abhaya back in 2018 and this conversation is the sequel to another Buddhist Voices podcast episode, Abhaya On Beauty and The Imagination as Ways to Liberation, which came out shortly after that meeting. Satyalila enjoyed their conversation so much that she felt it warranted another! This previously unreleased recording takes us through Abhaya's life in chronological order and in more detail, covering ground not touched on before. As someone who was there from the very early days of the Triratna Buddhist Order and community, Abhaya's depth of experience and wisdom shines through, often in the most unassuming manner. This is a poignant and honest account of what happens when working out the needs of our spiritual life involves a sense of conflict, and requires some deeper resolution.  Listen now, and enjoy two friends talking through a life lived with meaning and purpose. Extracts from this talk were used for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices project: Visit the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices on The Buddhist Centre Online Recorded in Bristol, 2018. 

Acting Out of Kindness Dhammarati explores Going for Refuge and its central emphasis in the Triratna Buddhist Order here, bringing in the story of his own spiritual journey as an example of finding one's unique response. He also looks to historical sources to identify some of the ways we can deepen our connection practically and experientially. Excerpted from the talk The Triratna Emphasis On Going For Refuge given on a mens ordination training retreat at Aryaloka Buddhist Center, 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

Sucimani interviews Vijaya and for the Fifty Years, Fifty Voices Project. Vijaya shares movingly about the suffering she faced growing up in a slum near Nagpur railway station, losing her younger brother and father in quick succession and, subsequently, having to fight periods of depression.  Later in life a visiting Dharmachari would come and teach her meditation and in her own words she recalls ‘this is where life is'. So deeply grateful and inspired by this encounter, both herself and her older brother would go on to ask for ordination and become members of the Triratna Buddhist Order.  Other topics of discussion include a vivid encounter with Green Tara and what it's like to be part of a lineage of discipleship that goes right back to the Buddha: that flow  initiated by Urgyen Sangharakshita when he ordained Srimala, Srimala in turn ordaining Vijaya… Now, a Private Preceptor herself, Vijaya recalls the period of growth she experienced during the first ordinations, and what it's like to pass on that thread through ordaining other women.  This conversation was originally recorded at the Triratna Buddhist Order's International Order Convention in Bodhgaya, India in 2018.  Extracts from this talk were used for the 50 Years, 50 Voices project - visit the dedicated space on The Buddhist Centre Online for more.

“I asked him, if I would go there, will I get food? And he said “Yes, obviously there will be a feast and you can have enough to eat.' And I thought then, 'I'll go.'” In 1998 when Ratnakumar was 13 years old, one of his cousins asked him if he'd like to go to a public meeting. That meeting just so happened to be an anniversary celebration for the birthday of Dr. Bimrao Ambedkar, the great leader of India's Dalit community and architect of the Indian Constitution. Growing up amidst caste discrimination, finding Dr Ambedkar's teaching and the movement he had started changed Ratnakumar's life forever. When he subsequently embarked on formal Buddhist training in 2005, Ratnakumar became determined that he should lead a meaningful life as a follower of Dr. Ambedkar, leaving behind the drinking and fighting of his youth. Now, as a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, he helps others to change their lives in order to contribute to the transformation of society at large. Read more about Dr. Ambedkar's transformative work in India Listen to ‘Annihilation of Caste' by Dr. Ambedkar Extracts from this talk were used for the 50 Years, 50 Voices project - visit the dedicated space on The Buddhist Centre Online for more.

Maitreyi explores why we have an Order and what's involved in becoming ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order. This is a talk given on a weekend retreat for women mitras at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2014. *** 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 favourite podcast service! Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone: donate now! Follow Free Buddhist Audio: YouTube  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Soundcloud

Aryajaya explores Sangharakshita's relationship to his teachers, who form the lineage for the Triratna Buddhist Order. A lovely exploration of the experience of relationship to the Bodhisattvas of Buddhist tradition via meditations passed from teacher to disciple, evoking a wide open sense of connection to the great beauty they represent. Excerpted from the talk Sangharakshita's First Connection with His Teachers and Receiving Practices given at the Triratna International Council meeting, 2019. *** 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  

Padmatara began meditating in 1989 and became interested in Buddhism in Brighton, England around the same time. She was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2005. She loves to share her practice with others through teaching and study, especially on retreats. She has also trained as a focusing guide - a kind of mindful, body-oriented therapy. Padmatara became Center Director of the SFBC in 2010, and shares the role of chair with other members of the Council.  Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter