Dharmabytes from free buddhist audio

In today's Dharmabyte podcast entitled "Metta as Quite Ordinary and Everyday", Jvalamalini gives a very personal and helpful take on the metta bhavana (loving kindness) practice, recounting her history with it and the kinds of areas she has worked with over the years in order to learn to love herself and others as deeply as she can, specifically here how metta is very simple, practical and not necessarily out of the ordinary. From the talk "A Personal Take On Metta Practice" given as part of the 2015 Rainy Season Retreat on the Brahma Viharas.

Drawing out concepts from the Dhammapada's verses, Padmavajra explores the qualities of faith (or shraddha) in this Dharmabyte podcast entitled "Shraddha - A Curious Intuition". From the talk "Changing Hatred into Love - Dhammapada Verses 3 to 6" given in 2007, and part of a larger series "The Dhammapada - The Buddha's Way of Truth".

In today's Dharmabyte podcast from Vajrapriya entitled To Make the Imperfect Perfect is Enough to Love it, he discusses the fact of suffering or dukkha as part of being human. What are we to do? We can love what is, and in doing so make the imperfect perfect. From the talk entitled, "Loving What Is" given in January 2008.

Sangharakshita reflects on William Blake's concept of the "devouring" aspect of mind and how it relates to the chain of conditionality in today's FBA Podcast entitled Blake's Idea of the 'Devouring' Aspect of Mind. From the talk entitled, "Fields of Creativity" given in 2001.

Dayajoti gives us today's FBA Podcast entitled Dukkha to Compassion. From the talk entitled, "Bodies of Earth - Beyond Me and Mine - Dukkha" given on a two-week women's retreat at Eco-Dharma in May of 2012.

In today's FBA Podcast we hear more vintage Sangharakshita in Understanding Anatta ('No Self’). Everything we know about the self is in constant change and flux. You cannot understand what is meant by anatta until you know this truth. From the talk "Individuality, True and False" that tackles such terms as self, I, individual, and ego, reveals that each can have both a positive and a negative connotation. What is the self, and how can we cultivate true Individuality? Talk given in 1970.

In today's FBA Podcast Nothing Is Standing Still Sangharakshita describes the characteristic of anitta as the whole universe is one vast set of processes, all interrelated. From the talk, "The Texture of Reality," given in 1966, a lecture dealing with the three marks (lakshanas) of conditioned existence and their transcendence via the three liberations (vimokshas).

In today's FBA Dharmabyte, we hear from Parami, our international Order Convenor, about how dukkha is not living in harmony with truth of conditioned existence and how it is metta that is the volitional response to interconnectedness. Living in Harmony With Truthis an excerpt from the talk Living in Harmony With Truth is from the talk "The Awakening Heart," the first talk in the series of the same name. It touches on aspects of Sangharakshita's 'system of meditation', and most specifically the area of positive emotion. Parami is an ideal guide for this sort of material, steeped as she is in study and practice engaged with in the light of the 'Bodhichitta', and the Bodhisattva Ideal itself.

Today's FBA Dharmabyte, All Conditioned Things... is an excerpt from the talk Seeing with Insight - Dhammapada Verses 277 to 279 by Padmavajra. All of the Buddha's core teachings are here - held in heart and mind there's more than enough in the Dhammapada to take us as far in our practice as we can imagine, and then on beyond... Talk recorded at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2007 This talk is part of the series The Dhammapada - the Buddha's Way of Truth.

Today's FBA Dharmabyte is a little gem from an infectiously delightful talk by Sanghaketu on the subject of joyful resonance with others (mudita) as part of the 2015 Rainy Season Retreat on the Brahma Viharas. In Coming Back to Gladness he really gets into his subject here! And his sense and experience of gladness comes across beautifully through laughter and reflection on the boon of good friends. From the talk A Personal Take On Mudita by Sanghaketu given in March 2015.

Today's FBA Dharmabyte is entitled Joy and Compassion, an excerpt from Suffering and Joy - Compost For Love by Dayajoti. This talk was given during the setup for Buddhafield Festival 2013 (theme 'Fire in the Heart') on the Four Brahma Viharas.

In today's FBA Dharmabyte, The Spiritual Community of Individuals Sangharakshita describes his understanding of true sangha. In creating a spiritual community people need to eschew completely the use of the 'power mode' in interacting with each other. This contrasts strongly with ordinary 'groups', where relationships are often based on authority, sometimes the authority of a personal God. Talk given in 1979.

Parami comes out strong in today's FBA Dharmabyte, Ethics and Compassion. The Buddha realised full well how hard it was going to be to communicate what he had discovered to other people - to us. He knew that the grip of greed, hatred and delusion is very strong. He could imagine how vexatious it might be to teach. Fortunately for us, he could also see our potential. And so out of compassion he taught. Parami explores this theme of the Buddha's compassionate action and how ultimately it came from beyond self, beyond other - it emerged from his realisation of 'Emptiness'. From the talk Out of Compassion for the World by Parami given at Triratna (FWBO) International Retreat at Taraloka, May 08

Today's FBA Dharmabyte is a short excerpt from Metta - a Thread That Connects by Singhamati. This talk was given on a Young Womens' Weekend at Taraloka. It's a personal and poetic talk exploring Metta as a thread that connects us to ourselves, others, the world and reality.

When you are relaxed, it’s much easier to love. In today's FBA Dharmabyte, A New Way to Metta Ratnaguna introduces a new way to approach the Metta Bhavana, the development of loving kindness. This excerpt is from the talk Metta Bhavana: Letting Kindness Happen given at the Manchester Buddhist Centre in February 2012. Ratnaguna introduces a new way to approach the Metta Bhavana,the development of loving kindness. This excerpt is from the talk Metta Bhavana Letting Kindness Happen given at the Manchester Buddhist Centre in February 2012.