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Nagapriya

Is Insight an Experience?

From Shabda Articles on Wed, 11 Dec, 2019 - 17:30

In this essay, I explore the idea of insight as an experience and call into question whether it is a helpful model for characterising how spiritual life unfolds and what it is essentially concerned with. In particular, I examine the notion of Stream Entry and show that in the Pali Canon it is primarily characterised in terms of a settled faith in the Three Jewels rather than an experience of anything. I also note how emphasis on the priority of...

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Sadayasihi's picture
Sadayasihi

Dharmabyte: Indra's Net

From Free Buddhist Audio on Mon, 9 Dec, 2019 - 14:00

Indra, the King of the Gods in Hindu Mythology, possesses a number of treasures, one of which is a net made entirely of jewels. According to the Buddha in the Gandavyuha Sutra, “All the Jewels shine in each, and each of them shine in all.”

The universe is just like this. As such, one cannot fully understand any one part of the Dharma unless one understands the whole.

Excerpted from the talk “The Universal Perspective of Mahayana Buddhism” by Sangharakshita, 1971,...
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Sadayasihi

FBA Podcast: The Great Love

From Free Buddhist Audio on Sat, 7 Dec, 2019 - 14:00

Ratnaguna shares with us his great love for the Vimalakirti Nirdesa, a Buddhist Mahayana text he’s gone back to again and again and again since 1979. He explores how a Bodhisattva should regard living beings, or how they should develop the Great Love for them, according to the mysterious character Vimalakirti. 

Talk given at Stockholm Buddhist Center, 27 May 2013.

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Sadayasihi

Dharmabyte: What is in my heart when I act?

From Free Buddhist Audio on Thu, 5 Dec, 2019 - 14:00

The spiritual life is about giving up the advantages of the ‘Power Mode’ in exchange for the completely non-violent spiritual quality of the ‘Love Mode.’ Kulanandi offers beautiful and engaging reflections drawing inspiration from the book The Ten Pillars of Buddhism, by Sangharakshita.

From the talk entitled The Power of Love, the Love of Power given in Stockholm Buddhist Centre, 2014.

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Free Buddhist Audio

Falling In Love, the Vajrayana Way

From Sheffield Buddhist Centre on Wed, 4 Dec, 2019 - 00:00
The Vajrayana, or Tantric Buddhism, is a path of radical transformation that harnesses the energy of life's deepest and strongest experiences. Falling in love is one such experience that can provide great masses of energy to power our spiritual development. Vadanya reveals how in the Vajrayana we fall in love not with other people but with the person who we can become - with the ideal of the Enlightened mind - especially as experienced in the figure of the Buddha. He explores our attraction to beauty and the qualities of our future self that we are intuitively drawn to. Using the magical rite of fascination we can develop sraddha, respond to our longing and follow the call from beyond. This sangha night theme explores the scary, exhilarating, radical and challenging nature of the true Dharma. Over the course of these talks we will be forging a Western tantra to bring the spirit of Vajrayana teachings into our here and now. Questions for reflection and discussion: What do you find beautiful? What do you love about the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha? Recorded at Sheffield Buddhist Centre on 3.12.19
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Free Buddhist Audio

Is Enlightenment Really Possible? (Subhuti In Conversation with Gus Miller)

From London Buddhist Centre on Wed, 4 Dec, 2019 - 00:00
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. He’s here on his Presidential visit to the London Buddhist Centre, which he was instrumental in founding in 1978.
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Free Buddhist Audio's picture
Free Buddhist Audio

Falling In Love, the Vajrayana Way

From Sheffield Buddhist Centre on Wed, 4 Dec, 2019 - 00:00
The Vajrayana, or Tantric Buddhism, is a path of radical transformation that harnesses the energy of life's deepest and strongest experiences. Falling in love is one such experience that can provide great masses of energy to power our spiritual development. Vadanya reveals how in the Vajrayana we fall in love not with other people but with the person who we can become - with the ideal of the Enlightened mind - especially as experienced in the figure of the Buddha. He explores our attraction to beauty and the qualities of our future self that we are intuitively drawn to. Using the magical rite of fascination we can develop sraddha, respond to our longing and follow the call from beyond. This sangha night theme explores the scary, exhilarating, radical and challenging nature of the true Dharma. Over the course of these talks we will be forging a Western tantra to bring the spirit of Vajrayana teachings into our here and now. Questions for reflection and discussion: What do you find beautiful? What do you love about the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha? Recorded at Sheffield Buddhist Centre on 3.12.19
playdownload and donate
Free Buddhist Audio's picture
Free Buddhist Audio

Is Enlightenment Really Possible? (Subhuti In Conversation with Gus Miller)

From London Buddhist Centre on Wed, 4 Dec, 2019 - 00:00
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. He’s here on his Presidential visit to the London Buddhist Centre, which he was instrumental in founding in 1978.
playdownload and donate
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upekshapriya

Bhante as Teacher of the Three Yanas - Three Talks from November UK & Ireland Men's Area Order Weekend OM

From Buddhist Centre Features on Tue, 19 Nov, 2019 - 18:02

Bhante as Teacher of the Three Yanas - Three Talks from November UK & Ireland Men's Area Order Weekend OM

From Buddhist Centre Features on Tue, 19 Nov, 2019 - 18:02

A series of talks on ‘Bhante as Teacher of the Three Yanas’ at the Men’s UK & Ireland Area Order Weekend on 1st, 2nd & 3rd November 2019. Given by three new and recent members of the College of Public Preceptors- Vajrashura, Jnanavaca and Ratnavyuha.

This Order weekend, organised by Men’s Kulas of College of Public Preceptors, marked the first anniversary of the death of our teacher Urgyen Sangharakshita. At this event the previous year many of us joined the...
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ratnadharini

Update on Next Steps, November 2019

From Adhisthana Kula on Thu, 21 Nov, 2019 - 14:08

Update on Next Steps, November 2019

From Adhisthana Kula on Thu, 21 Nov, 2019 - 14:08

Adhisthana kula update, November 2019

We’d like to update you about the next steps of the Adhisthana kula work. These next steps formed part of a “Further Response from the Adhisthana Kula to the Observer Article”, published 28th July, and are listed at the end of this update. 

On 23rd August we issued a “Message of Apology and Regret” (point 1) as well as a contextualising note “Addressing our Collective History”. Although it became clear that such an Apology...

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