Dharmabytes from free buddhist audio

The wheel of life shows the six realms corresponding to six kinds of mental states that can result from our actions. How can we recognise these states in everyday life and what can we do to live with…

Sangharakshita describes in all its wealth of detail, the Wheel of Life. It’s really a painting but a mirror, giving one successively more profound insights into oneself, and revealing the next step …

Akashamitra introduces a series of podcasts ('Budcasts') at the North London Buddhist Centre on the theme of the Eight Ways of the Noble Ones with a talk on vision. Why does it start the path? Have w…

Saraha speaks to several themes from the Sigalaka Sutra. Firstly, friends are helpful, stand by you, give you time. Secondly, those who serve and support society, do we treat them as real people? Do …

Ratnavandana offers a personal sharing of her reflections on a six month solitary retreat where she was focussing on the Heart Sutra.  With Avalokitesvara as her guide, she was hoping to deepen her …

Maitreyi  shares the story of Meghiya to illustrate the importance of having strong friendships on the spiritual path.

From the talk entitled Sanghakaya and the Heart's Release given at Manchester Bu…

Here Padmasuri  shares stories of friendship between the early Buddhist nuns and the Buddha. Featuring glimpses into the lives of Mahapajapati, Patajara, Dhammadinna, Kisagotami, Mitta, Queen Mallika…

Here Karunadhi  introduces us to the Red Rite of Fascination. Friendship emerges from love for our friends, but also can evoke strong attachment. Communication and the samgrahavastu (means of unifica…

Suryamati reminds us that the spiritual life is difficult to practice on one’s own. Here we here the story of Meghiya where the Buddha advises that spiritual friendship is needed for the heart’s rele…

A very interesting introduction to the mandala here from Garava - the idea, the myth, the image, the symbol, the experience. His own practice as an artist affords him a respectful and generous perspe…

We can find mandalas everywhere – in the East, in the West, in art, literature, even in dreams. Mandalas represent a resolution, or the beginnings of a resolution, of a conflict between the conscious…

We often get ideas about the symbolism of the vajra as being tight and willful. The language of determination can do that!

Jvalamalini looks at the importance of clarity of purpose for simplicity and…

Candradasa takes a personal look at aspects of magic in the East and West, considering its place in Buddhist history and practice and also its meeting with Christianity at the time of the Renaissance…

The 'Vajrayana' means 'the way of the vajra'. Satyalila explores and explains how the vajra symbolizes the capacity to transform our darkest and most difficult experience into the liberated energy of…

Karunasara takes us into the timeless world of the Dakini Vajrayogini, with an explanation of the symbolic meanings found in Tantric imagery and visualization of her, as well as an overview of her sp…

We often think that our best defense is to protect ourselves with a barrier between ourselves and the world. On the contrary, the dakini has the complete realization that in the end there is nothing …

Here by Sangharakshita recounts one of the stories from the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, that of The Episode of Untimely Flowers. Reflections based around the Buddha's Parinirvana ('death'), stress the imp…

In this talk on the Buddha's parinirvana, Vadanya explores how we can use our imagination to have a real living connection with the Buddha, and how we can make our own future potential for enlightenm…

Aryajaya tells the story of The Myth of the Return Journey from the Lotus Sutra in illustrating the meaning and symbolism of Vajrasattva who is associated with purity and the time of death.

From the …

The Buddha was a human being who by his own efforts discovered the path towards Enlightenment and was able to communicate this path for others to follow. His life is full of stories that that are of …