Welcome to Buddha Week - a new, free service for anyone interested in Buddhism and meditation in the modern world. Most of our talks are by westerners - and now we are expanding to include material from all the main Buddhist traditions. Enjoy!
What is Mind?
Posted: April 2009This is the first in a series of talks from the Western Buddhist Order Convention in 2001 offering different perspectives on the Abhidharma and exploring from a personal perspective what the study of the 51 Mental Events can tell us about our minds and how they work.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Four Lineages of the FWBO
Posted: January 2009Time to bring the picture on the FWBO’s relations with other Buddhists bang up-to-date with this splendid excursion over the common ground Buddhists share in the 21st century, and also through the diverse practice landscapes they continue to explore in their own approaches to the Dharma.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Asvagosha Songs
Posted: October 2008This recording of songs from the Asvagosha project troupe is a real find in the Dharmachakra Archives. The Asvagosha project was set up in India in the early 1990s as a way of developing cultural activities among poor ‘ex-Untouchable’ communities in slums and rural areas. Teams of performers visit the localities and put on performances of sketches and specially composed songs. The shows reflect the concerns that are uppermost in the minds of the people from these communities- issues such as alcoholism, domestic violence, superstition, and child health. The performers bring a level of humour and energy to their performances, ensuring that the messages are conveyed in a straightforward, unpatronising way.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Chetul Sangye Dorje
Posted: September 2008Here’s a forthright and passionate talk, taking as its starting point the great contemporary Tibetan teacher (sometimes also written ‘Chatral Sangye Dorje’) and his relationship to practice in the FWBO via his giving of the Green Tara practice to Sangharakshita. The main focus, however, is the need to practice the Dharma for others as part of a meaningful community, and Vajratara argues her case with a balance of down-to-earth humour and uncompromising vision.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Early Teachings of the Buddha
Posted: June 2008The teachings that Ratnaguna explores in this talk are all from the Sutta Nipata – one of the earliest of Buddhist texts. His sub-title is the rather intriguing: ‘The Dharma before Buddhism’. You might say that when it comes to the Sutta Nipata, the Buddha is very clearly telling it like it is.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Staying at Home, Dancing with the Universe
Posted: May 2008Another excellent talk, from the Buddhafield project. Amaragita takes a look at Buddhist practice in the light of parenting, and has a lot of good things to say about the everyday business of staying with our experience, embracing the hard bits and releasing the joy. As an added bonus, listen for some lovely singing throughout!
An audio podcast in MP3 format.What Do We Really Know About the Buddha?
Posted: January 2008A lovely talk this month, from the excellent Dhivan. Be prepared for the odd surprise as he considers the relationship between what we think we may know about the Buddha, and what the historical evidence suggests. As Dhivan sifts the information that’s come down to us, we meet several different versions of a human being as he blurs with the archetypal presence he has also come to represent. Yet whichever manifestation we prefer, more than anything this talk brings us face to face with the rich and moving legacy of a brilliant and truly compassionate individual, changing the world he took part in, stepping out of history "with the walk of a lion, the walk of a swan".
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Is the Immanent Buddha a Fallacy?
Posted: January 2008Happy Holidays, Everyone! So, this is as close as we could get to a Christmas edition… You know, ‘Buddha Nature - easily confused for ‘incarnation’, all that… No? Oh, well, what this most definitely is is an absolute cracker of a talk from Sagaramati. A brilliant, scholarly-but-accessible, look at the origins and development of the Tathagatagarbha (Buddha Nature) school of Buddhist thought through the lense of early Buddhist scripture. Many misunderstandings are addressed as Sagaramati (aka. Professor Robert Morrison), with his usual wry, testy humour, takes us back to basics in considering just how - if at all - Tathagatagarbha doctrine is in harmony with Buddhist tradition. And he surprises himself in the process, evoking a path of practice rooted in kindness and a vision of ever-present possibility for all of us.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Padmasambhava
Posted: November 2007Ok, buckle up. ‘Padmasambhava’ by Danavira is, as we’ve come to expect from the man, a rollicking ride of a talk. Actually, ‘talk’ doesn’t really do it justice: try incantation, wrong-footing evocation, dramatic monologue and enactment through storytelling, with a good dose of chanting and singing thrown in - some planned, some spontaneous.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Building an Ethical Underworld - Lessons from the Mafia
Posted: September 2007Over here, Clemenza! Ever wanted to know about ‘General Systems Theory’ - one of those subjects you always hear vague things about but never quite know what it actually is? Ever wondered why we seem to love a good gangster? Well, then this is for you! we would have picked this anyway for the podcast because the title was just so good! But it happens to be an excellent and very full short talk by Khemasuri on a growing area of contemporary Buddhist philosophical thought. This one requires a bit of concentration - but it pays off with her passionately argued case for embracing personal responsibility and community engagement as a way of effecting social change in our troubled world. Just like "going to the mattresses". In a good way…
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Buddhist Parenting
Posted: July 2007This is another great talk from the ‘Dharma Warriors’ series given at the Buddhafield Festival 2006. Karunagita is the author of ‘Growing as a Parent - What Buddhism Has to Offer’, and here she presents some of that material to an audience of summer loving practitioners under the blue skies of Devon.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Violence and Emptiness
Posted: June 2007A short but sweet talk from San Francisco’s very own Suvarnaprabha, in which she explores the Buddhist vision of compassion through her own experience of meditation and contact with inmates within the U.S. prison system. Moving stuff. Talk given at the Western Buddhist Order convention, 2005.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.
Links
View other podcast channel within the religious education (RE) category of this directory.
Whilst all the podcasts listed in this directory are selected in line with our criteria, we do strongly recommend educators that the contents of all podcasts, podcast feeds and channels are regularly auditioned to ensure that they are suitable and appropriate for the age range of the children and young people.
Wednesday, 23rd May 2012
