Best Dharmachakra / Free Buddhist Audio Podcasts (2025)

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Dhamma In a Time of Climate Crisis 38:56

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4d ago38:56

38:56

Tejopala likens the current global climate crisis to a village with a fire that threatens everyone in it and asks what a community of monks living in such a village might do in such circumstances. He also draws on the advice given by Urgyen Sangharakshita in his talk given in 1984 called 'Buddhism, World Peace and Nuclear War' as to how Buddhists s…

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The Lion's Roar of Sangharakshita 29:51

11d ago29:51

29:51

Referencing Sangharakshita’s teaching on personal responsibility, Khemasuri shows how, through self-development and sangha, we can make a radical difference in the world. This talk was part of a two talk series entitled The Lion’s Roar by Shakyapada and Khemasuri given at Triratna Buddhist Community York, 2019. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free fo…

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Revisioning Our Relation to the World 48:01

18d ago48:01

48:01

Bhadra gave this talk as part of BAM 2018. He references David Loy's two icebergs and explores how we might revise the Triratana mandala of practice to strengthen our sense of interconnectedness with the world. Given at Bristol Buddhist Centre, 2018. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate S…

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Renunciation and Freedom - How to Gain Enlightenment In a Chapter 34:55

25d ago34:55

34:55

Saraha addresses the UK & IE Triratna Buddhist Order convention, exploring the collective practice of taking part in Order chapters. 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. T…

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He Who Was So Kind 39:10

1M ago39:10

39:10

Prajnahridaya explores Awareness of Reality, but not in a way you might expect. What if seeing the truth were less about ‘understanding’ reality, and more about coming into relation with and opening up to what we might experience as a living spiritual force? Through the course of the evening we will be becoming more aware of the Buddha, who is hims…

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Daughters of the Buddha 55:46

1M ago55:46

55:46

Let's hear it for the early Buddhist women! Mahajapapati was the first Buddhist nun and leader of the women's ordained sangha, and her two chief disciples were Khema and Uppalavanna. Maitrisiddhi explores some challenging material - and also very inspiring texts around the beginning of the bhikkhuni sangha. The talk also features Mara - the embodim…

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59: Guhyaloka For The Ages: Jyotika with Sona 29:46

1M ago29:46

29:46

Guhyaloka—the ‘Secret Valley’—has been the Triratna Buddhist Community's primary place for men’s ordination since 1987. Over 600 men have become Order members there. It has therefore been vitally important in helping to shape what the Triratna community offers the world today. For it to thrive into the future, Guhyaloka needs to undergo major renov…

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Living a Dharma Life In a World On Fire 32:28

2M ago32:28

32:28

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 transformatio…

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The Magic of the Spiritual Community 52:30

2M ago52:30

52:30

What is the spiritual community and how does it differ from the group? Why is it important? How does the spiritual community come into being? How can I be part of the conditions for it to arise? Kalyacitta takes us on a heart-felt and imaginative exploration of the spiritual community, drawing on her own experience of bringing about a true Sangha. …

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The Third Order of Consciousness 45:13

2M ago45:13

45:13

Communication with another can be a wonderfully connecting and liberating experience or it can destroy us. Recognising the mystery and interconnectedness of all things we find the uncanny ability to communicate meaningfully. Mindfulness, courage and renunciation are essential. Saraha invites us all, with practical steps, to notice and live freedom …

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With Loyalty to My Teachers 36:22

2M ago36:22

36:22

Satyaraja begins the series of talks on the four acceptance verses with an inspiring, careful, and systematic exploration of the verse ‘With Loyalty to my Teachers, I Accept this Ordination’. He investigates the centrality of the relationship with Bhante Sangharakshita, our own preceptors and the world and culture which we join at the sacred moment…

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Ordination and the Unity of the Sangha 50:08

2M ago50:08

50:08

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 Goo…

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In Retrospect: A Conversation With Sangharakshita 1:03:29

3M ago1:03:29

1:03:29

Nagabodhi interviews Sangharakshita in a wide-ranging discussion about the FWBO's history and the continuing process of translating the Buddha's Dharma for the West. At times the exchanges are more personal than is common as we listen in to questions and answers regarding a variety of historical features of the personal and public life of the found…

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454: A Mythic Retreat Centre for Ireland: Shubha Vihara, The Place of Beauty 56:17

3M ago56:17

56:17

In Triratna, learning to understand what is truly beautiful is seen as a path to Enlightenment itself. In this episode we find ourselves exploring this in an unexpected and extraordinary way at the seat of all Buddhist paths and myths, Bodh Gaya in India. Not far from the bodhi tree, where the Buddha’s great achievement is said to have taken place,…

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Feel the Fear and do it Anyway 40:09

3M ago40:09

40:09

Punyamala explores how we can bring our mindfulness to the crucial juncture in our experience, the gap between feeling and craving. This point - the point of freedom, also sometimes referred to as the battleground of the spiritual life - is where we can start to change the habits that bind us to the Wheel. It’s the point where we can move from the …

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The Way to the Deathless 38:42

3M ago38:42

38:42

Awareness, or mindfulness, is the keystone of the Buddhist path and of any truly human life. The Buddha's teaching on what awareness is and how to practise it is vast, and profound, and takes us far beyond what we might usually associate with the word 'mindfulness'. It requires a willingness to open our hearts and a good deal of courage to enter up…

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Happy Indeed We Live 51:10

3M ago51:10

51:10

Ratnaghosha explores the Buddha’s vision of spiritual community as it is expressed in verses 197, 198 and 199 of the Dhammapada. This is a comprehensive survey of the Buddha's teaching but is also replete with practical advice about how we might apply this to our lives today - and finishes on a very encouraging note. Recorded at the Dublin Buddhist…

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Fearless Creativity 1:01:30

4M ago1:01:30

1:01:30

In this talk Padmavajra explores the first two verses of the Dhammapada and their far reaching implications. He explores how we create not only our own happiness or suffering through our actions but also how we create worlds, worlds of suffering or worlds conducive to human growth and even freedom. He then describes how the Bodhisattva works tirele…

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Watching the Direction of our Mind 2:46

4M ago2:46

2:46

Kusalasara explores the opening verses of the Dhammapada, or ‘Way of Truth’ showing a path of discovery of the pure mind and the impure mind. Excerpted from the talk entitled The Essential Revolution given at London Buddhist Centre as part of the series The Dhammapada, 2022. *** Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify |…

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Verses From The Dhammapada 54:08

4M ago54:08

54:08

The Buddha's wisdom can be summarised by the three lakshanas, this is not nihilistic, but an honest recognition of the way things are. Change is inherent in life, the only choice we have is whether we change for the better! To open to this change we need confidence, which we can find in the dharma and the sangha. Jnanadhara gave this talk at a Youn…

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Receptivity and Imagination 51:06

4M ago51:06

51:06

Subhadramati starts with the story of the Snow Queen and takes us on an exploration of imagination and Dharmic responsiveness, faith and wisdom. She shows how it is imagination that removes the twin thorns of ignorance and craving, that allows us to ascend towards the beauty of the Three Jewels. This talk was given on a Mythic Context Retreat at Ti…

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Touching the void, a catastrophic fall into heart 42:59

4M ago42:59

42:59

In early 2020, only weeks preceding the full onslaught of the pandemic, Vajrin survived a catastrophic fall from a bike deep within New Zealand bush. Paralysed from the chest down and stranded in Auckland for months of lockdown, he called upon the Dharma. Despite four decades of practice, it didn’t seem to help. Or did it? …in ways he hadn’t predic…

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A Life Well Spent and Beyond its End 39:37

5M ago39:37

39:37

Suryagupta shares personal reflections on death and dying, discovering patterns in the human condition, and relates this to the life of the Buddha. This talk was given as a part of the London Buddhist Centre’s Winter Retreat 2023, part of the series The Noble Quest, 2023. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spot…

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The Burning Ground - From Fear to Freedom 35:44

5M ago35:44

35:44

In this talk, Sanghagita takes us on a journey into the cremation ground. A fearful place filled with demons and powerful natural forces, and also the place where we can discover true freedom. Talk given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2023. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, …

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Wisdom Takes the Form of Light 1:01:16

5M ago1:01:16

1:01:16

Maitrisiddhi explores Shinjin as faith, bodhicitta and wisdom. What happens when the conditioned mind lets up for a bit? Experiences of beauty, openness, love, desire to go for refuge and devotion naturally arise; we experience contact with ‘amida’, the quality of limitlessness. Are those experiences ‘ours’ – or something else? This talk was given …

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453: Hinterland Sober Bar - Brewing a New Society in 2025 50:12

5M ago50:12

50:12

Enter Hinterland sober bar, “the realm beyond what’s known”… And meet founders Sanghadhara and Stephen Jeffreys in their cosy, cool, poetic, liminal space for a cocktail and meaningful conversation about how Buddhism and the Dharma can inform modern culture—and people’s social lives—in new ways. Hinterland has been a passion project from the start.…

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The Three Myths of the Spiritual Life 51:36

5M ago51:36

51:36

Mahamani provides an overview of the Three Myths of the spiritual life: self-development, self-surrender, and self-discovery. These offer us three paradigm-shifts – three world-views - that can open us into radical freedom. What, for us, allows the open dimension of being to arise? The Three Myths invite us to trust and have deeper confidence in di…

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Faith, Self View and Action 51:53

6M ago51:53

51:53

A delightful, uplifting and heartfelt talk from Saraha offering three pieces of sage advice for the spiritual life. Not to be missed. This talk was given at Birmingham Buddhist Centre, 2018. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,0…

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The Roots of Faith 41:16

6M ago41:16

41:16

Saccanama explores the pre-Buddhist responses to goodness, truth and beauty that are the roots of faith; Jung’s 4 factors of consciousness; 'faith is innate, doubt acquired’. Recorded at the Swedish Summer Retreat at Dharmagiri as part of the series ‘To Place the Heart Upon’ - Exploring Faith in Buddhism, 2019. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Au…

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The Symbolism of the Jewel 37:30

6M ago37:30

37:30

Ratnaghosha looks at the parable of the Jewel in the Garment from the White Lotus Sutra and explores jewel symbolism elsewhere in the Lotus Sutra and in Buddhism more broadly. This talk was given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2024. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, …

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The Parable of the Rain Cloud 44:00

6M ago44:00

44:00

The plant just needs to grow, it doesn’t need to know what kind of plant it is. We need to make an effort to grow, we need to apply the teachings of the Dharma, to give, be kind, communicate openly and warmly. Although simple practices, these practices can really change us profoundly. Here Amoghavajra introduces the Parable of the Rain Cloud from t…

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The Myth of the Return Journey 34:27

6M ago34:27

34:27

A father, now wealthy, spots his long-lost son in the streets. He gradually befriends him until he has the self-confidence to take on his inheritance. Akashadevi introduces the parable from the Lotus Sutra which yields fascinating lessons in accepting the riches of our deepest nature. A talk for the West London Buddhist Centre, 2018. *** Subscribe …

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Life Inside the Burning House - A World Without the Buddha 26:37

7M ago26:37

26:37

Saddhaloka riffs on everything fiery - flames abound, smoke fills the air, the Buddha gets almost apocalyptic in his vision of things. Luminous stuff. This is the first in a two-part series The Burning House - an Image from the White Lotus Sutra referencing Chapter 3 of the 'Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law' given at Padmaloka Retreat…

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The Awakening Mind 51:48

7M ago51:48

51:48

The Enlightenment of the Buddha was an irreversible breakthrough into a new kind of consciousness for the world. All our practice flows from this endless stream of wisdom and compassion, flowing throughout the history of humanity. Dhammarati explores this momentous event, and its implications for us today. This talk was given on Buddha Day Festival…

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The Transforming Power of Conflict 51:24

7M ago51:24

51:24

Jnanasiddhi gave an inspiring and practical talk sharing her extensive understanding and experience of peace making. She illustrated different approaches of peacemaking in relation to the five aspects of the spiritual path. And focused on how we can create the conditions within ourselves - through our practice - to contribute to harmony with others…

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The Rose Apple Tree 53:55

7M ago53:55

53:55

A fresh and engaging re-telling of Siddhartha Gautama's quest for Awakening. In particular, Vajragupta focuses on the moment of crisis when Gautama realises that the ascetic practices, and everything else he has tried, have got him no nearer Enlightenment. Sometimes it is in a moment of crisis that the ordinary mind gives up; it cracks and new ligh…

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Spontaneous Compassionate Activity 40:29

8M ago40:29

40:29

The Karaniya Metta Sutta ends with liberation from the wheel of samsara. But the spiritual life doesn't end there. Bodhinaga explores the goal of Buddhism in terms of metta and compassionate activity. This talk was given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2024. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google …

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May the Flames That Transmute Samsara Into Nirvana Arise 1:09:37

8M ago1:09:37

1:09:37

Taking the line ‘May the flames that transmute samsara into nirvana’ from the familiar Triratna Dedication ceremony as his starting point, Jnanadhara explores the transformative power of mindfulness. What exactly are those flames? How does mindfulness help us ‘transform, transmute, transfigure’ in the words of Bhante Sangharakshita? Taking a deep d…

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In the Lands of the Siddhas 54:02

8M ago54:02

54:02

In this talk Padmavajra explores 'the way of the ecstatic wanderers', the Mahasiddhas who are the early Buddhist Tantric adepts. He tells some stories, including stories about Sangharakshita and his encounters with a one-eyed Tantric in South India. He also evokes 'the mysterious home of the dakini' which takes us to the Land of the Five Jnanas. Fi…

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Blessing In Everyday Life : The Power of Padmasambhava 56:37

8M ago56:37

56:37

Here we have a talk given by Balajit in celebration of Padmasambhava Day at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre, 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 Podc…

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The Lady of Tibet Yeshe Tsogyal 57:04

9M ago57:04

57:04

Vajratara provides an inspiring and thorough introduction to Padmasambhava's consort and great disciple, Yeshe Tsogyal. This talk was given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2008. *** 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 an…

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Preparing to Enter the Cave of the Heart 51:42

9M ago51:42

51:42

How do we prepare ourselves to receive teachings? How do we prepare ourselves to meet reality? Maitrisingha explores the importance of humility, courage and spiritual friendship. This talk was given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2023. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curate…

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Amoghasiddhi: The Call of the Forest 53:02

9M ago53:02

53:02

Ksantikara delves us deeper into the mandala of the five Buddhas by. evoking the mystery, power and courage of the deep-green Buddha Amoghasiddhi. Ksantikara extols us to be brave enough to encounter the depths of our being. And from the depths to gather the power to act, to move towards enlightenment and set ourselves free. Given at London Buddhis…

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452: The Three Body Solution - Healing and Belonging In Community 58:56

9M ago58:56

58:56

Home Retreats help us inject some of the powerful teachings of the Buddha directly into our everyday lives. This week we’re joined by Balajit, Singhashri and Viveka to talk about what lies behind their latest week-long collaborative venture with The Buddhist Centre [Live] - the enigmatically titled ‘The Three Bodies of Belonging’. In this episode w…

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Amitabha's Infinite Light 49:00

9M ago49:00

49:00

Padmasagara gives a talk on the Buddha Amitabha, Avalokitesvara and the Bodhisattva vow. He shares three stories, each of them drawing out the boundless radiant love of Amitabha and the inconceivable nature of true compassion. Given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2019, as part of the series Faces of Enlightenment. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist …

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Beauty As a Path to Freedom 37:10

9M ago37:10

37:10

Allow life to flourish in the realm of Ratnasambhava. Garavavati explores the symbols, wisdom and transformational power of the yellow Buddha in the southern realm of the Five Buddha Mandala. This talk was given on London Buddhist Centre’s Winter Retreat, 2022. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Go…

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451: Animated by the Dharma 52:39

9M ago52:39

52:39

Mandarava has always been a maker. Her way into puppetry came initially through trying to make sense of deep family grief. Mandarava’s work is brimful of magic - filtered through fairy tales, her own deep immersion in illustrative art and the realm of stories accompanying long-cherished images, both from childhood and her further adventures as a gr…