Free Buddhist Audio

Free Buddhist Audio has been serving free recordings of high quality, full-length Dharma talks since 2006. Over 3 million downloads and counting... Get our free weekly Dharma talk podcast with inspiring speakers on Buddhism, meditation and mindfulness. Tune in, be inspired!

Enlightenment As Experience and Non-Experience 05/16/2026

Enlightenment As Experience and Non-Experience Here, speaks about the nature of enlightenment, as experience and as non-experience, based on Bhante's lecture of the same name, given to the Buddhist Society in 1975. Given on retreat at , 2022. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/40771705

Vajrasana, the Tree of Life and the Revolution of Consciousness 05/09/2026

Vajrasana, the Tree of Life and the Revolution of Consciousness reflects on the Buddha’s resolve to sit on the vajrasana beneath the Bodhi tree until he broke through conditioned existence and awoke. The talk explores vajrasana as the “diamond throne,” drawing on an audio excerpt from Sangharakshita to unfold its meaning as the central point of the cosmos: the spiritual axis where the Buddha awakens, and where the symbolism of the vajra, the tree of life, and the Bodhi tree all meet. From there, the talk evokes Buddhist cosmology, the six elements, and the emergence of life and consciousness as part of a vast evolutionary movement that culminates in the possibility of awakening. The second half of the talk reflects on what this awakening reveals about selfhood, individuality, and reality itself. Talk given at , 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/40771675

Encountering Mara - Enlightenment Under Attack! 05/02/2026

Encountering Mara - Enlightenment Under Attack! Have we got what it takes to wake up? follows Siddhartha Gautama’s extraordinary quest to its turning point. In him we meet a seeker who turns down power, prestige and leadership, turning his back on the received wisdom of harsh asceticism, choosing instead something far more radical: to meditate alone in the comfortable shade of a beautiful tree. Here he meets Māra: tempter, accuser, embodiment of fear, desire, and doubt, unleashing everything he has to prevent Siddhartha’s awakening. This talk was given at 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/40771645

Steering For the Deep: The Awareness Aspect 04/25/2026

Steering For the Deep: The Awareness Aspect explores Sangharakshita's idea that fundamentally there is one spiritual experience, which has different aspects that we can unfold. Here he guides on how to contact and influence deeper levels of mind, culminating in the turning about of the basis, the transformation of the deepest level of mind. This talk was given at , 2016, as part of the series . *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/40679905

The Power of Stories 04/18/2026

The Power of Stories In this talk, discusses the language of the depths, which refers to communication beyond the surface level of experience. She begins by exploring the power of stories. Part of the series given at , 2024. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/40664535

The Electric Charge of Communication 04/11/2026

The Electric Charge of Communication As part of Adhisthana’s 2023 Triratna Day celebrations, speaks to us about the ‘existential communication’ that can arise between a more, and a less, experienced practitioner. A communication that can take you to the limits of your own being and encourage you to stretch beyond them. Part of the series Given at , 2023. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/40664435

How to Communicate Well 04/04/2026

How to Communicate Well presents traditional Buddhist advice on communicating well, in particular the images that the Buddha used to teaches own seven-year-old son about the importance of truthfulness, and the poetry of Vangisa, encouraged by the Buddha to turn his love of communication into verses. A talk to the, 2017. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/40664330

Reason and Emotion in the Spiritual Life 03/28/2026

Reason and Emotion in the Spiritual Life We all need to find emotional equivalents to our intellectual understandings if our spiritual practice is to progress. outlines the positive emotions stressed in Buddhism, and concludes with a brief explanation of the stages of the Sevenfold Puja. Talk given as part of the series , 1968. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39993120

A Deeper Rhythm 03/21/2026

A Deeper Rhythm explores the dynamic vision of Urgyen Sangharakshita in setting up a new Buddhist movement in the West, and asks how we might relate to him now. His central reference point in this provocative and moving talk is the Padmasambhava Abisheka - the initiation received by Sangharakshita in Kalimpong, India, in 1962 from the great Tibetan Lama, Kachu Rimpoche. The energy emanating from a simple shrine room–location of that significant meeting in Sangharakshita's life–reverberates through everything that came next, the bright and shadow sides. Voices and stories, told and untold, come echoing through as Vishvapani makes the case that a deeper examination of Sangharakshita's teaching and approach reveals a deeper rhythm to his life and work that is relevant to everyone practising in Triratna today. Talk given at on the men's UK & Ireland area Order weekend in November 2022. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39993045

Encountering Mara - Enlightenment Under Attack! 03/14/2026

Encountering Mara - Enlightenment Under Attack! Have we got what it takes to wake up? invites us to follow Siddhartha Gautama’s extraordinary quest to its turning point. In him, we meet a seeker who turns down power, prestige and leadership, turning his back on the received wisdom of harsh asceticism, choosing instead something far more radical: to meditate alone in the comfortable shade of a beautiful tree. Here he meets Māra: tempter, accuser, embodiment of fear, desire, and doubt, unleashing everything he has to prevent Siddhartha’s awakening. How does he respond to each attack? Could we do as well? Are we ready to take our seat as he did, on the diamond throne of The Eternal Buddhas? This talk was given at , 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39992570

Encountering Reality - The 4 Sights 03/07/2026

Encountering Reality - The 4 Sights In the telling of the story of ‘The Buddha’s 4 Sights’, invites us to contemplate the people and events that have inspired us to change. What was The Buddha really like? We are told that the Buddha broke through into a radically different state of being, transcending ordinary human consciousness. What might it have been like to encounter that? There was something magnetic, awesome, mysterious, and powerful about The Buddha. Some people even ‘WOKE UP!’ just by being in his presence. This talk was given at , 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39992480

Within The Perfumed Chamber 02/28/2026

Within The Perfumed Chamber delivers an enthralling account of the Buddha's passing into Paranirvana. Drawing on events in the Mahaparanibbana Sutta, he elucidates the perfumed chamber of the Buddha's unconditioned mind. Delivered on Parinirvana Day at the , 2022. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39977670

Brighter Than Gold 02/21/2026

Brighter Than Gold The Buddha's Enlightenment and his Parinirvana are the two key events in his life. But what significance do they hold for us in our approach to life - and death? , an experienced and engaging Buddhist teacher, will explore these profound questions. This talk was given at , 2024. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39977615

Death and the Buddhist 02/14/2026

Death and the Buddhist This is pretty fantastic in its way. is one of the best speakers we know - he is very funny, can do poetic and profound, tends to the chaotic in his style, and has a particular genius for this kind of thing; this kind of thing being talking about death. The whole talk is a kind of respectful joyride through the hardest subject of all - sit back and enjoy a thoroughly adult treat that's likely to blow the heart wide open. Talk given at , Men's Event, 2000. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39897820

Constant Change 02/07/2026

Constant Change commemorates the death of the Buddha not by focusing on death, but rather by focusing on the Buddha’s early life and the myriad manifestations of impermanence. Talk given by Ratnaghosha at the ’s Parinirvana Day Festival, 2008. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39897695

We Are Born of Our Actions 01/31/2026

We Are Born of Our Actions traces the significance and depth of the Buddha’s teaching of karma, as well as addressing the complexities and common misconceptions that can often arise when we approach the topic. Having a clear understanding of the law of karma is vital if we are to transform our desires to be more in line with reality. We realize that on a path of training old habits run deep, and that we cannot control everything that happens to us. We can, however, always start where we find ourselves: in the present moment. Then we can begin to work on our reactions, gradually moving towards more and more of a sense of freedom in our lives. Part of the series , given at , 2022. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39493630

The Spiral Path 01/24/2026

The Spiral Path talks about the spiral path and emphasises how it naturally unfolds. This talk was given at , 2014. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39493580

Withdrawal and Engagement On Bodhisattva Path 01/17/2026

Withdrawal and Engagement On Bodhisattva Path Through the lense of Upaya 'the skilful means' of the Bodhisattva, explores the seemingly contradictory themes of withdrawal and engagement on the Bodhisattva path. She demonstrates how they are synthesised by drawing on the last four stages of the spiral / transcendental path and how they culminate in the arising of the bodhicitta. , 2023. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39493385

Practice As Knowing Where You Stand 01/10/2026

Practice As Knowing Where You Stand In this talk describes the six realms as a mirror in which to fully know the particulars of our own self created universe. This talk was given at 2017. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39493305

Vicious Circles and Doorways to Freedom 01/03/2026

Vicious Circles and Doorways to Freedom explores three great Buddhist symbols that describe the way things are: the wheel of life, the spiral path and the ultimate goal of Enlightenment. Together they form a guide to escape from the ultimate vicious circle into the complete freedom and fulfilment of Awakening. This talk was recorded at , 2020, as part of the series . *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39493105

Subduing the Demons and Building the Monastery 12/27/2025

Subduing the Demons and Building the Monastery In this talk, relates the story of how Padmasambhava subdued the demons of Tibet to build Samye monastery. The monastery works as a symbol for a flourishing spiritual community which is not affected by the destructive forces in the world but instead puts them to the service of the Dharma. To subdue our own gods and demons, we have to become true individuals, and true individuals are what constitute the spiritual community. This talk was given during a young men's retreat held at , as part of the series , 2022. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39093365

The Way of the Dharma Warrior 12/20/2025

The Way of the Dharma Warrior In this talk, given during the 2013 Young men's retreat at Padmaloka, describes the qualities of the Dharma Warrior and how Dharma Warriors are fighting in the great battle between the spiritual community and the group - fighting for the liberation of the truly human individual against the forces of mediocrity and uniformity - the battle with Mara who embodies those forces. Padmavajra concludes with David Jones' magnificent evocation of a warrior in his poem 'The Hunt'. Given at , 2013. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39078470

What Is a True Individual 12/13/2025

What Is a True Individual speaks about becoming a true individual to the Sangha. He starts with the importance of being in touch with the bodhisattva ideal and the dangers of losing this connection. He then explores the relationship between the true individual, the positive group and the unhealthy group. This leads to an awareness of values and the importance of forgiving both ourselves and others when we don't manage to live up to the ideal. He also distinguishes individualism from individuality. Talk given in 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39077040

Blake, Bhante and the True Individual 12/06/2025

Blake, Bhante and the True Individual How do we listen to the 'voice within'? How do we become an individual? How can imagination free us? weaves together Sangharakshita's teachings on the True Individual with Blake to show us how to follow our golden thread towards greater clarity, receptivity and awareness. Talk given on a retreat for women who have asked for ordination as part of a series on 'The Group, the Individual and The Spiritual Community' given at , as part of the series , 2024. ••• Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/39075935

The Rise of the Asuras and the Sword of Wisdom 11/29/2025

The Rise of the Asuras and the Sword of Wisdom offers a Buddhist reflection on the social and political times we are living through. The talk takes the myth of the asuras (the Titan realm on the Wheel of Life) as a way of seeing and understanding the kind of world we are creating. In that myth, the Buddha appears in the realm of the asuras holding a sword. What does that symbolise? Vajragupta suggests it can be seen as a sword of fearlessness, a sword of truth and wisdom, a sword of justice, and the sword of the archetypal "king". This talk was given at , 2022. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/38725615

Animals, Humans and Heavenly Beings 11/22/2025

Animals, Humans and Heavenly Beings In the game of life we wander between realms, moving from lower states to higher as our actions affect the state of our mind. tours of the third ring of the wheel of life, the six realms of worldly existence which depict the kinds of world we can live in according to our state of mind. His talk focuses on the worlds of animals, gods and humans, informing us on how to recognise which realm we're in and how to create opportunities for growth. This talk was given at , as part of the series , 2020. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/38725255

Monsters of the Mind 11/15/2025

Monsters of the Mind explores some of the most evocative and mysterious imagery from the Wheel of Life. In this talk we’ll turn our attention to three realms that speak vividly to the struggles of human existence: the asuras, the pretas, and the hell realms. Expect support for home practice, practical ideas of how to bring these traditional teachings into your everyday life, and reflections on how to make your Great Escape! This talk was given at , 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/38724850

Three Beasts and Two Paths 11/08/2025

Three Beasts and Two Paths introduces the Wheel of Life beginning with an exploration of the three poisons and how our actions form our lives. From 'The Wheel of Life: A User's Manual for Samsara. Talk given at , Portsmouth, NH (USA), 2025. ••• Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/38724200

Transforming Gods and Demons 11/01/2025

Transforming Gods and Demons explores the story of Padmasambhava, the great tantric master, who was invited to Tibet when Buddhism could not take root through reason and philosophy alone. She describes how Padmasambhava confronted and transformed the unseen forces of Maras, demons, and gods, turning their energies towards the Dharma rather than away from it. The talk urges us to face our own inner and collective forces with courage, love, ritual, and devotion, calling on Padmasambhava’s blessing for personal and societal transformation. This talk was given at the in 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/38724010

The Bodhisattva’s Dream 10/25/2025

The Bodhisattva’s Dream The Bodhisattva Ruchiraketu dreams of a golden drum radiating golden light which fills a totally transformed world...Classic delving into one of the core texts studied in the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community. Part of the series given in 1976. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/dharmachakra/id/38351610

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