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This was given on an Order retreat on the theme of Sadhana practice. In it Dhammadinna talks about visualisation practice and discusses the View and actual practice of visualisation, including preparation and our attitude towards visualisation.
Its companion talk is "Sadhana as a Way of Life" by Parami.
Given at Taraloka, April 2009
A Method of Personal DevelopmentIn Buddhist practice, the traditional method of choice for effecting positive change in one's life is meditation. Here Sangharakshita takes a closer look, focussing on the 'superconscious states' (characterised in turn by integration, inspiration, permeation, and radiation), the practice of developing universal friendliness, and the distinction between calm and Insight.
Talk given in 1976.
A System of MeditationA survey of the progressive sequence of meditations followed in the FWBO and their place in the complete spiritual path.
N.B. Poor original recording.
Talk given in 1978.
Becoming Real - Meditation as a Gateway to WisdomThis is a fine talk by Dayanandi on the essential relationship between meditation and the proper seeing of Reality, here described as an opening into the beauty and truth and reality of life itself.
Talk given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, Great Gathering 2000
Green Tara Sadhana - led meditationA rare chance to listen to Sangharakshita leading through a visualisation practice.
For Order Members only.
Guru YogaParami leads through a practice of the Guru Yoga from the Mula Yogas. This version is relevant to our spiritual lineage as disciples of Sangharakshita and is the lineage of the Padma family. The led practice includes short intervals of silence reflection. There are also sections of recitation of some devotional verses relevant to the practice.
This talk was given on an Order retreat called 'Sadhana as a Way of Life' held at Taraloka in April 2010. Other talks in this series are : 'Some Thoughts on Visualisation' by Dhammadinna (2009); 'Sadhana as a way of Life' by Parami(2009) and 'Some Quotes and Some Thoughts on Sadhana' also by Parami (2010).
Introducing the Great LoveThis is the first in a five part series by Padmavajra on all aspects of the Metta Bhavana practice and 'The Great Love' in Buddhist discourse and practice - from metta (loving kindness) itself to Bodhichitta. His starting point here is to source notions of love in traditional teaching from the Pali Canon and in the great Mahayana sutras. A refreshing take on metta and how to cultivate it in your life.
Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004
Love Your EnemyThis is the fourth in a five part series by Padmavajra on all aspects of the Metta Bhavana practice and 'The Great Love' in Buddhist discourse and practice - from metta (loving kindness) itself to Bodhichitta. Challenging material here - how do we love realistically within Reality as a practice in the face of the worst of life? A compassionate and sympathetic teasing out of the various big issues involved - betrayal, control, and, of course, forgiveness...
Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004
Mantra MeditationA led meditation using three mantras: Vajrapani (energy), Avolokiteshvara (compassion), and Manjusri (wisdom).
Mantra Meditation Q and AQuestion and Answer session on the led mantra meditation also available on fba.
Meditation Ecstasy and BlissOne of two talks given on the men's national Order weekend at Padmaloka, February 2010. The theme of the weekend centred around meditation and mindfulness.
Meditation Versus PsychotherapyWhat are meditation and psychotherapy? In this lecture Sangharakshita appeals for a synthesis between the two approaches.
Talk given in 1970.
Meditation: the Expanding ConsciousnessA traditional exposition of Buddhist meditation looking at why we meditate; preparation for meditation; the five meditation practices designed to counteract the five mental poisons; and the three stages of meditation.
Talk given in 1967.
Mindfulness as SadhanaIn this talk, Viveka explores the many, diverse faces of mindfulness practice - breaking down the ideological barriers that can so often divide when we try to figure out what, exactly, does constitute mindfulness meditation... With good humour and an emphasis on kindness in the present moment, she encourages us to broaden and deepen our ideas of awareness and of loving kindness. Rich with references - from Satipatthana to Milarepa - this is an excellent and encouraging contemporary take on meditation and what it is to make mindfulness part of your everyday life.
Talk given at the Western Buddhist Order Convention 2005
Mindfulness For Order MembersThe second talk on meditation given at Padmaloka retreat centre for the men's National Order weekend. Maitreyabandhu addresses what he calls the mythification of the body- or getting carried away with ideologies about the body- that has crept into the Order and Buddhist world.
Our Work as Teachers and PractitionersA rather splendid (even controversial in places!) talk by Kamalashila on meditation and meditation teaching in the contemporary FWBO. The fruits of many years thinking and practice - not to mention a recent long solitary retreat - this is one not to be missed by anyone concerned with training in the traditional practices of Buddhism.
Plese note that there is a text version of this talk available on the site (see 'texts/other speakers') which expands on and clarifies several of the main points, especially as regards Sangharakshita's role in the process.
Talk given at WBO Day, 2005
Sadhana as a Way of LifeIn this talk Parami looks at how we can approach Sadhana practice not only as a visualisation meditation but as a way of bringing our connection with the Buddha or Bodhisattva alive in our daily lives.
It was given on an Order retreat at Taraloka in April 2009 and is a companion talk to "A Few Thoughts about Visualisation" by Dhammadinna.
SimplicityKamalashila has spent a lot of his adult life exploring meditation - and this talk is a lovely little foray into the whole subject as a crucial aspect in life and practice, with special consideration given to reflection on the six elements. Oh, and look out for Brian the meditating dog...
Talk given at FWBO Day, 2004
Six Element Practice - Talks and Lead ThroughThe first four tracks in this collection are short talks given before meditation sessions on an Order Six Element Practice retreat at Taraloka. After that there are six tracks where Kulaprabha leads through the full practice. The final two tracks are variations on the Consciousness Element stage of the practice and are based on the description of the the Six Element Practice which the Buddha gives in the Dhatuvibhanga Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya.
Six Element Practice and the Dhatuvibhanga suttaThe Dhatuvibhanga Sutta - the Exposition of the Elements - tells the story of a meeting between the Buddha and a young monk called Pukkusati. The young monk doesn't at first realise who he is sharing his lodgings with. He is just very grateful the next morning for the offer of some help with his meditation practice. And the Buddha teaches him the Six Element Practice - that was after sitting all night meditating together!
Kulaprabha has often referred to this sutta while introducing people to the Six Element practice on ordination retreats. And the month before giving the talk she had been at Akashavana Retreat Centre in Spain co-leading a retreat for members of the Western Buddhist Order on that theme. This version of the talk was given in a very different context - at Windhorse Trading's main wholesale warehouse in Cambridge, UK. She had been asked to talk about Insight and Work. As you'll hear in the talk, Kulaprabha was a bit stumped as to how to do that but in the end thought that it was worth taking the ideas and reflections from her experience of the Six Element practice and suggesting to the Windhorse workers that they might find their own ways to apply them in the very busy context of running a business.
Given at Windhorse Trading, Cambridge, 2007
Some Quotes and Some Thoughts On SadhanaParami reads some quotes about sadhana practice within the Triratna Order, formerly the WBO. The quotes, taken from seminars and talks by Sangharakshita, are unpacked and then interspersed by Parami's own helpful and intriguing reflections on sadhana, and on the current situation in the Order in 2010.
This talk was given on an Order retreat called 'Sadhana as a Way of Life' held at Taraloka in April 2010. Other talks in this series are 'Some Thoughts on Visualisation' by Dhammadinna (2009); 'Sadhana as a Way of Life' by Parami (2009); and 'Led Practice of the Guru Yoga' also by Parami (2010).
The Alchemy of HappinessHere's Kulaprabha's thoughtful take on the positive emotions cultivated in the 'Brahma Vihara' meditations.
Talk given at the Western Buddhist Order convention, 2007
The Four Foundation Yogas of the Tibetan Buddhist TantraHere the four indispensable preparatory practices (mula-yogas) of the Vajrayana devotee are outlined: the Going for Refuge and Prostration practice, the Development of the Bodhichitta practice, the Vajrasattva practice and the offering of the Mandala.
Talk given in 1968.
The Just Sitting Practice - An IntroductionThe 'Just Sitting' practice has been part of the FWBO's system of meditation since the very beginning yet is not often discussed and not always understood. Here Subhuti gives his own inspiring and brilliantly refreshing take on the practice as a central element in his own meditative life. A must-listen piece for all those enthused by ideas of formal and 'formless' meditation - 'Just Hear' it and you''ll see what we mean!
Tibetan Buddhist MeditationThis lecture gives an outline of Tibetan meditation, in the context of the five stages common to all Buddhist meditation systems, and concludes with a description of the Green Tara visualisation practice.
Talk given in 1968.
What Meditation Really IsMeditation comprises all those methods that raise one's level of consciousness and transform one's life by acting directly on the mind itself.
Talk given in 1975.
Dharmachakra
