These talks have all been given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre and uploaded to the Free Buddhist Audio website.
In this introductory talk to a Know Your Mind retreat at Padmaloka, Vidyadaka gives a potted history of the material followed by a brief look at the omni-present and object determining mental events.
Padmavajra chants the Karaniya Metta Sutta in Pali and then in English
The Buddha and the Dharma manifest activity in the world through individuals in the Sangha; but for this to be the case for us we need to free ourselves from dualism. Through the discussion between Manjusri and Vimalakirti we are taken beyond concepts into profound silence. Out of this we hear of the activity of Bhante in Nagpur in 1956.
The fourth and final talk in the series given at Padmaloka on the Open Retreat.
Manjusri visits Vimalakirti in his empty house and engages in high-level Dharma communication, but what does this mean for us and how do we find a way of communicating that takes us beyond chronological time and into the vast perspective of the Dharma?
This is the third of four talks given at Padmaloka on the Open Retreat.
Vimalakirti is Enlightenment - unlimited; so when he meets the disciples and Bodhisattvas he reveals their limitations. Through these interactions we learn about the dangers of sin, guilt, punishment, teaching others without knowing them and limited assumptions about renunciation. Vimalakirti points beyond them all.
The second of four talks given at Padmaloka on the Open Retreat.
A general introduction to the historical personality of Vimalakirti; his attainments, motivation, lifestyle, appearance, effect in the worlds and finally his sickness, which is a skillful means for a direct Dharma teaching and an urge to Go for Refuge to the Buddha.
This is the first of a series of four talks given at Padmaloka on the Open Retreat.
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. Finally, he makes a plea to take the magic power of Love out to others to heal the violence of this world.
How do we prepare ourselves to receive teachings? How do we prepare ourselves to meet reality? In this talk given on a great gathering weekend at Padmaloka, Maitrisingha explores the importance of humility, courage and spiritual friendship.
In this short talk given on the Autumn Going for Refuge Weekend, Shubhasingha, recently back from his Ordination Course, tells us how the Dharma is transforming his life.
In this short talk given on the Autumn Going for Refuge Weekend, Bodhimati, recently back from his Ordination Course, tells us how the Dharma is transforming his life.
In this short talk given on the Autumn Going for Refuge Weekend, Danadhara, recently back from his Ordination Course, tells us how the Dharma is transforming his life.
In this talk given on the Autumn Going for Refuge Weekend, Maitreyabandhu offers an inspiring vision for how we can become true individuals. He explores why an increasing number of people experience an insecure sense of self as a result of the tendency to self-curate. He offers a way to transform this and live more genuinely.
In this talk given on the Padmaloka Festival Day Retreat, June 2023, Padmavajra begins by reading from Ratnagunasamcayagatha, telling us that it was one of the first seminars that Sangharakshita held when Padmaloka was founded. From there Padmavajra speaks of his enchantment with Padmaloka over the years. He then tells us that the Lotus Realm is everywhere and suggests some of the practices that could enable all of us to live in the enchantment of the Lotus Ream.
The final talk in the series given on the Eros and Beauty retreat held at Padmaloka in 2023.
The third of four talks given on the Eros and Beauty retreat held at Padmaloka in 2023.
The second of four talks given on the Eros and Beauty retreat held at Padmaloka in 2023.
The second talk of four given on the Eros and Beauty retreat at Padmaloka in 2023.
The first of four talks given on the Eros and Beauty retreat held at Padmaloka in 2023.
In this talk, given on a Going for Refuge weekend at Padmaloka, Padmavajra explores the theme of Going Forth and what it means for us now. He begins with an intimate account of the Buddha, late in his life, speaking to a group of monks about the Noble Quest, in which the Buddha tells his own life story. Padmavajra then explores the theme of intense desire for the Dharma and the three kinds of faith. He ends with some heartfelt verses from Jamgon Kongtrul's Cry of Longing to the Guru From Afar.
"The kind reverend teacher is the foundation of all excellence.
Seeing that dependence on him is the root of the path,
May I rely on him
With great respect and continuous effort."
Je Tsongkhapa
In this talk marking the anniversary of Dhardo Rimpoche's death, Padmavajra celebrates the life of Dhardo Rimpoche with an exploration of his great message: cherish the doctrine; live united; radiate love, which was the motto of the school he founded. As well as talking about Dhardo Rimpoche's life and death, Padmavajra also talks about Bhante's reverence for Rimpoche.
Dharmajit explores how Amoghasiddhi - the ‘Buddha of unobstructed success’ can help us develop the quality of fearlessness when practicing the dharma.
In this talk, given to the Triratna Fathers retreat at Padmaloka, Padmavajra tells us about what his own father gave to him. He also tells us about what Bhante Sangharakashita, his 'spiritual father' gave him. He tells us about what he has learned from his fathers and how that might be of use to others.
Three short talks given during the What is the Order? Retreat at Padmaloka in 2023.
Surata has been on the Ordination Team since 1988. He talks about what it's like to be in the order and how he expresses his going for refuge through his work.
Pramudita reflects on his many years in the Order, how the Dharma can change the world and his contribution through helping to set up the Cardiff Buddhist Centre.
Sthiramanas, who is the manager of the London Buddhist Centre, talks about his first three years in the Order and his experience of the challenges and opportunities of taking responsibility in the movement.
Dharmadipa concludes the series of four talks from the What is the Order Retreat? with a superb talk drawing upon Mahayana myths and the Bodhisattva ideal. He tackles misconceptions about what altruism really is and how we can really benefit other people.
In this imaginative and stirring talk, Padmasagara frames the third ordination acceptance verse (“for the attainment of Enlightenment, I accept this ordination”) as a descent into the ‘Underworld’, where we meet Death, the limits of materialism, and doorways into multi-dimensional consciousness. The Underworld is a metaphor for the Realm of Myth, described by Sangharakshita as one of ‘undefined, even indefinable meaning’.
The talk was given to men who’ve asked for ordination on the ‘What is the Order?’ retreat at Padmaloka in February 2023.
Ordination. Loyalty. Teachers. Vidyadaka looks into these themes, and using the parable of the skilled physician from the Lotus Sutra, finds out how to relate to a teacher and to practice the teachings being given.
In this excellent talk Paramabandhu shows an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Buddhist tradition which he draws upon to give practical instruction on how we can live in harmony with friends and companions.
In this talk given to the men at Padmaloka during the Autumn Great Gathering 2021, Padmavajra explores the myth of Tharpa Nagpo from the Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava. In this stirring talk, he explores the demon in society and in ourselves and how to transform it.
In this questions and answers session given at the Men's Great Gathering at Padmaloka, Padmavajra explores themes from the talk he gave the previous day.
In his talk, Padmavajra explores the Buddha's proclamation that just as the great and mighty ocean has the taste of salt, the Buddha's Dhamma has the taste of freedom. By freedom, the Buddha meant complete liberation from the wheel of life, but he also indicated the importance of social freedom.
In his talk Padmavajra begins with a quotation from the great Indian Dalit leader, Dr B R Ambedkar on the occasion of the great mass conversion to Buddhism of hundreds and thousands of Dalits. The talk focuses on the practices that lead to liberation, with a presentation of the Buddha's great teaching of the five teachings that lead to the maturing of the liberation of the heart.
In this talk given on the Men's Great Gathering at Padmaloka, Padmavajra explores the Buddha's proclamation that just as the great and mighty ocean has the taste of salt, the Buddha's Dhamma has the taste of freedom.
By freedom, the Buddha meant complete liberation from the wheel of life, but he also indicated the importance of social freedom and Padmavajra begins with a quotation from the great Indian Dalit leader, Dr B R Ambedkar on the occasion of the great mass conversion to Buddhism of hundreds and thousands of Dalits. The talk focuses on the practices that lead to liberation, with a presentation of the Buddha's great teaching of the five teachings that lead to the maturing of the liberation of the heart.