Here Padmavajra explores a great classic of Tibetan Buddhism – Gampopa's 'Jewel Ornament of Liberation'. The work, inspired by devotion to Manjusri, is one of the key texts in the development of the Tibetan Lam Rim teachings. And Gampopa, being one of the two principle disciples of the yogi Milarepa, presents both the monastic Lam Rim approach of Atisha and the Mahamudra meditation teachings of Milarepa himself.

This is the seventh talk in an eight part series entitled Themes from Gampopa's Jewel Ornament of Liberation given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2008.

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After exploring the relationship between the transcendental (lokuttara) and historical time, Saccanama looks at the challenges facing us at this particular point in history. Individualism and materialism present challenges both to our society and to our practice of the Dharma. Put them together and we have a form of capitalism which is so dominant that it becomes impossible to imagine any other system. Set against this, the Dharma is always challenging.

This talk is part of the series Challenging Dharma for Challenging Times given at the Nottingham Buddhist Centre, 2020.

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Here Samantabhadri expertly and imaginatively tackles the theme of Wisdom, using the verses in the third section of Tsongkhapa's short text on the "Three Principal Aspects of the Path." Dharma themes of the laksanas, suffering, niyamas, self - and no-self - are interwoven with more personal reflections, and with thought-provoking quotations - ".... emptiness, activity and compassion are not three things, but one thing looked at from three different points of view...." 

This is the third of three talks based on Tsongkhapa's text given on the UK Women's Order Mitra Event at Taraloka Retreat Centre, 2009.

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Maitrisara explores the vipallasas, the topsy turvy views as a way to explore how our delusions inhibit our efforts in spiritual practice. She begins with an overview of what Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels means and why frameworks to explore delusion (like the topsy turvy views) can help us. She illustrates the topsy turvy views with examples from her own life. 

This talk was given on a retreat for women mitras in the MidWest Region, 2019.

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Viveka explores the fourth tetrad of the Anapanasati Sutta: “inquiry into the experience of wisdom” particularly applying the contemplations of impermanence, fading away, cessation and relinquishment to the experience of mind and awareness itself. 

This talk is part of the series Anapanasati Sutta: Instructions for Awakening given at Adhisthana, 2019.

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A personal talk where Punyamala shares her reflections on impermanence, particularly in the context of family life. Weaving in poetry and real life examples, Punyamala looks at the question of how to stay open in the midst of impermanence and death, without falling into despondency. Punyamala describes how she has sought to live a meaningful life, fully open to reality.

This talk was given on an ordination training retreat at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2019.

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Prakasha takes us through the verses on transference of merit and self surrender from Shantideva's Bodhicaryavatara, and communicates the feeling of the complete letting go of a Bodhisattva. Talk given at Shrewsbury Triratna Buddhist Group, 2018.

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Karunagita introduces four types of letting go - of the weight of past harmful actions, holding our conditioning lightly, of expectations and of physical holding in the body - in this talk at Dhanakosa for the 2017 New Year women mitra retreat. The retreat theme was Padmasambhava’s advice to Queen Ngang Chung.

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Padmavajra offers a deep set of reflections on these aspects of the Spiritual Path using Sangharakshita's poem 'Advent'; the contemplation of impermanence, death and our lack of any 'self-lordship'; Lahiji's vision of 'the black light'; bewilderment; and the concept of becoming reborn in the Bodhisattva.

Talk given at Padmaloka Buddhist Centre, 2013, as part of a series of three talks entitled The Stages of the Path.

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Parami urges us to embrace loss, because it is inevitable, but equally so, don’t close yourself off to love. Accepting that everything that arises will pass, and yet everything that arises is precious that will give rise to a love that spreads throughout the cosmos.

Talk given at the Newcastle Buddhist Centre, 2021.

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Nagasiddhi takes us into the mind and heart of the new Buddha after his awakening – as he explores this new territory within, and with others he encounters setting out on the next stage of his journey into liberation.

Talk given as part of the series ‘In the Footsteps of the Buddha’ during the April 2021 home retreat from Rivendell Retreat Centre hosted by The Buddhist Centre Online.

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Dayajoti explores the hindrance of self-doubt, including seeing it as an expression of fundamental delusion, addressed by the clear seeing of reality. 

This talk is part of the series Body of Bliss: Ways into Samādhi, hosted online by Buddhafield, 2021.

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There is no insight without compassion, and no compassion without insight. Ratnaghosha elucidates the path of transformation as one of expanding more and more into embodying love in all its forms.

This talk was given at the Mid Essex Buddhist Centre, 2021.

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Samantabhadri speaks on ritual and its place and potential within the Triratna Community. She explores ritual as personal experience and in relation to going beyond a fixed self, to the collective, to the imagination, to compassion and to our longing for the transcendental. 

Samantabhadri, visiting from Taraloka Retreat Centre, gave this keynote talk at Nottingham Buddhist Centre, 2016.

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The Four Noble Truths contain the whole of the Buddha's teaching. They set out a clear and direct vision of the true nature of Reality. In this talk, Jnanadhara unfolds the meaning behind these seemingly simple four pithy teachings. With poetry and personal anecdotes, he draws us into the immense depth and mystery behind these teachings and shows us a glimpse of what the Buddha was communicating 2,500 years ago. 

Given in the Dublin Buddhist Centre, January 2020.

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Do we reflect on the Bodhicitta? Is it optional, a mystical goal we can take or leave? How does it become a motivating force in our lives?

Sangharakshita has described the Bodhicitta as a myth or symbol that galvanises our energies, something that makes sense of our lives, something emotionally moving that stirs us on a deep level. How are we to connect with that myth? Vajratara takes us on a journey of a deepening engagement with the Bodhicitta, evoking the Bodhicitta through 3 myths.

Talk given on an ordination retreat at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, July 2021.

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Karunavajra gives a talk at the about Vajrasattva, and how he can help and inspire us in these times of transition. Vajrasattva is a beautiful Buddha figure embodying essential Dharma truths. He symbolises the teaching that we are in possession of enormous riches and we don’t realise it.

Given at Birmingham Buddhist Centre for Dharma Day, July 2021.

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Here Jnanavaca discusses how Tantric Buddhism is concerned with the direct experience of who we are and what we can become. Its aim is to help us realize our potential by transforming the energy locked in by old habits, fears, and views.

Talk given at London Buddhist Centre, 2020.

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A very intriguing trip by Satyanandi through the myriad worlds of consideration that arise when view, experience and reality meet. Her starting point is science and its various models for how the universe works - from mechanism to quantum physics. But soon we are in wider territory, looking at radical interconnectedness and the nature of mind as it meets the world.

Talk given at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, 2005.

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What does Buddhism have to say about death and dying? How can this be applied to life? Prasannavira shares how he has been influenced by the Root Verses of the Six Bardos from the Bardo Thodol, the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Talk given at Windhorse:Evolution, once a large Buddhist team-based 'right livelihood' business based in the UK, 2013.

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The Buddha was a problem solver looking at suffering and the release from suffering. Here, Vijayasri introduces us to metta, the basic teaching of the Buddha, by exploring the first chapter of Living with Kindness by Sangharakshita. She considers the Karaniya Metta Sutta, looks at the work of Buddhaghosa, and investigates the ideas of metta as a strongly positive emotion, a rational emotion and as wisdom. The session finishes with some questions for reflection.

This talk was given at Croydon Buddhist Centre, 2017.

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Kamalashila explores the centrality of mindfulness to the Buddhist path. He discusses the concept of intoxication, with reference to the 5th Precept and the Sutra of Golden Light. Kamalashila then considers the four foundations of mindfulness from the Satipatthana Sutta and concludes that mindfulness is the basis of metta and allows us to embrace the realm of truth and beauty.

This talk was given at Croydon Buddhist Centre, 1996. This talk was made available by the Croydon Digital Archive Project, turning crumbling cassette tape recordings into digital format.

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Sahajatara gives an honest and enthusiastic exploration of the speech precepts. This talk is down-to-earth and with humour!

This talk was given on a retreat for Mitras at Taraloka Retreat Centre, 2018 and is part of the series entitled Ethics: Resonating with Reality.

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Vimalasara gives a thorough talk on the third precept, exploring some of the issues we all need to reflect on if we are to live life more fully with simplicity, contentment and stillness. Relevant to modern day living, this talk also signposts some of the issues that women and queer people have to contend with when reflecting on this precept.

Talk given at Taraloka Retreat Centre, 2013.

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Buddhist generosity is ideally ongoing all the time, a simple application of our ethical principles - a flow of time, energy, money, and so on, in the direction of your heart-felt values. Giving is one of the key practices of a Buddhist, and one of the delights of the Spiritual Community. Ratnaghosha evokes how this is an area of activity that is crucial to an effective practice of the Dharma and the living of the Bodhisattva life.

This talk was given at Cambridge Buddhist Centre, 2018.

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With his usual warmth, clarity and good humour, Prajnaketu explores the mental events of hatred and love with great detail and personal reflections.

“Not by hatred are hatreds ever pacified in the world, by love are they pacified, this is the eternal law.”

~ Dhammapada

In the presence of suffering or pain, our sense of self is often diminished as we come to realize our efforts to control our experience to avoid pain don’t work. On the contrary, wishing ourselves and others well in the ups and downs of life, one is practicing the softening of the barriers between self and other and filling that space with love.

This is one of several talks given during a retreat entitled Mind in Harmony at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2016.

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What are the particular challenges we face in the 21st Century? There are many, and Vajradevi focuses on the mind precepts and our use of technology. This talk is linked with Akuppa's talks on '21st Century Bodhisattva' and drawing on the book '21 Lessons for the 21st Century' by the historian Yuval Noah Harari.

This talk was given as part of a series at Shrewbury Triratna Centre, 2019.

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Bodhisattvas work tirelessly and heroically to create a Buddhafield for the benefit of all beings. Padmavajra explores the opening verses of the Dhammapada and their far reaching implications including 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.

Talk given during the February Great Gathering weekend at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2020.

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Parami introduces our four-fold lineage and shows how the lineage of inspiration underpins them all. Now that Bhante has died our responsibility to keep this flame burning is more important than ever.

This talk is part of the series Talks from Women's Private Preceptors' Retreat given at Adhisthana, 2019.

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In the first weeks after his Enlightenment, the Buddha stayed alone near the Bodhi tree, assimilating his profound discovery and enjoying its bliss. But from the first moment he encountered another human being, the force of his compassion led him to revolt against the social hierarchies of his day. In this impassioned talk at the London Buddhist Centre's 2021 Buddha Day celebrations, Subhuti explores the nature of social conditioning. In doing so, he calls for greater efforts to understand differing experiences and an attempt to relate on the basis of the Buddha's radical vision for humankind.

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Vajragupta considers how the sangha reaches out into the world, looking at three areas: loving-kindness and common humanity, community and service, and wisdom in an age of information overload.

A talk given on an online weekend retreat with Croydon Buddhist Centre, 2020.

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Vidyatara shares her reflections on practice during a time of Lockdown as part of the Birmingham Buddhist Centre's year on the 8-fold path (2021). She particularly evokes and draws on the classic teaching of Bahiya and asks how to apply it to these conditions.

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Arthapriya explores the characteristics of a person who is a good communicator - having empathy for others, deeply listening, and drawing each other out into deeper presence with one another.

This is a talk given as part of the Year of Spiritual Community talks at Cambridge Buddhist Centre, 2014.

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In this moving and rousing talk, Dhammachari Amoghasiddhi illustrates how the Dhamma can radically transform people's lives, liberating them from a hellish existence, particularly in India.

Using the examples of his own life, as well as the lives of Bhante Sangharakshita, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and others, he explains that if we want to live a meaningful life, we must open up to the suffering of others and do everything we can to help alleviate their suffering.

Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre on the Bodhisattva Ideal Retreat in July 2019.

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Is there an inner attitude we can adopt that will naturally lead to the creation of Sangha? Satyadhara poses this question - and addresses it - in his talk on the second Mainland Europe Young Buddhist Convention. He shares his personal experience of being in a small Sangha near Frankfurt in Germany, and draws upon Asangha’s Yogacharabhumi to explore the conditions necessary for building Sangha.

Talk given on the second Mainland Europe Young Buddhist Convention in Valencia, Spain, in July 2018.

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Bhadra offers this insightful and thorough exploration of the Five Buddha Mandala through the lens of the gap between feeling and craving. Here we are able to transform the mental poisons (illustrated by the six realms) into the Wisdom of the each of the Five Buddhas.

Talk given at Bristol Buddhist Centre, 2017, the last in a series on the Wheel of Life.

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Vajrasattva is associated with purity and with the time of death. Aryajaya helps us to engage more deeply with the meaning and symbolism of Vajrasattva.

Talk given at Cambridge Buddhist Centre, 2017.

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Once again at the Centre of the Mandala, we meet Vairocana. How do we balance the teachings of effort and openness? One way is through the image of the Sun and relaxed being, the practice of the Dharma is simply to come back. Yet, of course, this requires effort.

Another question is the balance between practical and mythical approaches: Can we hold both at once? What do we give significance to? What do we make real ? Can we open to a world of richer and deeper meaning?

Vessantara gave this talk as part of the series The Mandala of the Five Buddhas at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2012 Winter Retreat.

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Vaddhaka can usually be relied on to give a pretty great talk - and this is no exception. Here we have a real treat - a terrific, energetic exploration of the green Buddha of the north: Amoghasiddhi (Dundubishvara), the Unobstructed One. This is kind of a multi-media affair - listen for the 13th Century Spanish processional music in honour of the Virgin, and a blast of Sibelius too! Marvellous.

Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, Winter Retreat, 2001.

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Saddhaloka introduces us to Amitabha, the red Buddha of the West who represents and inspires the highest love of all...

Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, Winter Retreat, 1997.

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Kusalasara evokes the jeweled born Buddha of the South, Ratnasambhava – golden yellow in color bringing messages of generosity, abundance and beauty.

This talk is part of the series The Symbolic World of the Five Buddha Mandala given at the London Buddhist Centre's 2019 Winter Retreat.

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Settle back and touch base with this very enjoyable and, at times, inspiring talk by Saddharaja on the great blue Buddha of the eastern quarter of the mandala - the Unshakeable One, the Imperturbable Akshobya. This is particularly good because it departs from standard fare on the figure. We get a great reading from Wordsworth, a stimulating discussion of ethics and their relationship to issues of doubt and self-confidence, as well as a meeting with a wooly mammoth… Listen out too for a terrific story about standing inside a mountain which communicates something essential about the depth of presence and mystery Akshobya is all about.

Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, Winter Retreat 2001.

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Imagine being with the Buddha, imagine the emotional effect of being that close to the Buddha. Bodhinaga draws out stories from the life of the Buddha that point to the importance of imagination as we engage with our aspiration for Enlightenment.

This talk is part of the series entitled Faces of Enlightenment given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2019.

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What memories stay with you year after year? Which breath do you wish you could take again? Whose smile is the most beautiful? What is this love that you talk about?

Saraha returns to Birmingham to speak at Sangha Night, having taught the Dharma there previously for over a decade before moving to Ecodharma in Spain a few years ago. In this talk he speaks with his usual passion and inspiration, illuminating many questions for further reflection on what is of value in our lives. Talk given in 2019.

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How might we respond, as Buddhists, to the emerging environmental crises facing the planet? Starting from where his earlier talk, "Saying Goodbye to the Earth," leaves off, Gunopeta explores the implications of what happens when we open our hearts to our deep emotional response to these crises. With the aid of guided meditation, poetry, ritual, and our felt connection to nature and the holiness of place, we can learn to "touch the Earth with love." From this, we enter into a relationship with the Earth out of which gratitude, a sense of responsibility, sympathetic joy, equanimity, and energy emerge in a positively reinforcing spiral, which in turn moves us to join with others in altruistic action on behalf of the Earth and all its beings. This talk was originally given as part of the on-line Touching the Earth retreat, sponsored by Aryaloka Buddhist Center and the Portsmouth (New Hampshire) Buddhist Center, November 2020.

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The Karaniya Metta sutta is the focus for Parami's exploration of working with anger, working with polarisation in our relationships and in the world. She uses the lesson of the extremes in this current moment in history as a launching pad for insight into the nature of love.

She gave this talk to the gathered Triratna Buddhist Community in Scotland at their New Year gathering online. It has the flavour of a call to practice and to give closer attention to how we relate with those we love and those we find challenging.

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In this talk, Satyakirti explores a set of ways through which we can work with fear in our practice, particularly through love and friendship. Using the Angulimala Sutta as an example, he explains how even the greatest fears can be overcome, and how a Buddha is entirely free from fear.

Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre in December 2019 as part of the Sub35s 'Fearless Love' retreat.

This talk is part of the series Fearless Love.

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Amritamati talks about how we can practice simplicity in our lives: whatever our lifestyle is or whatever we want our lifestyle to be, from parenting to becoming a celibate 'Anagarika'. This talk was given on a weekend retreat at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre for women who are training for Ordination, 2014.

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Karunagita, author of A Path for Parents (Windhorse publications 2005), gave this talk at the first weekend retreat for mothers held at Taraloka Retreat Centre, 2014. Here, she introduces the gifts of parenting, including the development of patience, maturity, opening to love and the development of wisdom through direct experience of the three laksanas, as well as the inherent challenges such as lack of time and how they can be approached.

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If a talk could ever be described as beautifully bracing, this is it! Amaragita brings a sharp-edged mind and a long-term perspective to the whole question of what practice is.

As you might expect, she also brings humour, warmth and kindness too, qualities that more than balance out the penetrating clarity and sometimes challenging questioning underpinning this exploration of the possibility of practice - for all and especially for those raising families at any stage of life.

Amaragita offers three principles for considering the possibilities of deepening into the Dharma in any situation, and they are are worth remembering - or as she says, remembering to remember! Great, gently radical words that are bold enough to imagine and even assume the possibility of a more compassionate future for all beings.

Talk given as part of the 2015 Mothers Retreat at Taraloka Retreat Centre.

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The Imaginal Faculty....what is it and why does it matter in our spiritual lives? Taravandana offers a personal perspective on her journey and experience of it in her practice. She offers guidance and pointers on how to open up further to the Imaginal Faculty in our own practice.

A talk given as part of a day for women training for ordination, Manchester Buddhist Centre, 2017.

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Here, Ratnaprabha discusses the value of using images and the imagination to become more emotionally involved in practice. Is an image of a Buddha or Bodhisattva used in meditation real or not?

Talk given at West London Buddhist Centre, 2015.

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