The Rise of the Asuras and the Sword of Wisdom

Vajragupta 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 Cardiff Buddhist Centre, 2022. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967

In the game of life we wander between realms, moving from lower states to higher as our actions affect the state of our mind. Pradaya 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 Sheffield Buddhist Centre, as part of the series The Wheel, The Spiral and The Goal, 2020. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967  

Sanghagita 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 Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967  

Suddhayu 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 Buddhist Center, Portsmouth, NH (USA), 2025. ••• Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967  

Suryagupta 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 London Buddhist Centre in 2025. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967  

The Bodhisattva Ruchiraketu dreams of a golden drum radiating golden light which fills a totally transformed world...Classic Sangharakshita delving into one of the core texts studied in the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community. Part of the series Transformation of Life and World in the Sutra of Golden Light given in 1976. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967  

Ratnaprabha takes us through this great, but short, Buddhist text, using his own re-rendering, and inspired by Han Shan's commentary. This talk was given at West London Buddhist Centre, 2012. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967

Bhante Sangharakshita described the Diamond Sutra as one of two books 'by which I have been most profoundly influenced.' We could see it as the keystone in the central arch of the architecture of his thinking about the Dharma. In this talk, Satyalila introduces the Sutra in its context of the Perfection of Wisdom (or Prajnaparamita) tradition and explores its significance for Sangharakshita, and for us. Talk given on a Bristol Buddhist Centre Sangha Retreat at Adhisthana, 2019. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967  

Using Shantideva's 'Bodhicharyavatara' as a root text, Padmavajra brings us face to face with the big questions implicit in any life that seeks to embrace change and impermanence as facts of Reality. An excellent, strong talk - good medicine for hard times. Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, as part of the series The Alchemy of Love, 2004. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967  

Amala speaks here on the fifth Paramita, of Meditative Absorption. This talk was given as part of Part of the series A Koan for Our Times, a series of lectures given by The College of Public Preceptors, 2024. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967