Buddhistisches Tor Berlin Podcast

Join Tarapalita in this talk about How the Buddha´s community grew. The Buddha was a true individual. Free from everything that we are restricted by and suffer from. Psychologically, socially, emotionally…spiritually. He discovered the causes and sources of his suffering and dissolved them in the profound and sustained depths of awareness. What was left afterwards was the ongoing bliss of Liberation… On his journey towards that Liberated state, he fully commited himself to following his most subtle and radical spiritual instincts and intuitions, which at points meant going it alone. Fully alone. And yet…although he finally became an earth-shaking embodiment of what it means to be free from the chains of conditioned existence, a true individual, he spent the rest of his life creating and nurturing a community. One rooted in wisdom, love and integrity, one that is still going strong 2500 years later. An ongoing story of friendships that we here in Berlin are now a part of. So how does all this go together? Becoming more individual and also more committed to a community? Why is the spiritual community or Sangha as its traditionally called, one of the Three Jewels every Buddhist bows to? Is just about organised religion promoting itself? Is it just nice people, drinking nice tea, trying to be nice and hoping the world will be nice to them? Perhaps we cynically think we know all about what Sangha means already and if so, has it then become another dead concept neatly ticked off in our mind? The Buddha saw that we are infinitely stronger together and made sure that his community started and carried on in the right way. When there is so much distress and disharmony in our general collective experience right now, it’s good to remember that things can be different. We can choose to contribute to the nucleus of a new society by taking responsibly for our own actions and raising our level of consciousness. And as we see with the rest of Buddhisms long history, you really never know how wider conditions change and what that can lead to. If we play our part in keeping the flame burning strong and true, it’s possible for wider conditions in society to change and for more people to recognise and take up the Buddhas teachings in unexpected and beautiful ways. It’s happened before, there’s no reason it can’t happen again. We’re going to take a little journey into all this as Tarapalita talks to us about How the Buddha´s community grew.

Being a Buddhist isn’t all about glory and light. Sooner or later we’ll encounter difficult experiences, even grief and death. How will Buddhism help us then? In this talk, Padmasagara shares a story from the earliest Buddhist texts in which the Buddha helps one of his female followers - Kisagotami - overcome her grief and reach enlightenment.

In this talk, Tarapalita looks at the Story of Angulimala: How did a serial killer, who’s passion was cutting off the fingers of people he’d killed to make a delightful necklace for himself, go on to become a disciple of the Buddha and eventually the patron saint of women in childbirth? And just to say, even if you’re not a serial killer yourself, and you might not be, that’s ok as well, there are plenty of life lessons to be learnt from this story of redemption and transformation with one of the wildest characters in Buddhist history. If it’s possible for Mr. Fingers to turn his life around and move towards his full blown potential, then it’s possible for us!

The mind is our most precious asset. Untrained, it can also be the most dangerous thing in this world. Really, it is the only thing we have control over and can take responsibility for, at least potentially. In Buddhism, Consciousness is central. It is at the centre of our perception and therefore conditions how we perceive ourselves and the world. It is so powerful that the Buddha said that "All things are preceded by mind, led by mind and produced by mind". This is why meditation is such a central practice in Buddhism, because we work on our mind with our mind, directly and immediately. In this talk, Dharmasara explores what the Buddha meant when he said that Mind precedes World. It's a simple statement which has endless implications. It's also a challenging statement since it tackles a view of ourselves and the world which is deeply rooted in materialism.

This week, Sanghadarsini gives a talk on one of the central themes of Buddhism: Friendship. In many instances, the Buddha has emphasised the necessity of Friendship and companionship with people who journey on the path together. One of those instances is the story of Meghiya, who was a young monk and one of the Buddha's personal attendants. He was an idealistic young chap and quite driven. He wanted to give it his all, and in his strive towards enlightenment was even prepared to leave the Buddha and leave him alone. Obviously that didn't work. In one of the most interesting teachings of the old scriptures, the Buddha then explains to Meghiya how staying close to friends, especially those who are more developed than we are, is essential if we want to make progress on the path.

Delve into ten insightful tips for leading a spiritual life. Discover why trying to be spiritual can actually hinder your journey. Learn how to cultivate faith and maintain perseverance. Enjoyment and joy are essential for staying inspired along the path. Practical advice on caring for your body helps sustain practice. Emphasizing the importance of communication, explore how right speech can enhance your spiritual growth. Generosity and ethical action are highlighted as foundational practices in Buddhism for a fulfilling life.

The story goes that the Buddha was enlightened beneath a full moon. The land, the water, the bodhi tree under which he was sitting, as well as the person -his body, heart and mind - were all fully illuminated by and bathed in a reflective, silvery light. He was Enlightened, literally and metaphorically. We celebrate this moment every year on full-moon day in May - which we call 'Buddha Day'. This weekend, as we edge towards the full moon of July, we'll be celebrating 'Dharma Day', the second major event in the life of the Buddha. The story continues, saying that…after his enlightenment, the Buddha left the shelter of the bodhi tree in order to share his discovery with others. Not that they always wanted to hear what he had to say! The first person he met along the road was a man named Upaka. The Buddha declared to Upaka that he was a world-conqueror, free from all limitations, enlightened! Upaka simply swayed his head from side to side and said, "may it be so, friend", before carrying on along his way... But when the Buddha was reunited with five of his former spiritual friends in a wild deer park at Isipatana, it was a different story. They got it. They could see what had happened to him. They could feel it. They couldn't resist it. And as the Buddha communicated with them, skillfully pointing a finger towards the moon of the enlightened mind, they also - one by one - became enlightened. The Buddha had successfully communicated the 'Dharma' - the truth, and the teachings that lead towards that vision of truth. He had, to use the traditional language, 'set rolling the Wheel of the Dharma'. The old texts tell us that as that happened: "the ten-thousand-fold cosmos shivered & quivered & quaked, while a great, measureless radiance appeared in the cosmos, surpassing the light of the gods." Talk given by Padmasagara

The Buddha’s insight was so profound that words alone can’t express it, and we need images and symbols in multiple colours to evoke it. This week I’ll be developing the theme a little further… Not only can the profound insight of the Buddha be hinted at through visual images, it can also be expressed through sound. The sound of the Buddha. He spoke of it as the beat of his ‘Deathless Drum’. What on earth could that mean!? Or a better question, what would that sound like?! And in exploring the sound of the Buddha and his Deathless Drum, we also have to ask ourselves another vital question… How should we listen to it? We all know there are many ways to listen to music, and some are much more effective than others! You don’t want to be listening to the Deathless through crap headphones, so how do we develop a capacity to listen to the Buddha that’s like a sweet sound system with a deep and stable bass? Talk given by Padmasagara.

Why do so many people love Buddha statues so much in the modern West? You see them everywhere. Many people have Buddha statues and images in their living spaces without knowing anything about Buddhism or even considering themselves Buddhists. In this Episode Tarapalita Explorer this subject further.

Join Tarapalita as he shares his profound experiences from a three-month ordination retreat. In this insightful talk, Tarapalita delves into the practice of walking meditation, reflections on life, and his deep interest in Japanese Buddhism and the teachings of Ajahn Chah. Tarapalita discusses various fears, including fear of loss, discomfort, and insubstantiality, and how these relate to Buddhist teachings on suffering. Tarapalita also emphasizes the Buddha’s teachings on impermanence, insubstantiality, and the unsatisfactory nature of life, and how understanding these can lead to a different experience of reality. Discover how these teachings can transform our understanding of reality and lead to a more mindful and compassionate life.