Useful Dharma Links

Over the last few years I have found the following websites very useful, and thought I’d share these with you, to start off this Dharma Study section. These are not only useful for personal study, but also for preparing presentations for our discussion meetings.

Sangharakshita

In our weekly discusssions we have often refered to the writings and works of Bhante Sangharakshita, the founder of the Friends of the Western buddhist order (FWBO). Now the good news is that a large number of his books (almost all his major writings) are available on his site for free download in pdf format.

The site address is : http://sangharakshita.org. You could go there and click on the link that says “Bookshelf”. There are other links to his articles and poems, which you may find very interesting.

To go directly to the books download page: http://sangharakshita.org/d-index.html

To go to more articles by Sangharakshita and other members of the Western Buddhist Order:

http://fwbo-buddhist-articles.org/

Free Buddhist Audio

To listen on-line to various teachers there’s http://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/

To listen to Sangharakshita’s lectures or to download them:

http://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/search?q=sangharakshita&s=0&r=10&b=p&at=audio

Bodhipaksha

To listen to guided meditation instructions (the four stage method of mindfulness of breathing) and metta bhavana (lovimg kindness meditation) : http://www.wildmind.org/realaudio/index.html

But do not miss the home page for many other interesting stuff and links: http://www.wildmind.org

His Holiness the The Dalai Lama

Of course, www.dalailama.com is the official site of His Holiness, but specifically for Audio and Video on Demand:

http://www.dalailama.com/page.128.htm

The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA) :

http://www.ltwa.net/

You can listen to the daily teachings at the Library in Dharamsala by following the links on the home page.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

The Siddartha’s Intent site has links to Khyentse Rinpoche’s teachings and magazine articles too

http://www.siddharthasintent.org/

http://khyentsefoundation.org/

Shambala Sun

http://www.shambhalasun.com/

This is the well known magazine. Search the Archives section for articles in the older issues. The latest issues are probably not available free. But you could always subscribe to the online version.

Cybersangha

http://www.worldtrans.org/CyberSangha/index.html

As the site declares this magazine has shut down and the site is no longer updated. But the Back Issues are available free online and I have found the articles very thought provoking. They often deal with the challenges to the spread of Buddhism and its practice in the digital age. Back Issues are to be found at :

http://www.worldtrans.org/CyberSangha/subs.htm

Japanese Journal of Religious Studies

http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/jjrs/jjrsMain.htm

For those more inclined to academic approaches. For instance, there is an excellent issue on “Nichiren Revisited”

Vipassana Research Institute

http://www.vri.dhamma.org/ is the main site. The pali canon is available at http://www.tipitaka.org/

But what you may find most useful is the Tipitaka related English publications section at:

http://www.tipitaka.org/english/index.html

This has also the Pali sutra in Roman script with parallel English translation on the right

http://www.tipitaka.org/english/stp-pali-eng-parallel.html

Sulak Sivaraksa

http://www.sulak-sivaraksa.org

For links to most of his work and other sites on Socially Engaged Buddism

Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition

The official website is http://www.fpmt.org/. Please also see The Lama Thubten Yeshe Wisdom Archives

Ajahn Sumedho

Writings and audio : http://www.forestsangha.org/sumedho.htm

The main site is : http://www.forestsangha.org/. Here you can also find teachings by Ajahn Chah and other masters from the forest.

Happy Surfing!

Retreat with Shantum Seth

A SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER
Life Positive, October 2006.

Sheltered within a grove of dense luxuriant trees, in a beautifully secluded corner on the sides of Malabar Hill, a group of practitioners spent a day with Dharmacharya Shantum Seth, meditating and listening to teachings from the Buddha Dharma.

Dharmacharya Shantum Seth is an ordained teacher in the Zen (dhyana) tradition and a disciple of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. He has been teaching for the last 20 years or so, and the group had the benefit of learning first hand from him, the art of being in the here and now. He led the group through creatively unstructured and informal exercises like observing the breath, walking meditation, even eating an orange mindfully! As he put it, quoting a Buddhist master, “It is not a miracle to walk on water…Walking on earth is the real miracle….To get across the water one just needs to pay the boatman a little!”

If we are to become peace, we have to carry over our meditation sessions to everyday life. As Shantum says, “The red traffic is like an invitation by the Buddha to Stop! Observe your breath, be in the here and now.” So is the ring of the telephone bell.

Says Lakshmi Nayyar, “I simply loved the Day of Mindfulness at Shantivan yesterday - it will be an experience that I will always cherish. ….After reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s books, I had always wanted to experience some of the simple meditation techniques he mentioned and my wish was granted yesterday. I have been trying out telephone and eating meditation today at office - it changes the way the telephone sounds and you learn to look at food as a gift and a blessing.”

“The Day of Mindfulness” was organized by the Dharma Rain Centre for Buddhist Studies on September 3rd, 2006.

Dagpo Rinpoche’s Public Talk

‘MUMBAI FULFILS ONLY MATERIAL NEEDS OF PEOPLE’
By Our Correspondent

Asian Age - Mumbai Special January 21, 2006.

Mumbai, Jan 21: ” As living beings, we have a mind, and happiness is the bare necessity for us especially in today’s fast paced world. Because of this I believe Buddhism has greater relevance in the 21st century.” These were the words of Dagpo Lama Rinpoche, a Buddhist spiritual guru on the topic “Relevance of the Religion in the 21st Century”.

Continue reading Dagpo Rinpoche’s Public Talk…

Chinese Interference in Lhakdor-la’s Public Talk

PRESS RELEASE
September 21, 2005

WE ONLY WANT TO HEAR THE DHARMA

The Dharma Rain Centre, a recently formed organization was today advised and pressured by the Deputy Consul-General of China at Mumbai to cancel a public meeting being organized by the Centre, a group engaged in promoting the understanding of various spiritual traditions, including Buddhism.

Continue reading Chinese Interference in Lhakdor-la’s Public Talk…

A Report of Activities - 2005 to 2006

Over the last two years, in keeping with its aims and objectives, the Dharma Rain Centre has been engaged in organizing various programmes and activities, including public lectures, discussion groups, meditation retreats, book distribution and interacting with other groups and NGO’s with similar aims and objectives.

This report carries the highlights of some of these activities.

Continue reading A Report of Activities - 2005 to 2006…

His Holiness in Bombay - January 31, 2007

On the 31st of January, 2007, His Holiness the Dalai Lama very generously accepted our long-standing invitation to give teachings in Bombay, and addressed the Dharma Rain Centre group at the Leela Hotel in an extended teaching session in the morning.

(Click here to listen to the full audio recording)

As His Holiness entered the teaching hall, escorted by Prashant Varma and Sumit Mehta, he was given a very warm welcome by an excited and enthusiastic audience, that had gathered since early in the morning to receive him.

Continue reading His Holiness in Bombay - January 31, 2007…