Audiobooks narrated by Ratnadhya

The Sura?gama Sutra, one of the most important works of Mahayana Buddhism, dates from some time before the 8th Century when the first Chinese translation was written, probably from an Indian original. It has long been a seminal work for Buddhist practitioners in East and South-East Asia, especially China and Korea. Indeed this “Sutra of the Indestructible”, as it is often translated, is regarded as a staple manual of practice for newly-ordained monks of the Ch'an and Zen schools, giving instruction, through the words of the Buddha himself, in the correct understanding of the Buddha-nature or ‘Tathagata-garbha', that seed of enlightenment that lies dormant within all of us. Taking the form of a dialogue between the Buddha and his cousin Ananda, it is based on the premise that even committed disciples can fall back into the world of sensual desire (and consequently of suffering) if their understanding and practice of the Dharma is incomplete. Rescued from the enticements of a prostitute by the Buddha, Ananda is then taught about the distinctions between the one True Mind, corresponding to absolute reality and the illusory mind or everyday reality, as manifested through our senses, reinforcing as they do our underlying attachment to the idea of a fixed self or ‘ego'. In the Sutra, the Buddha and his followers teach Ananda the great ‘Sura?gama Samadhi', a meditation practice that allows us to see through the falseness of deceptive, or ‘discriminative' senses by returning each of them to their source in the ‘alaya' or ‘store consciousness' of our minds. The Sutra is also concerned with the vital importance of living a truly ethical life, without which any amount of meditation will not lead to true enlightenment, as well as the dangers of spiritual complacency; the idea that we should settle on anything less than complete liberation. This translation, by Charles Luk, an Upasaka in the Ch'an school of Buddhism, includes a number of footnotes and comments, which help to explain some of the terminology used in the text.

Charles Luk (Author), Ratnadhya (Narrator)

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Principal Texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya: Volume 3

In this, the final volume in Dharma Audiobooks' compilation of the Principal Texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya, the major work, and in some ways the most unusual, is Milinda's Questions. For while the other two, the Buddhava?sa and the Cariyapitaka, may date from the early years of Buddhism, there is no doubt that Milinda's Questions comes from a later period. Modern scholars place it between 100 BCE and 200 CE – with sections being added as the years passed. And even though only the Burmese tradition places it within the Khuddaka Nikaya collection, it is a uniquely fascinating, challenging and even entertaining document. The Milinda Pañha (its formal Pali name) brings together Milinda, a Greek-Bactrian king and Nagasena, a monk. (Milinda was actually an historical figure known as Menander). Having studied the Dhamma, Milinda searches in vain for a learned monk who can answer his questions and satisfy his doubts – in vain, that is, until he encounters Nagasena. When they meet, Milinda instructs his attendants to depart leaving the two of them alone, and so ensues an intense period of question and answer covering a wide range of Dhamma topics. Again and again, Milinda challenges Nagasena, sometimes forcefully. The questions demonstrate that the king has studied and prepared for this encounter – but he is surprised (and not displeased!) that this simple monk can allay all his doubts. The dialogue is wide-ranging and even combative at times, but deeply immersed in Buddhist philosophy and views; and if, at times, it also reflects the culture and faith of an ancient time, it can be enjoyed on many levels. Faith is very much present in the other two texts which, on this recording, precede Milinda's Questions. In the Buddhava?sa (the Chronicle of Buddhas) the Buddha Gotama relates the circumstances and history of the 24 previous Buddhas, and the early steps on the Bodhisatta path which led eventually to his own awakening. The Cariyapitaka, Basket of Conduct is from a slightly later, (probably post-Asokan) period. The translator I. B. Horner writes: ‘It is a collection of thirty-five stories, each descriptive of conduct engaged in by the Bodhisatta when, in birth after birth as deva, man, animal, snake, bird or fish, he was consolidating the vast aim he had set himself aeons ago of winning omniscience by gradually mastering the ten perfections'. Ratnadhya and Taradasa bring years of experience and understanding to their readings.

Anonymous, I.B. Horner (Author), Ratnadhya, Taradasa (Narrator)

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Principal Texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya: Volume 1

The Khuddaka Nikaya is different in character from the other four Nikayas of the Sutta Pitaka in the Theravada Pali Canon in that rather than being a single work it is, as its customary translation ‘Minor Anthologies' suggests, a collection of independent works. A true anthology! It contains some of the most important and well-known works in the Pali Canon, including the Dhammapada, the Udana, the Sutta Nipata and the Jataka Tales; and, in some recensions, Milinda's Questions. There are also other works less-known to many Buddhists and students of Buddhism, such as the Vimanavatthu, the Therigatha and the Theragatha. These offer a wider perspective on the Dhamma as it has been lived through the centuries. Yet, perhaps because of its ‘anthology' character and wide range, the Khuddaka Nikaya is less familiar in its entirety than the Digha Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, the Sa?yutta Nikaya, and the A?guttara Nikaya which are more self-contained. Now, for the first time on audio, Dharma Audiobooks has brought together a compilation of the Principal Texts, spread over three volumes. Listening to all three will, it is hoped, give the interested listener a clear and satisfying overview of the Anthology. Volume 1 contains the Khuddaka Patha, Dhammapada, Udana, Itivuttaka, Sutta Nipata, Vimanavatthu and Petavatthu. Each one has its own introduction, some short, some comprehensive. To many with some familiarity of the Pali Canon, it will offer an opportunity to revisit some of the central Buddhist texts, including the Dhammapada and the Udana – Inspired Utterances of the Buddha. But even for the ‘many' an encounter with the Vimanavatthu – Stories of the Mansions and Petavatthu – Stories of the Departed will come as a surprise, for here we venture into the more mythical area of the Dhamma. In the Vimanavatthu we find ourselves visiting the ‘Mansions' inhabited by the devas, a pleasant and enjoyable environment won through the karmic result of good deeds. We meet the devas who explain how, though often people living ordinary and unprivileged lives, find themselves unexpectedly transported to ethereal regions. The Petavatthu, by contrast, display the darker side of karma, and features a succession of ghost stories. These important works are presented by readers who know their subjects from personal practice and study.

Anonymous (Author), Elizabeth English, Jinananda Jinananda, Ratnadhya, Taradasa (Narrator)

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Principal Texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya: Volume 2

This is Volume 2 of Dharma Audiobooks' ground-breaking overview of Principal Texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya, the fifth section of the Sutta Pitaka in the Theravada Pali Canon. Far less known than the first four (Digha Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, Sa?yutta Nikaya, A?guttara Nikaya) perhaps because of its character as an anthology rather than a self-contained work, it nevertheless contains gems which are only too easily overlooked or even underappreciated! As with Volume 1, Volume 2 follows the traditional ordering of the individual works in the Khuddaka Nikaya, which makes for a curious, but invigorating collection. The first two texts, Therigatha and Theragatha, present the traditional histories of the bhikkhunis (nuns) and bhikkhus (monks) of the Buddha's time. In each case, their biographies (written centuries later by Dharmapala who had access to sources now lost) lead to verses ascribed to the real individuals on gaining nibbana. Here are fascinating glimpses of life at the time of the Buddha. The third work in Volume 2 can hardly be more different. The Jatakas (birth stories) is a delightful and absorbing collection of legendary stories of the previous life of the Buddha, how his actions in the past—as animal or human—led progressively along the path towards Buddhahood. In its entirety, the Jatakas is huge—157 tales extending to nearly one million words. Here, Dharma Audiobooks presents a selection of 40 tales, including 'The Story of the Baby Quail', 'The Story of the Hare', 'The Miserly Treasurer', 'The Queen's Necklace', leading to 'Jataka 157', the famous—and long—'Vessantara-Jataka', 'The Paramita of Perfect Generosity'. With the Western cultural tradition of Aesop's Stories in our minds, it is easy to smile benignly as these tales unfold...but to generations of Buddhist followers down the ages, they had a deeper function than merely to entertain or point to a simple moral. Altogether, Volume 2 of Principal Texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya offers a rather special Dhammic experience.

Anonymous (Author), Elizabeth English, Jinananda Jinananda, Ratnadhya, Taradasa, Tejasvini, Vishvantara (Narrator)

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Peaks and Lamas

Peaks and Lamas is one of the classic early 20th-century accounts of travelling in the Himalayas on the borders of Tibet. It is, in its way, on a par with the more famous Mystery and Imagination in Tibet by Alexandra David-Néel (also available on Dharma Audiobooks). It describes two journeys in the 1930s, one physically active and one more of spiritual investigation. It starts as the title suggests, as a mountaineering adventure, when a group of English climbers set out to climb unconquered peaks in the Himalayas. Marco Pallis (1895-1989), of Greek and English parentage and schooled at Harrow, was wounded at Cambrai in 1918 but took up climbing on his return. His first expedition was in 1933 with the goal of climbing the peaks, and it dominates his account of the journey. But he became increasingly intrigued by Tibetans, the Tibetan way of life and Tibetan Buddhism. Like David-Néel, this became much more than a traveller's interest, and in 1936 he returned with one companion, his close friend Richard Nicholson. They went first to Sikkim, (a strongly ‘Tibetan' country though with political affiliations to India), where he met the abbot of Lachhen and learned directly the very specific ‘Vajrayana' version of Buddhism. Having started learning Tibetan in England, Pallis became increasingly fluent in the language, both spoken and written. Unable to obtain permission to go to Tibet's capital, Lhasa, Pallis travelled to Ladakh instead - politically part of India but very much (as now) a Tibetan country. There he adopted the chuba, the Tibetan dress. While never losing his European identity, Pallis felt at one with Tibetan culture and religion, and his account of his time in Ladakh is one of clarity and pervasive warmth. No uncritical idealist, he was acutely aware that lamas can vary from the saintly to highly secular. He cast a discriminating eye on the traditions of Tibetan art, in their thangkas and rupas; he noted the poverty of the people, but also their kindness. This extended noticeably towards animals, he reported, though he also acknowledged the violence that existed, as demonstrated by the necessity to have fearsome chained mastiffs to guard households. In Peaks and Lamas, he devoted chapters to explaining Vajrayana Buddhism, and though it is now one of the most prevalent forms in the West, his summary generally still holds up and even offers insights. Above all, his generous and warm personality shines through this account. And endearing details emerge. As a former student of early music in England under the famed Professor Arnold Dolmetsch, Pallis often travelled with his viols and (on his first mountaineering journey) played viol consorts with his companions to villagers high in the Himalayas. The audiobook ends with a warning of the deleterious effect of Western culture on traditional art and values and an idealistic polemic on education. But Peaks and Lamas is a most engaging account and undeniably a classic of its kind.

Marco Pallis (Author), Ratnadhya (Narrator)

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The Diamond Sutra, The Heart Sutra, The Sutra of Hui Neng: Three Key Prajna Paramita Texts from the

These three sutras are the most important texts for the Chan (Chinese) and Zen (Japanese) Buddhist traditions, though they are very different in character and provenance. The Diamond Sutra (Vajracheddika Prajña Paramita Sutra in Sanskrit) has the distinction of being 'the earliest complete survival of a dated (11 May 868) printed book'. It was found in the Dunhuang Caves in China in 1900. The title, Diamond Cutter, outlines its purpose, which is to cut through ignorance to attain to perfect wisdom or ultimate reality. It is a relatively concise Mahayana text, using the Six Perfections (generosity, virtue, patience, spiritual vigour or energy, meditation and wisdom) to realise no-self and the emptiness of all phenomena. Its origin is uncertain - even its date falls into a wide spectrum of somewhere between second and fifth centuries. The sutra is set in the context of a teaching given by the Buddha to the bhikkhu Subhuti who has asked for advice how to attain ‘supreme perfect enlightenment'. The translation used for this recording is by Wai-Tao. The Heart Sutra, another Mahayana text, is very different. It is short - barely 500 words - and is chanted, recited or read daily by many Buddhist communities across a wide range of traditions throughout the world. It is placed in a teaching given by the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokitesvara to the bhikkhu Šariputra. Despite its brevity, it is rich in meaning and reference, covering a number of Buddhist formulations, including the five skandhas (form, feeling, perception, formation and consciousness) and the Four Noble Truths. The core message of the Sutra is ‘form is emptiness, emptiness is form' - again the declaration that all phenomena are empty. Its origin (likely before sixth century) and even original language is unknown, scholars differing on whether it was first written in Sanskrit or Chinese. The Nalanda translation is used here. The Sutra of Hui Neng is the longest of these three works, and is different again. It is a remarkable document, telling the history of the Sixth Chan Patriarch, Hui Neng (638-713), a semi-legendary teacher who, though uneducated and illiterate, gained enlightenment when accidentally hearing The Diamond Sutra being recited. Also called The Platform Sutra (Buddhist teachers in China traditionally preached from a podium) Hui Neng relates his history and his exegesis of The Diamond Sutra. In contrast to the two preceding works, The Sutra of Hui Neng is an unusually informal text, with the personality of the Sixth Patriarch coming across the intervening centuries with affecting immediacy. The translation is by Wong Mou-Lam. The three sutras are read with clarity and understanding by Ratnadhya.

Anonymous (Author), Ratnadhya (Narrator)

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Theragatha: Poems of Early Buddhist Monks

The Theragatha is one of the most striking texts in the Pali Canon. It is a collection of 264 poems or verses - some short, some long - by monks who, traditionally, lived at the time of the Buddha, and which expressed their experience of insight, the culmination of their spiritual path. In fact, it is generally recognised now that this collection was added to over the years, so that some of the verses date from a later time. But this does not diminish this collection, as the verses reflect the intimate and very honest thoughts of those monks - sometimes clearly intent on the goal, sometimes struggling not to be diverted; also strongly evident, however, is the joy and sense of fulfilment of their practice. What makes this collection all the more vivid is that in the fifth century CE, a monk, Dhammapala, drew together the biographies of these individual monks (from sources now lost), which bring these personalities to life in an extraordinary way. In this recording, the biographies precede the verses. Every verse, therefore, emerges from a human being whom we have come to know - albeit briefly. Some came from wealthy backgrounds but were so persuaded by the Buddha's teaching that they left their world of comfort and ease and donned the yellow robes and took up the lifestyle of a wandering monk on the dusty roads of India; others were from very poor families. Sometimes, it was the direct intervention of the Buddha that prompted the change of life direction: the Buddha could see that a person, however unlikely from appearance, had a special quality for spiritual practice 'like a lamp shining in a jar' and urged him to follow the Dhamma. It is the combination of these biographies and the verses which makes the Theragatha so absorbing - and curiously relevant to today. Dhammapala's biographies are presented here in the classic translation (revised for this recording) by Mrs Caroline Rhys Davids. However the poems have been newly translated by Ajahn Sujato and are fresh and direct. Both are read by Ratnadhya. At the end of the Theragatha, we present a fascinating essay by Mrs Rhys Davids in which she makes some astute observations about the historical, poetic and spiritual background to the works, giving us a greater understanding of this unique corner of the Pali Canon. The Therigatha, Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns, is also available from Dharma Audiobooks.

Ajahn Sujato, Caroline A.F. Rhys Davids (Author), Ratnadhya, Tejasvini (Narrator)

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Great Disciples of the Buddha: 'Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacies '

Twenty-four of the Buddha's most distinguished disciples are brought to life in ten chapters of rich narration. They include monks who were very close to him throughout his life, including Sariputta and Mahamoggallana; his cousin and companion Ananda; his principal women disciples, including the nun Isidasi and his lay disciple, the courtesan Ambapali; and the serial killer Angulimala, whose character was transformed after meeting the Buddha. Drawn from a wide range of authentic Pali sources, the material in these stories has never before been assembled in a single volume. Through these engaging tales - incorporating both historical material and myth - we meet all manner of human beings - rich, poor, male, female, young, old - whose unique stories are told with an eye to the details of ordinary human concerns. When heard with careful attention, these stories can sharpen our understanding of the Buddhist path by allowing us to contemplate the living portraits of the people who fulfilled the early Buddhist ideals of human perfection. Other characters include the nuns Nanda and Visakha and the monks Anuruddha and Mahakaccana. Great Disciples of the Buddha allows the listener to easily place each student in the larger picture of Buddha's life and provides a glimpse into the lives and personalities of those who lived, knew and followed the Buddha as he walked the paths of India 2,500 years ago, teaching wherever he went.

Bhikkhu Bodhi, Bhikkhu Nyanaponika, Hellmuth Hecker (Author), Nicolette Mckenzie, Ratnadhya, William Hope (Narrator)

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Ambedkar and Buddhism, Annihilation of Caste

Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was one of the most remarkable figures in the 20th century. Born an Untouchable - the lowest element of Indian society deemed to be outside the caste system, and literally 'untouchable' - he rose from abject village poverty to become the architect of the new Constitution of India following its independence from Britain in 1947. A combination of exceptional talent, hard work and determination, vision and luck took him to Harvard and the LSE, and then back to his home country. Always, his progress was impelled by the concern for his 'Untouchable' community and it was this that underpinned work in law, politics and economics as he rapidly became a national figure who could not be ignored. He opposed Gandhi's patronising attitude towards the Untouchable community, and the violent crimes and prejudice inflicted upon it by the caste Hindu society. In the 1930s, Ambedkar proclaimed that though he was born a Hindu, he would not die a Hindu; and on 14th October 1956, with 400,000 followers, he converted to Buddhism in a mass meeting in Nagpur. This biography is by the British-born Buddhist monk Urgyen Sangharakshita who knew Ambedkar and spent decades working with the Dalit community as the Untouchables became known. It is a clear but affectionate look at a singular life which changed one of the largest nations on earth, and charts Ambedkar's gradual move towards Buddhism which he saw as the best path for his people. Bonus material: in addition to the biography is Annihilation of Caste, Ambedkar's key speech - never delivered but published in 1936 - in which he set out the reality of 'Untouchable' life and the need for change, but it is at the same time an international clarion call for human rights. It is all the more poignant as, while Untouchability is outlawed in India now thanks to Dr Ambedkar's legislation, there are 200 million Dalits in India, and violence and prejudice is still commonplace.

B.R. Ambedkar, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Urgyen Sangharakshita (Author), Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Ratnadhya, Sagar Arya (Narrator)

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The Rainbow Road: From Tooting Broadway to Kalimpong - Memoirs of an English Buddhist

Having realized, as a 16 year old in pre-WWII London, that he was a Buddhist, the early life of Dennis Lingwood and his path to becoming a bhikkhu named Sangharakshita is a most extraordinary personal story. He was serving as a signals officer in India when, at the conclusion of the war, he threw away his official identity cards, took off his uniform, donned yellow robes and set off, barefooted, along the dusty paths of India as a spiritual seeker, begging for his food, as the Buddha did 2,500 years ago. The determination and vision behind those early steps, combined with single-mindedness and intellectual rigour, transformed the path of Western Buddhism, for after 20 years in India Sangharakshita returned to England to found a Western Buddhist movement, now called the Triratna Buddhist Order. The Rainbow Road tells of that early time in India, meeting spiritual teachers from Hindu and other religious traditions, encountering the disturbing caste system and overcoming obstacles, disappointments and numerous challenges. A totally absorbing autobiography.

Urgyen Sangharakshita (Author), Ratnadhya (Narrator)

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The Dhammapada, The Udana, The Itivuttaka: Key Texts from the Khuddaka Nikaya

The Dhammapada, a collection of 423 verses in 26 chapters, is perhaps the most famous of all Buddhist texts. It presents the Buddha's teachings in a clear and highly accessible form and has been used for personal instruction and teaching for centuries throughout the Buddhist world. It comes from the Khuddaka Nikaya section of the Pali Canon and is here collected with two other key texts from the same source. The Udana (‘inspired utterance') contains stories from the Buddha's life, each of which conclude with a verse. Among these are Bahiya of the bark-cloth and Meghiya, who wanted to meditate but had, perhaps, chosen an inappropriate time. The Itivuttaka (‘it was said') was reputedly recited to a queen at court by a lay female disciple of the Buddha who had listened to him teach. It is a collection of 112 short discourses and is, again, very clear in form.

Buddharakshita, John D. Ireland (Author), Jinananda Jinananda, Patience Tomlinson, Ratnadhya (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Ratnadhya