Buddhistisches Tor Berlin Podcast

Talk given by Sanghadarsini on 2026-08-30. What do our hands communicate? In this practical and experiential talk, Sanghadarshini explores the symbolism of mudras, Buddhist hand gestures that can express meaning and qualities through the body. She begins by looking at symbolism in general, before guiding us through several mudras and their histories. We explore the earth-touching mudra associated with the Buddha, the Dhyana mudra of meditation, and Tara’s mudra of fearlessness and generosity. Along the way, there is an opportunity to try the mudras ourselves and explore what it feels like to embody these gestures in practice. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Padmasagara on 2026-08-22. Bahiya was a spiritual practitioner living on the beach near modern-day Mumbai. One day, he asked himself: “Am I enlightened? Or even on the path towards Enlightenment?” The answer was a resounding "No". He immediately sets out to find the Buddha, travelling thousands of kilometres and refusing to give up when the Buddha initially turns him away. Eventually, he receives a short but profound teaching, and awakens fully. In this talk, Padmasagara explores Bahiya’s story and what it can teach us about spiritual effort, burnout, letting go, and our tendency to add something extra to our direct experience. What kind of effort does awakening really require? Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Tarapalita on 2026-08-01. What could you realistically expect to happen over the next 10 to 20 years if you practise the Dharma with sincerity? Drawing on personal experience, this talk explores ten reflections on what may unfold through long term Buddhist practice. Some changes may be fairly predictable: deeper self knowledge and integrity, a growing wish to love and protect others, glimpses into the nature of reality that transform the way we see life, increasing freedom from self obsession, liberation from the weight of a deluded materialist culture, the revitalisation of the mythic at the centre of life, and a happier, more joyful heart and mind. But the path also brings developments that are far less obvious. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Hosted by Padmasagara and stories from mitras Erik, Tania & Britta on 2026-07-25. We live in an age when it is possible to personalise spirituality, to explore different traditions and to take what works for us from many different sources. So why choose Buddhism? Why call yourself a Buddhist at all? Is the label restrictive, or can committing to a tradition actually help us travel further and go deeper? In this special episode, three speakers, Erik, Tania & Britta, each reflect for 10 minutes on the question: ** Why am I a Buddhist? **, on why they have chosen to identify with and practise within the Buddhist tradition. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Rijumati and readings by Lalitaratna on 2026-07-19. In a world marked by war, political division, environmental challenges, and uncertainty, how can Buddhism help us respond wisely? In this talk, Rijumati explores whether Buddhism has a political agenda. His answer may be surprising. While Buddhism certainly has a vision for society, its primary focus is not on changing systems alone, but on transforming the minds and hearts of individuals. Lasting change begins with ourselves. The talk contrasts the materialistic and nihilistic view of life with the Buddha's vision of human potential, offering a hopeful perspective on how inner transformation can become a genuine response to the crises facing our world today. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ​☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de ​🏰 https://rote-burg.de ​📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Sanghadarsini on 2026-07-04. In this talk, Sanghadarsini explores the Four Reminders, a set of reflections from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition that help us stay connected to what truly matters. In the midst of modern life, with its endless distractions, routines, and comforts, it is easy to lose sight of our deeper purpose and fall back into habitual patterns. These reflections invite us to pause, wake up, and consciously choose the direction of our lives. We examine the four traditional reminders: the preciousness of human life, the certainty of impermanence and death, the law of karma and our ability to change the course of our lives through our actions, and the truth of dukkha, recognising that while pain is an unavoidable part of life, suffering is not inevitable. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Arthaketu on 2026-06-20. How do different ways of understanding the spiritual life shape our meditation practice? In this talk, Arthaketu explores the relationship between the Metta Bhavana and the three myths of the spiritual life described by Subhuti: the myth of development, the myth of surrender, and the myth of discovery. What do these three perspectives mean in practice? How might our experience of loving-kindness change when we approach it from the perspective of cultivation, as something that can be received, or as recognising it as already present? Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Simhavara on 2025-01-18. This talk brings to life the story of Machig Labdrön, an 11th-century Tibetan yogin whose radical clarity unsettled scholars and reshaped Buddhist practice across traditions. Speaking in a language people could immediately understand, she pointed directly to awakening itself, beyond intellectual refinement or doctrinal boundaries. Her story becomes a mirror for practice: how easily we are pulled by the eight worldly winds, and how transformation often begins when we turn towards what feels uncomfortable rather than away from it. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Kalyanaprabha on 2026-06-06. In a time marked by conflict, uncertainty, and rapid change, many people find themselves asking how to respond without becoming overwhelmed, fearful, or resigned. In this talk, Kalyanaprabha explores a distinctly Buddhist response to the challenges facing both individuals and society today. Drawing on Sangharakshita’s visionary lecture series Buddhism for Today – and Tomorrow , she reflects on the relevance of Buddhist practice in a world facing a multitude of crises. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Padmasagara on 2026-05-24. The stupa is one of the oldest symbols in Buddhism, emerging long before images of the Buddha became common. Across traditional Buddhist countries, these striking structures have stood for centuries as symbols of awakening, transformation, and the path itself. In this talk, Padmasagara leads us into the symbolism of the Stupa through the dramatic scene from the White Lotus Sutra in which the great stupa of Buddha Abundant Treasures rises from the earth, suspended in space as a symbol of timeless awakening and the living truth of the Dharma. He then explores the symbolism hidden within the stupa’s shapes and upward movement, with a particular focus on the five elements it represents, each element pointing to qualities of energy and awareness within our own practice and lives. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Arthaketu on 2026-04-25. In this follow-up to the talk "The Second Arrow: Working with Pain", we return to the Sallatha Sutta and deepen the inquiry. The Buddha’s image is simple but challenging: when pain arises, do we add a second arrow through resistance, or can we stay with the first? But what about the mind itself? Does this teaching apply only to physical pain, or can it help us work with racing thoughts and difficult emotions? Drawing on questions that arose after the previous talk, this episode explores how the “second arrow” shows up in our inner life. We look at how reactivity can take the form of spiraling thinking, emotional resistance, or subtle identification, and what it might mean to meet these experiences more directly, without adding extra suffering. Sallatha Sutta: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.006.than.html Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Padmavajra on 2026-05-16. In this talk, Padmavajra evoked the spirit of Padmasambhava, the great tantric master of Tibet. He formulated four precepts that shall guide us as Buddhist practitioners in modern-day Berlin. These are: Arouse the great passion Live the great death Hurl the lightning bolt of compassion Revere the glorious mandala Listen in to learn what these mean for our practice. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Arthaketu on 2026-04-18. In this talk, we explore the Sallatha Sutta, “The Arrow,” where the Buddha draws a sharp distinction between reactivity and practice. When pain arises, the untrained mind resists, adding a second arrow of suffering on top of the first. A practitioner, by contrast, learns to meet experience directly, without that extra layer. What does this mean in practice? How do we actually work with painful feelings, in meditation and in daily life? Tune in to hear! Sallatha Sutta: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.006.than.html Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Suryagupta on 2026-05-02. Suryagupta, Chair of the London Buddhist Centre, draws on her decades of Buddhist practice alongside experiences of activism, parenting, and work in the arts, to reflect on what it means to be fully human: to struggle, to long for growth, and to seek connection, meaning, and love. At the heart of her path, a powerful moment from a frightening international flight, when panic spread through the cabin, and urgent questions arose in the face of mortality: How do I live so that when I die, I can die without regret? How do I love? These questions become a doorway into a deeper exploration of practice, relationship, and fear. Questions that still guide her today. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Simhavara on 2026-04-06. On 6 April 1967, in a modest basement in London, Sangharakshita founded the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, the seed that would grow into today’s Triratna Buddhist Community. Almost six decades later, we gather to mark this anniversary, not as something distant or historical, but as a living sangha shaped by practice, friendship, and shared commitment to the Dharma. In this episode, Simhavara shares what makes this community meaningful and how her own path has unfolded within it. She explores what it means to belong to a sangha that is still evolving, still questioning, and still practicing together. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Sanghadarshini on 2026-04-04. An evening in April 1968 marked the beginning of something new in Western Buddhism: the founding of the Triratna Buddhist Order, a spiritual community rooted in friendship, practice, and equality between men and women. This talk revisits those early days in London and traces how this living tradition continues today in places like Berlin. It also includes a personal reflection on the path of ordination and what it means to step into a life shaped by the Dharma and the sangha. An invitation to understand who we are, and what this community is really about. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Padmasagara on 2026-04-11. Buddhist mantras are often misunderstood. It can look like singing, prayer, or a superficial kind of magic and mysticism. But it’s none of these. In this talk, Padmasagara explores what a mantra actually is within Buddhist practice, and why it has been described as “the short path” to awakening. He reflects on how mantras work and invites us to try the practice directly. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Tarapalita on 2026-02-14 . What are you afraid of: death, loss, or even your own potential? In this talk, Tarapalita explores how the Buddhist tradition encourages turning directly toward what frightens us. Drawing inspiration from the ancient practice of meditating in the charnel grounds, where the living sat with the dead, he reflects on how confronting fear and impermanence can transform our lives. Discover how this fearless facing of reality can release energy, deepen awareness, and open the path to awakening, symbolized in the wild, free energy of the Dakini. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Simharava on 2026-03-14. What does it really mean to be on a journey? In this talk, Simharava reflects on a recent trip to India through the lens of three interwoven journeys. The first traces the life of the Buddha and the unfolding of the Dharma. The second follows Sangharakshita, whose own spiritual quest in India led to the eventual founding of the Triratna Buddhist Community. The third is Simharava’s personal pilgrimage, walking in the footsteps of both. But this is not only a story about travel. It is an exploration of pilgrimage as a living practice. What does it mean to approach life itself as a journey of transformation? How might we relate to our own lives as a path, rather than a destination? Drawing on personal experience and Buddhist tradition, this talk invites us to reflect on pilgrimage not just as something we do, but as an attitude we can embody, moment by moment, on the path to awakening. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin

Talk given by Padmasagara on 2026-03-28. Is it really possible to be happy in a world that is full of suffering? In this second talk on a Buddhist response to global crises, Padmasagara turns from the theme of heartbreak to happiness. But this isn’t about cheering ourselves up or looking on the bright side. Instead, the talk explores how we can stay open to the reality of suffering, both in our own lives and in the world, while still discovering a genuine sense of happiness. He also shares some of his personal sources of happiness from his own practice, including the joy of doing good for others and being open to mudita, or sympathetic joy, the ability to feel happiness for the good fortune and joy of others. Enjoyed this talk? You are warmly invited to visit Buddhistisches Tor Berlin in Kreuzberg in person. Join us for meditation, Dharma talks, and courses that support practice in everyday life. Find out more at: ☸️ https://buddhistisches-tor-berlin.de 🏰 https://rote-burg.de 📸 https://instagram.com/buddhistischestorberlin