Free Buddhist Audio

The Story of Bahia

Free Buddhist Audio

Show Notes

Back in the Buddha's time, it's thought that there were lots of people who were looking for meaning, going from teacher to teacher. Sometimes they were householders, sometimes royalty, but they were all shopping around - shopping for wisdom. The Buddha met many people like this. He also met people who'd achieved quite a bit by following other teachers, or those who had themselves become teachers. There were those who worshiped fire and those who practised austerities. There were nihilists and eternalists. And then there was Bahiya – Bahiya of the Bark Garment, as he was known. Here, Jayagupta reads his own story, 'Looking for Bahia' in which he reflects on his own quest for meaning, using that as a context for retelling and reflecting on the life and death of Bahiya and the simple teaching that he received from the Buddha. This talk was given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2026. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

More from Free Buddhist Audio

Oct 17, 2026

Over the last 19 years, Aloka has painted the images that adorn the shrine room at Padmaloka Retreat Centre. Padmavajra recently interviewed him about how his art arises from his practice, from the Dharma. He begins by describing how you only need a clear blue sky with an enormous rainbow-colored question mark in it. Much like meditation, creating Buddhist iconography articulates 'internal space,' making it more explicit so that we can relate to it. Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2026, as part of the series Buddhism for Today and Tomorrow - Fifty years on. More on Aloka's artwork: https://alokaartist.com/ *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week.

Oct 10, 2026

In this interview with Satyalila, Prakasha shares the remarkable story of the unfolding of his Dharma Life from a fascination with the English poet, painter and visionary William Blake in the late 1970s and early 80s and how this led him to a deep immersion in the Vajrayana approach to Buddhism. Following on from Bhante, in 'Buddhism and William Blake' he elucidates the common basis between the symbolic worlds of Blake and the Vajrayana. Recorded at a retreat on WIlliam Blake, Adhisthana, 2017. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now Subscribe to the FBA podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week.

Oct 3, 2026

Within the context of the three ascending Levels of the Spiritual Imagination (Empathy, Beauty and Imagining the Buddha), Samantabhadri explores devotion and ritual in terms of body, speech and mind, and of the journey to the transcendental. She includes the Sevenfold Puja and our more personal experiences of devotion. This talk was given as part of the Ritual and Imagination Retreat at Taraloka Retreat Centre for women training for ordination, 2026.

Sep 26, 2026

In this talk Padmavajra explores the the eight consciousnesses of the Yogacara, the eight great cremation grounds and the 'mysterious home of the dakini'. The talk was given during the men's Great Gathering at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2020.

Sep 19, 2026

In this talk Samantabhadri explores what it was like to meet the Buddha, the fully Enlightened human being. She then discusses 'garava' as devotion for the whole richness of our Dharma Lives, including positive emotions for all beings. This talk was given on an Order weekend at Taraloka Retreat Centre, 2022.

See all episodes →