
What is the Dharma?
The essential teachings of the Buddha
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $25.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Jinananda
About this listen
What is the Dharma? To walk in the footsteps of the Buddha, we need a clear and thorough guide to the essential principles of Buddhism. Whether we have just begun our journey or are a practitioner with more experience, What is the Dharma? is an indispensable exploration of the Buddha's teachings as found in the main Buddhist traditions.
Constantly returning to the question "how can this help me?", Sangharakshita examines a variety of fundamental principles, including karma and rebirth, nirvana and shunyata, conditioned coproduction, impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, insubstantiality, ethics, meditation and wisdom. The result is an informative, refreshing and inspiring book that lays before us the essential Dharma, timeless and universal, in a clear and practical manner.
Urgyen Sangharakshita, the English-born Buddhist teacher, is one of the most influential and respected figures in Western Buddhism. Ordained initially into the Theravadin tradition, he broadened his scope to involve all the Buddhist traditions. After 20 years in India, he returned to the West and founded the Western Buddhist Order, later renamed the Triratna Buddhist Order. With centres all over the world, it has played a major role in adapting the Buddhist traditions to the contemporary world, making Dharma practice its central pillar.
©1998 Sangharakshita (P)2015 Ukemi Productions LtdListeners also enjoyed...
-
Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path
- By: Urgyen Sangharaskhita
- Narrated by: Kulananda
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Eightfold Path is the most widely known formulation of the Buddha's teaching. It is ancient, reaching back to the Buddha's very first discourse, and it is highly venerated as a unique treasury of wisdom and practical guidance. The teaching of the Eightfold Path challenges us to grasp the implications of that vision, and asks us to transform ourselves in its light. Like the teaching itself, this work covers every aspect of life.
-
-
Excellent
- By Anthony on 06-22-07
-
Aspects of the Bodhisattva Ideal
- The Original Lecture Series
- By: Urgyen Sangharakshita
- Narrated by: Urgyen Sangharakshita
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Bodhisattva - one who is becoming awake or enlightened - is one of the great inspiring figures in Buddhism. The title can refer to a mythical being with qualities to which we aspire, such as Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion; or an ordinary person on the quest for enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings. It is a profound ideal for life.
-
Losing Ourselves
- Learning to Live Without a Self
- By: Jay L. Garfield
- Narrated by: Eric Meyers
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jay Garfield, a leading expert on Buddhist philosophy, offers a brief and radically clear account of an idea that at first might seem frightening but that promises to liberate us and improve our lives, our relationships, and the world. Drawing on Indian and East Asian Buddhism, Daoism, Western philosophy, and cognitive neuroscience, Garfield shows why it is perfectly natural to think you have a self—and why it actually makes no sense at all and is even dangerous. Most importantly, he explains why shedding the illusion that you have a self can make you a better person.
-
-
Losing the self
- By Laimis on 03-01-24
By: Jay L. Garfield
-
The Lotus Sutra
- The White Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma
- By: Hendrik Kern, Nicolas Soames - translator
- Narrated by: Taradasa
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Lotus Sūtra is one of the most important Mahāyāna texts and the most widely read, chanted and revered, particularly in Asian Buddhist countries, notably China and Japan. It is certainly a remarkable document, replete with the Mahāyāna characteristics of fantastical images, extraordinary appearances, magical happenings, views of time and space which are galactic in size; and pronouncements which are definite, unequivocal, practical in some areas and dependent upon a faith commitment in others.
-
-
Lotus Sutra
- By UBS on 10-10-19
By: Hendrik Kern, and others
-
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching
- Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation
- By: Thích Nhất Hạnh
- Narrated by: René Ruiz
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, now revised with added material and new insights, Nhat Hanh introduces us to the core teachings of Buddhism and shows us that the Buddha’s teachings are accessible and applicable to our daily lives.
-
-
Great overview of Buddhism
- By Nick on 06-24-16
By: Thích Nhất Hạnh
-
Who Is the Buddha?
- By: Sangharakshita
- Narrated by: Jinananda
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is not an ordinary biography of the Buddha. In his characteristically individual manner, Urgyen Sangharakshita - the leading English-born Buddhist teacher and founder of the Triratana Buddhist Community - recounts the known details of the Buddha's life but enriches the story with contemporary relevance. Unpicking the threads of historical and mythical information, he considers the underlying meaning in terms of 21st-century life - and its effect on personal practice today.
-
-
Amazing
- By Brian on 06-01-21
By: Sangharakshita
-
Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path
- By: Urgyen Sangharaskhita
- Narrated by: Kulananda
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Eightfold Path is the most widely known formulation of the Buddha's teaching. It is ancient, reaching back to the Buddha's very first discourse, and it is highly venerated as a unique treasury of wisdom and practical guidance. The teaching of the Eightfold Path challenges us to grasp the implications of that vision, and asks us to transform ourselves in its light. Like the teaching itself, this work covers every aspect of life.
-
-
Excellent
- By Anthony on 06-22-07
-
Aspects of the Bodhisattva Ideal
- The Original Lecture Series
- By: Urgyen Sangharakshita
- Narrated by: Urgyen Sangharakshita
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Bodhisattva - one who is becoming awake or enlightened - is one of the great inspiring figures in Buddhism. The title can refer to a mythical being with qualities to which we aspire, such as Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion; or an ordinary person on the quest for enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings. It is a profound ideal for life.
-
Losing Ourselves
- Learning to Live Without a Self
- By: Jay L. Garfield
- Narrated by: Eric Meyers
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jay Garfield, a leading expert on Buddhist philosophy, offers a brief and radically clear account of an idea that at first might seem frightening but that promises to liberate us and improve our lives, our relationships, and the world. Drawing on Indian and East Asian Buddhism, Daoism, Western philosophy, and cognitive neuroscience, Garfield shows why it is perfectly natural to think you have a self—and why it actually makes no sense at all and is even dangerous. Most importantly, he explains why shedding the illusion that you have a self can make you a better person.
-
-
Losing the self
- By Laimis on 03-01-24
By: Jay L. Garfield
-
The Lotus Sutra
- The White Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma
- By: Hendrik Kern, Nicolas Soames - translator
- Narrated by: Taradasa
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Lotus Sūtra is one of the most important Mahāyāna texts and the most widely read, chanted and revered, particularly in Asian Buddhist countries, notably China and Japan. It is certainly a remarkable document, replete with the Mahāyāna characteristics of fantastical images, extraordinary appearances, magical happenings, views of time and space which are galactic in size; and pronouncements which are definite, unequivocal, practical in some areas and dependent upon a faith commitment in others.
-
-
Lotus Sutra
- By UBS on 10-10-19
By: Hendrik Kern, and others
-
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching
- Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation
- By: Thích Nhất Hạnh
- Narrated by: René Ruiz
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, now revised with added material and new insights, Nhat Hanh introduces us to the core teachings of Buddhism and shows us that the Buddha’s teachings are accessible and applicable to our daily lives.
-
-
Great overview of Buddhism
- By Nick on 06-24-16
By: Thích Nhất Hạnh
-
Who Is the Buddha?
- By: Sangharakshita
- Narrated by: Jinananda
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is not an ordinary biography of the Buddha. In his characteristically individual manner, Urgyen Sangharakshita - the leading English-born Buddhist teacher and founder of the Triratana Buddhist Community - recounts the known details of the Buddha's life but enriches the story with contemporary relevance. Unpicking the threads of historical and mythical information, he considers the underlying meaning in terms of 21st-century life - and its effect on personal practice today.
-
-
Amazing
- By Brian on 06-01-21
By: Sangharakshita
-
Zen
- The Authentic Gate
- By: Yamada Koun
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why practice Zen? What sets Zen apart from religion? What are its different practices? These questions, and more, are examined and answered by Zen Master Koun Yamada, whose Dharma heirs include Robert Aitken, Ruben Habito, and David Loy. Through compelling stories and a systematic approach, he guides the listener through creating and sustaining a lifelong practice. Warm and ecumenical in tone, Koun uses the insights of Zen to bring a deeper understanding of faith.
-
-
Slow down and listen
- By Captain Morgan on 11-22-22
By: Yamada Koun
-
The Dhammapada, The Udana, The Itivuttaka
- Key Texts from the Khuddaka Nikaya
- By: John D Ireland, Buddharakkita - translators
- Narrated by: Jinananda, Ratnadhya, Patience Tomlinson
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Pure common sense !
- By Niecey on 05-18-16
By: John D Ireland, and others
-
Jhāna Consciousness
- Buddhist Meditation in the Age of Neuroscience
- By: Paul Dennison
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An interdisciplinary deep dive into Buddhist jhāna meditation and how it can transform our understanding of self and consciousness.
-
-
Just great
- By Amazon Customer on 12-29-22
By: Paul Dennison
-
The Noble Eightfold Path
- Way to the End of Suffering
- By: Bhikkhu Bodhi
- Narrated by: Neha Shroff
- Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This audiobook offers a clear, concise account of the Eightfold Path prescribed to uproot and eliminate the deep underlying cause of suffering—ignorance. Each step of the path is believed to cultivate wisdom through mental training, and includes an enlightened and peaceful middle path that avoids extremes. The theoretical as well as practical angles of each of the paths—right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration—are illustrated through examples from contemporary life.
-
-
Simplified Version of Do's and Don'ts for Path
- By St. Paul on 12-23-22
By: Bhikkhu Bodhi
-
Stillness Speaks
- Stillness amidst the World
- By: Eckhart Tolle
- Narrated by: Eckhart Tolle
- Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This long-awaited second book by renowned spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle goes deeper into the teachings so eloquently and clearly expressed in his first book, The Power of Now.
-
-
Brilliant
- By YogaGirl on 06-03-07
By: Eckhart Tolle
-
Bodhisattva Mind
- Teachings to Cultivate Courage and Awareness in the Midst of Suffering
- By: Pema Chödrön
- Narrated by: Pema Chodron
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What if you could cultivate the mind of a bodhisattva -- one who has dedicated one's life to the benefit of others? According to Pema Chödrön, best-selling author and American-born Buddhist nun, you can. On Bodhisattva Mind, she examines sheshin, or "guarding alertness", and the other qualities of mind we need to develop on the path to enlightenment.
-
-
lots of people vote and don't write reviews
- By Suzanna Davis on 03-09-11
By: Pema Chödrön
-
An Introduction to Buddhism
- By: His Holiness the Dalai Lama
- Narrated by: Roger Allam
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Speaking to an audience of Western students, the Dalai Lama shows us how to apply basic Buddhist principles to our day-to-day lives. Starting with the very foundation of Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths, he provides the framework for understanding the Buddha’s first teachings on suffering, happiness, and peace. He follows with commentary on two of Buddhism’s most profound texts: The Eight Verses on Training the Mind and Atisha’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, often referring to the former as one of his main sources of inspiration for the practice of compassion.
-
-
A Struggle
- By Cornelius on 08-05-21
-
What the Buddha Taught
- By: Walpola Sri Rahula
- Narrated by: Taradasa
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Long regarded as one of the best introductions to Buddhism, What the Buddha Taught draws on the actual words spoken by the Buddha to give a lucid and accurate account of the fundamental principles of Buddhist doctrine. Richly supported by extracts from the ancient texts, Walpola Rahula gives clear and direct explanations of Buddhism's essential teachings.
-
-
I thought I understood the Buddha’s teaching until I read this book!
- By victoria breeden on 05-28-19
-
No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners
- Clear Answers to Burning Questions About Core Buddhist Teachings
- By: Noah Rasheta
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Presented in a practical Q&A format, No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners is the most clear-cut introductory guide to understanding the essential concepts of Buddhism and how they relate to your daily life. How is an awakening different from enlightenment? Can agnostics and atheists be Buddhist? In No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners, renowned Buddhism teacher and host of the popular Secular Buddhism podcast, Noah Rasheta, delivers an easily accessible introduction to the teachings of Buddhism that answers these common questions and many more.
-
-
Perfect for someone curious in Buddism
- By Wolf_CPT on 09-01-19
By: Noah Rasheta
-
Counsels from My Heart
- By: Dudjom Rinpoche
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Counsels from My Heart is one of the few volumes of teachings by Dudjom Rinpoche, a legendary meditation master of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, to become available in English. It features talks to students presented in Dudjom Rinpoche's characteristically incisive and direct style, bringing the timeless heart-counsels of this great teacher vividly to life.
-
-
Content is exceptional, narration is absurd.
- By JDKC on 09-01-21
By: Dudjom Rinpoche
-
The Experience of Insight
- A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation
- By: Joseph Goldstein
- Narrated by: Jozen Tamori Gibson
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This modern spiritual classic, presented as a 30-day meditation retreat taught by Joseph Goldstein, offers timeless practical instructions and real-world advice for practicing meditation - whether walking or sitting in formal practice or engaging in everyday life. Goldstein uses the retreat format to explain various basic Buddhist teachings including karma, selflessness, and the four noble truths, while also drawing connections to many different spiritual traditions.
-
-
So Good
- By Pacific9 on 11-01-20
By: Joseph Goldstein
-
Open to Life
- Learning to Love Yourself and the World
- By: Sharon Salzberg
- Narrated by: Sharon Salzberg
- Length: 5 hrs
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Open to Life invites us to cultivate love in support of ourselves and others. Through six sessions of in-depth teachings, guided meditations, and engaging practices, you'll join this celebrated meditation teacher to explore: how the inner critic hinders our ability to care for ourselves and how to overcome it, practices to bring greater authenticity and balance to our relationships, how to expand our capacity to love difficult people, how fierce compassion protects us, how love opens us to all of life's experiences, and more.
By: Sharon Salzberg
What listeners say about What is the Dharma?
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brian W
- 01-02-20
great read
anyone who has interest in religion should read this. in spite if the author adding things it's still a great book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carol E. Meacham
- 01-12-18
Engrossing for the practicing Buddhist
Sure to spark connections and new paths of thinking. I re-listen a couple times a year.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brian
- 11-14-20
Fantastic
This is quite easily one of the best books I've ever encountered. So well-written, just amazing.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- luke
- 10-24-16
Awesome read!
Any additional comments?
I wish that this book was around when I was first delving into Buddhism. This book is a must read for anyone. Wether you are a student of Buddhism or just curious. The author lays out the Dharma and so many of the basics of Buddhism in way that is clear to understand and digest. I look forward to getting my paws on more material by this Sangharashita fellow.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful