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The life story of the Buddha

The life story of the Buddha

A talk given during Sravasti Abbey’s annual Exploring Monastic Life program in 2014.

  • Two ways of benefiting others: within samsara and leading them out to “definite goodness”
  • How our Dharma practice is the greatest benefit we can offer
  • How the Buddha’s life mirrors our own life and spiritual search
    • In many ways our lives are analogous to the Buddha’s
    • What led one to question life’s meaning

Venerable Thubten Chodron

Venerable Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. Read her full bio.