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Twenty-first century Buddhists

Twenty-first century Buddhists

Part of an ongoing series of teachings based on Approaching the Buddhist Path, the first book in “The Library of Wisdom and Compassion” series by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron.

  • How to engage in the modern world
  • How to relate to practitioners of other religions
  • The importance of learning about other Buddhist traditions
  • How western culture influences our interpretation of the Dharma
  • The story of how the book project began and Venerable Chodron’s story

01 Approaching the Buddhist Path: 21st Century Buddhists (download)

Contemplation points

  1. What does it mean to be a 21st century Buddhist?
  2. At what point in our practice should we also study other Buddhist traditions? And why is it important to study other traditions as well?
  3. If Buddhism had a slogan which slogan do you think His Holiness the Dalai Lama would give? Why?
  4. His Holiness encourages us in the prologue to “[…] please think deeply about the various topics in the manner explained. Contemplate how these topics relate to one another and to your life.”
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.