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Correctly understanding the point

Correctly understanding the point

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.

  • Correctly understanding the intended meaning of stories found in Buddhist texts
  • Focusing on beneficial Dharma lessons and not ancient cultural or social values
  • Differentiating between Buddhist teachings and external religious forms
  • The importance of various ways to spread the Dharma most effectively to benefit others
  • Investigating Buddhist principles within the context of current science and social norms

38 Approaching the Buddhist Path: Correctly Understanding the Point (download)

Contemplation points

  1. What is the meaning, the purpose, of giving your wife to the Buddha as practiced in the old stories?
  2. Which story have you heard in a Dharma teaching that inspired you and why did it inspire you?
  3. What is Dharma and what is culture? Define those and include specific examples.
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.