Eightfold Noble Path

Menu:

Lamrim: the Gradual Path to Enlightenment

About this section:
The Buddha gave teachings in order to share with us the path to enlightenment that he had actualized himself. These teachings are practical, give us the tools to deal with difficulties, and show us how to live a meaningful life.

The Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight-fold Path are one way of formulating these teachings. The Gradual Path to Enlightenment is another. These two are compatible, and knowing both enables us to look at the same thing from different perspectives. In the early eleventh century, the Indian Buddhist master, Atisha condensed essential points from the sutras and ordered them into the text, Lamp of the Path. These were then expanded upon in the fourteenth century by the Tibetan Buddhist master, Lama Tzong Khapa into the text The Great Exposition on the Gradual Path to Enlightenment (Lam Rim Chemmo). Venerable Chodron comments on this text and relates these practical teachings to our daily lives.

Lamrim Outline in:
- html format
- PDF format
- Microsoft Word format

Help with listening to audio recordings

Tapes of teachings given at DFF in Seattle can be ordered from DFF. Pls refer to: www.dharmafriendship.org

Eightfold Noble Path

Audio Teachings

Note: parts of the teachings were lost due to change of tape during recording.

*These are from a series of Lamrim teachings that Ven. Chodron gave at Dharma Friendship Foundation, Seattle, fr 1991 to 1994. The audio files were previously available on this website in realplayer format. These have been converted to mp3 format. The contents remain the same. The audio files and transcripts have also been renamed to run in sequence and to match the transcripts with their corresponding audio files. Another round of light editing has been done to most transcripts (revised on 5 Jan 2006).

*Introduction, Right Speech and Right Action.
20 Jun 94, Dharma Friendship Foundation, Seattle.
[Transcript in PDF format]

Intro
Right Speech - Part 1. Truthful speech ~ Useful speech.
[25 min]: Download

Right Speech - Part 2. Speaking at the right time ~ Speech motivated by compassion. [21 min]: Download

Right Action - Part 1 [19 min]: Download

*Right Action and Right Livelihood.
27 Jun 94, Dharma Friendship Foundation, Seattle.
[Transcript in PDF format]

Right Action - Part 2 [23 min]: Download
Right Livelihood - Part 1 [20 min]: Download
Right Livelihood - Part 2 [13 min]: Download

*Right Mindfulness.
11 Jul 94, Dharma Friendship Foundation, Seattle.
[Transcript in PDF format]

Right Mindfulness:
a) Mindfulness of the body
b) Mindfulness of the feelings
[18 min]: Download
c) Mindfulness of the mind
d) Mindfulness of phenomena or mental events
[13 min]: Download

Q&A part 1 [13 min]: Download
Q&A part 2 [12 min]: Download

*Right Concentration and Right Effort.
18 Jul 94, Dharma Friendship Foundation, Seattle.
[Transcript in PDF format]

Right Concentration & the Five Hindrances:
a) Sense desire & Antidotes
b) Ill-will & Antidotes
c) Sloth and laziness & Antidotes
[19 min]: Download
d) Restlessness and worry & Antidotes
e) Doubt & Antidotes
[17 min]: Download

Five Antidotes to hindrances: [12 min]: Download

Right Effort(part one): the Four kinds of effort
[10 min]: Download

*Right Effort, Right View and Right Thought.
20 Jul 94, Dharma Friendship Foundation, Seattle.
[Transcript in PDF format]

Right Effort(part two): Factors that help us generate Right Effort [18 min]: Download
Higher Training of Wisdom [16 min]: Download
Right View and Right Thought [21 min]: Download

*Why the Eightfold Noble Path is necessary for benefitting others.
9 Sep 92, Dharma Friendship Foundation, Seattle.
[Transcript in PDF format]

[12 min]: Download

Right Speech. 11 April 2005 at Kurukulla Center, Medford, Massachusetts, USA:

Right Speech. Venerable Chodron talks about how we can harm others with our speech, how speech can be an instrument for tremendous good or tremendous pain. She talks about the 4 types of incorrect speech and about the short term and long term consequences of our speech.
[52 min]: Download mp3 file
Right Speech Q&A. Questions discussed:
-Are there appropriate times for idle talk? What do we do when others use idle talk?
-How can you extract yourself from conversations about a common scapegoat?
-What about complaining? How does it fall into the categories of wrong speech? What can you do about someone who constantly complains to us.
-What do you do when someone is aggressive toward you? What does Shantideva mean when he says, “remain like a log”?
-What should we do when someone ruins our reputation?
-What should you do if you clam up and withdraw when you’re angry?
-How do you reconcile right speech and politics?
[26 min]: Download mp3 file

All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced by any means for commercial purposes or mass circulation without prior written permission from the webmaster who will communicate your request to Ven. Thubten Chodron. You're welcome to download for your own personal reading.
Please also contact the webmaster if you find any mistakes or broken links.