Popular Books

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.

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An Abbey guest, picking apples from a tree.
Contentment and Happiness

Living with optimism

Smiling is no unfailing remedy against everything—but it can help!

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A hand reaching out to some light in the background.
The Importance of Motivation

Why am I giving?

Offering service with a long-term view based on bodhicitta. Ways of working on doubts and…

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A white stone statute of buddha with wood background.
Bodhisattva Path

The seed of enlightenment

Letting go of bias, anger, resentment, and grudges, and how to cultivate equanimity, kindness, and…

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Old prison cells in dim light.
Prison Dharma

The value of prison work

The far-reaching benefits of sharing Dharma with those in prison.

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Couple holding hands.
Family and Friends

Romance and family life

Buddhist advice for parents and for youth on romantic love and relationships.

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Orange streaks in a cloudy sky as the sun sets.
Wheel of Sharp Weapons 2004-06

Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Verses 104-106

A look at dependent arising and emptiness, how things appear to exist in one way,…

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Orange streaks in a cloudy sky as the sun sets.
Wheel of Sharp Weapons 2004-06

Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Verses 101-104

Eliminating our own self-centeredness and our own self grasping ignorance and thereby developing the compassion…

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Om Ah Hum spray painted on bricks.
Buddhist Meditation 101

Purification meditation

How one can calm the mind by meditating on the breath, visualizing the Buddha, and…

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A man in black walking toward bright light.
Three Principal Aspects of the Path

Basis, path, and result: Discussion

Question and answer session on the aspects of the basis, the path, and the result…

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A man in black walking toward bright light.
Three Principal Aspects of the Path

Basis, path, and result

The aspects of the basis as the two truths, the path as the method and…

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Venerable chodron and other bhikshunis at Posadha ceremony.
Western Buddhist Monastic Gatherings

Renunciation and simplicity

For monastics of all traditions, renouncing worldly materialism and self-centeredness inspires the cultivation of genuine…

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The sun rises in an orange misty sky above trees and mountains.
Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat 2004

Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Verse 104-Conclusion

How things exist dependent on causes and conditions, they appear one way and exist in…

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