Essentials of monastic life
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Exploring Monastic Life 2005 
Aug 18, 2005 A talk given during Sravasti Abbey's annual Exploring Monastic Life program in 2005.
- Commitment to:
- Attaining enlightenment for the benefit of sentient beings
- Making the practice of the path the central part of our life
- A life of non-harm: self-restraint
- Being of as much benefit as we can
- A lifestyle of not being pushed by the consumer mentality and the materialistic mentality
- Counteract our own self-centeredness, cherish others
- Celibacy
- Living due to the kindness of others
- Simplicity
- How we use our time and what we choose to do
- Community life
- Following the Dharma instructions of our spiritual mentor
- Relating to lay people and proper relationships with other people.
- Cultivating the monastic mind
- Questions and answers: is obedience a characteristic of the monastic mind?
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.
