Meditation and the Buddhist approach
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Open Heart, Clear Mind 
Apr 15, 2007 A multi-part course based on Open Heart, Clear Mind given at Sravasti Abbey’s monthly Sharing the Dharma Day from April 2007 to December 2008. You can also study the book in depth through the Sravasti Abbey Friends Education (SAFE) online learning program.
Course description and instruction on breathing meditation
- Physical posture for meditation
- Observing the relationship between breath and emotions
- Mindfulness and introspective awareness
- Working with distractions
Open Heart, Clear Mind 01a: Introduction and meditation instruction (download)
How to investigate and evaluate spiritual teachings before accepting them
- Ten wrong reasons to believe in something
- The right way to believe in something through observation, analysis, and checking through personal experience
- The three types of phenomena to check
- Checking if a teacher is a valid authority
Open Heart, Clear Mind 01b: Meditation and the Buddhist approach (download)
Questions and answers
- Which school of Buddhism to focus on
- Comparisons with Hindu concepts
Open Heart, Clear Mind 01c: Q&A (download)
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.
