Following the Buddha’s advice

Part of a series of teachings on Shantideva's explanation of the four establishments of mindfulness in Chapter 9 of Engaging in the Bodhisattva's Deeds. These teachings followed directly after extensive teachings on A Presentation of the Establishment of Mindfulness, a text by Gyalwa Chokyi Gyaltsen.

  • Final teaching on the four establishments of mindfulness
  • What it means to take refuge, relying on the teachings, cultivating faith in the path
  • Verses 100-105 of Shantideva’s Engaging in the Bodhisattva’s Deeds
  • Feelings don’t truly exist, so holding onto pleasure, pain, neutral is not helpful
  • Selfless of phenomena with regards to the nature of existence of mind
    • Not in sense powers
    • Not inside or outside our body, not anywhere else
    • Exists nominally

Establishment of Mindfulness 33 (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.