The foundation of monastic life
The foundation of monastic life
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Exploring Monastic Life 2014 
Aug 13, 2014 A talk given during Sravasti Abbey’s annual Exploring Monastic Life program in 2014.
- “Vow” isn’t a great term—they’re guidelines for training the mind
- “Taking dependence” on a senior monastic when first ordained
- Topics in the vinaya
- Precepts and Dharma practice—the three higher trainings
- Precepts keep us from acting spontaneously out of afflicted states
- The difference between guilt and regret
- The “precept body”
- Precepts interrupt our habits, helping us avoid repeating negative actions
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.
