Why do we lie?
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Guided Meditations 
May 27, 2015 Part of a series of meditations appearing on the Daily Dharma Gathering, a cloud-based meditation group that features live-streamed meditations by a rich spectrum of Buddhist teachers.
Why we have lied to others
- Changing what is true with a motivation of personal gain
- Little white lies designed to not hurt other people’s feelings
- Understanding that lies fracture relationships and cause loss of trust
- Guided meditation on motivation, regret, and forgiveness
Questions and answers
- Not knowing the circumstances for why people lie
- Differentiating lying from holding things back in order to avoid hurting someone
- Having compassion for a liar while distancing oneself from unhealthy relationships
Guided meditation: Why do we lie? (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.
