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This precious human life

How to create the causes of happiness and avoid suffering

Part of a series of talks given at Kurukulla Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

  • The four non-virtues of speech
  • The importance of catching afflictions as soon as they arise
  • The short and long-term effects of harsh speech
  • Recognizing self-centeredness and self-grasping as our real enemies
  • Exerting consistent effort to overcome habitual behaviors
  • Taking advantage of this precious human life by studying Dharma

Note: In the video at around 36:35 the small-group discussion took place off-camera and lasted about 40 minutes, so there is about 40 minutes of silence during that portion of the video. The talk resumes at around 1:13:00.

Part 1 of this series:

https://thubtenchodron.org/2017/04/understanding-cause-effect/

Part 2 of this series:

https://thubtenchodron.org/2017/04/creating-causes-acting-ethically/
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.