Supporting the Dharma practitioner
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
New to Buddhism 
Aug 30, 2018 A series of talks given at Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamsala, India, on August 30, 2018.
- Understanding the bond between sponsors and practitioners
- Taking responsibility for our own practice
They say that the person who sponsors a practitioner and that practitioner will attain enlightenment together. I’m not so sure it really happens exactly at the same time, because we all have to practice the path ourselves, and we can’t just say, “Well, I gave you lunch, now you go and practice and I’ll attain enlightenment when you attain enlightenment, because I gave you lunch.” It’s not like that. We have to practice the path ourselves, but what this quotation is saying is that when you help somebody that is practicing, especially somebody who is a Mahayana practitioner who wants to work for the benefit of all beings, then you are indirectly helping all beings, and you yourself create a lot of merit doing so.
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.
