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Body, mind, rebirth and self

Body, mind, rebirth and self

Part of an ongoing series of teachings based on Approaching the Buddhist Path, the first book in “The Library of Wisdom and Compassion” series by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron.

  • Scientific and Buddhist presentations of the continuum of physical matter
  • Understanding the continuum of the mind according to Buddhism
  • The characteristics of the gross and subtle levels of consciousness
  • Evidence of rebirth and the Tibetan tulku system
  • Investigating how the self exists and questioning the notion of a soul

05 Approaching the Buddhist Path: Body, Mind, Rebirth and Self (download)

Contemplation points

  1. How do you know the mind exists?
  2. What is that makes a difference between a corpse and a living being?
  3. What is the source of all our happiness and suffering?
  4. What is the substantial cause of mind?
  5. Venerable Chodron cites from the book: “The moment of mind at the time of conception arose due to a cause, a previous moment of mind, and in this way the continuum of mind prior to this life is established.” How would you put the above quotation into a meditation instruction?
  6. What is a subtlest mind?
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.