Vehicles and paths

Vehicles and paths

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.

  • How the three vehicles are differentiated and how to know we’ve entered a path
  • Refuting stereotypes of fundamental vehicle practitioners
  • Different views of the qualities of a buddha according to various traditions
  • Clarifying different meditation techniques, traditions and lineages in Buddhism
  • Understanding the different vehicles and how they relate to each other

21 Approaching the Buddhist Path: Vehicles and Paths (download)

Contemplation points

  1. What is a yana? What meaning stands behind it?
  2. Explain the different motivations that differentiate the three vehicles.
  3. How does one enter a Mahayana path?
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.