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Paths for spiritual development

Paths for spiritual development

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.

  • Why the teachings are organized in different ways
  • Three stages of the path and how one progresses through them
  • Ethical conduct as a strong foundation for one’s practice
  • Three levels of practitioners as the framework for lamrim
  • Topics for generating the motivation and actualizing the results for each level
  • Practicing according to one’s current abilities and planting seeds for future practices
  • What it means to practice “paths in common” with preceding levels

47 Approaching the Buddhist Path: Paths for Spiritual Development (download)

Contemplation points

  1. Why do we have to apply many different practices in order to transform our mind?
  2. Why is it so important to practice ethical conduct?
  3. Why is it important to understand the Four Noble Truths when we want to take refuge?
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.