Working with the eight worldly concerns
Working with the eight worldly concerns
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
New to Buddhism 
Oct 14, 2023 A talk hosted online by Vajrayana Institute in Syndey, Australia.
- The eight worldly concerns are how our self-centered mind manifests
- First step to make our Dharma practice genuine, not superficial
- The eight worldly concerns are four pairs:
- Joy at receiving material things / dismay at not receiving or losing things
- Attachment to praise and approval / aversion to blame and disapproval
- Happy at having a good reputation / unhappy about a bad reputation
- Delight in pleasant sensory experiences / aversion to unpleasant ones
- Three effects of acting on these concerns:
- They make us miserable in this life
- We create negative karma, which causes bad rebirths
- Blocks our path to Buddhahood
- The point of contemplating these is to look at ourselves, not others
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.
