Commitment to contentment
41 Following in the Buddha's Footsteps
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Volume 4 Following in the Buddha's Footsteps 
Feb 7, 2025 Part of an ongoing series of teachings based on the book Following in the Buddha's Footsteps, the fourth volume in The Library of Wisdom and Compassion series by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron.
- Reducing attachment and living a simple life
- Importance of monastics to keep celibacy
- Monastics keeping the precepts well
41 Commitment to Contentment (download)
Contemplation points
- Monastics are encouraged to have relationships that are free from intimacy, affection, and attachment. With that in mind, what might relationships in a monastic community look like where the relationships are beneficial and conducive to Dharma practice? What is encouraged and not encouraged?
- An important purpose of monastic life is to reduce attachment, and for that, it is essential that monastics live simply. Make some examples of simplicity in monastic life that help to reduce attachment? What are some attachments that can arise in a monastic community that we should be mindful to avoid?
- Why is it important for the individual and for society that monastics keep their precepts well?
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.
