Origin of and living in the precepts
02 Exploring Monastic Life (2025)
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Exploring Monastic Life 2025 
Jul 27, 2025 Part of a series of teachings given during Sravasti Abbey's annual Exploring Monastic Life program in 2025
- How precepts protect us from unethical and unwise behavior
- The need for precepts to evolve with society
- The importance of honesty when evaluating our behavior
- How Buddhism adapted to different cultures and situations
- The importance of respecting all religions and traditions
- Questions and answers
- How the Dharma is dependent on our practice
- Adaptations of precepts that were not helpful
- Celibacy and marriage for monastics
- Why Buddhists don’t try to convert people
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.
