Chapter 8: Verses 53-75
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Shantideva Teachings in Singapore 
Dec 5, 2025 One in a series of annual teachings on Shantideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra (Engaging in the Bodhisattva's Deeds, also translated as A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life) hosted by Pureland Marketing in Singapore
- How attachment to our body keeps us distracted from Dharma practice
- How Shantideva demonstrated that he had realizations of emptiness
- Verses 53-61: Examining the foulness of the body
- A dialogue between wisdom and the self-centered thought
- A mother’s view of her child’s body
- Verses 62-64: Working with death
- Verses 65-74: Rising above worldly concerns
- How attachment to others’ bodies creates suffering
- Verses 75-79: Having to sell one’s body
- Different ways of selling the body
- Verses 80-82: The true purpose of our precious human life
- Questions and answers
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.
