The boundless heart
Going beyond loving-kindness
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Teachings 
Jun 28, 2026 An online talk for the Majjhima Nikaya Book Club, an international, bilingual online community dedicated to studying the Pali canon
- Introduction
- Translating the term “brahmin” into our modern societal context
- How the Buddha related to brahmins
- What it means to be a noble person and what gets in the way
- Generating the four immeasurables for all sentient beings
- The four immeasurables in the Pali Canon
- Q & A and comments
- How to check if we’ve succeeded in cultivating the four immeasurables
- The line between practicing the four immeasurables and self-sacrifice
- How to prevent ethical conduct from sliding into self-righteousness
- Practicing the four immeasurables helps us to be less frustrated and judgmental
- Responding to others’ feedback
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.
