Parents and gurus
04 Exploring Monastic Life (2025)
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Exploring Monastic Life 2025 
Jul 29, 2025 Part of a series of teachings given during Sravasti Abbey's annual Exploring Monastic Life program in 2025
- Balancing autonomy and family responsibilities
- How Venerable Chodron’s parents reacted to her ordination
- Evaluating the qualities of a Dharma teacher
- The importance of making key decisions for yourself
- Why determining the values you want to live by is essential
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.
