Authority, leaders and respect
05 Exploring Monastic Life (2025)
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Exploring Monastic Life 2025 
Jul 30, 2025 Part of a series of teachings given during Sravasti Abbey's annual Exploring Monastic Life program in 2025
- Examining assumptions and expectations in relation to monastic life
- How community members have related to authority figures in the past
- Examining categories we place people in based on arbitrary distinctions
- Resistance to authority figures in relation to current events
- Leadership and cooperation at Sravasti Abbey
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.
