Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Introduction and Verses 1-14
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat 2004 
Sep 11, 2004 Teachings on Dharmaraksita’s The Wheel-Weapon Mind Training at the Fall 2004 Manjushri Retreat at Cloud Mountain Retreat Center, September 10-19, 2004.
Introduction
- How to transform difficulties into the path
- How to practice the Dharma in real life
- The importance of strengthening our mind until we are well trained
- Background of the teaching and its author
Wheel of Sharp Weapons 01 (download)
Verses 1-5
- Giving suffering to self-centered thought
- How the bodhisattva practices can transform afflictions into the path
- Importance of working on strengthening our mind until we are well trained
Wheel of Sharp Weapons 02 (download)
Verses 6-7
- Contrasting the different motivation between bodhisattvas and ordinary beings living in cyclic existence
- Bodhisattva’s motivation to stay in the world
- Self-grasping and self-centeredness
Wheel of Sharp Weapons 03 (download)
Verses 8-10
- Smother self-centeredness
- Working on self-interest and relish painful experience
- Dealing with sickness
Wheel of Sharp Weapons 04 (download)
Verse 11
- Causes of mental suffering
- Transforming our experiences by understanding them as results of karma
Wheel of Sharp Weapons 05 (download)
Verses 12-14
- Karmic cause of hunger and thirst
- Taking advantage of the weak
- How we use our speech
- By understanding karma, we fear negative actions
Wheel of Sharp Weapons 06 (download)
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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.
