Illusion-like appearances
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Essence of Refined Gold 
Aug 21, 2008 Part of a series of teachings on Essence of Refined Gold by the Third Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Sonam Gyatso. The text is a commentary on Songs of Experience by Lama Tsongkhapa.
- How a conceptual understanding of emptiness leads to a direct realization
- Why emptiness and dependent arising are non-contradictory
- The ways in which phenomena are like illusions yet still exist
- Importance of understanding what illusion-like appearances are
- Conditions necessary for the middle-way view of emptiness to arise
- Importance of understanding what illusion-like appearances are not
Essence of Refined Gold 67 (download)
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.
