Chapter 1: Verses 69-75
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Teachings at Sravasti Abbey 
Sep 17, 2015 Chapter 1 addresses what to abandon and what to practice to attain upper rebirth and highest good. Part of a series of talks on Nagarjuna's Precious Garland of Advice for a King.
- Refuting inherent existence by understanding that whatever is momentary has parts
- Anything that depends on parts cannot be inherently existent
- Refuting inherent existence through the reasoning of not being one or many
- Even emptiness is dependent, it cannot exist without the basis
- Phenomena are destroyed in one of two ways—they are exhausted naturally or through counteractions
- Realizing inherent existence does not mean making something previously inherently existent to become empty of inherent existence
- When one attains nirvana an inherently existent samsara does not disappear or become non-existent
- If samsara were inherently existent it could not cease
- Why the Buddha did not respond when asked if the world and the self had an end or did not end
Precious Garland 20: Verses 69-75 (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.
