Buddhism and culture
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Exploring Monastic Life 2016 
Aug 3, 2016 Part of a series of teachings given during Sravasti Abbey's annual Exploring Monastic Life program in 2016.
- Observing how easily distracted we are by worldly pleasures
- How monastic life helps us to develop analytical wisdom and overcome our worldly conditioning
- Our Dharma friends and spiritual community point out our habitual emotional patterns to help us
- The importance of having a sense of humor
- Buddhism exists within a culture
- How politics and climate affect the practice of Buddhism
- Having a spacious mind that can accommodate difference
- How Buddhism developed after the Buddha’s passing
- Differing historical accounts according to tradition
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.
