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.
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Venerable Thubten Chodron The purpose of monastic precepts
Precepts serve to guide monastics in a positive direction, making the mind peaceful by abandoning…
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The six harmonies
The temporary goal of a monastic is to create a community that facilitates practice, so…
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Sufferings of cyclic existence
A realistic look at the defects of cyclic existence and the determination to be free.
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The “Ratnapala Sutta”
Buddha's disciple foremost in faith who, with pure motivation, looked with wisdom at cyclic existence…
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Gradual path to enlightenment
A condensed explanation of the lamrim, the gradual path to enlightenment.
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Precepts and vows
Monastics and lay practitioners take different levels of precepts. The benefits of taking and keeping…
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The truth of dukkha
Exploration of the first noble truth, the truth of dukkha: recognizing the defects of samsara,…
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Questions for group discussions
How to prepare for monastic ordination. Reflecting on motivation, dealing with difficulties.
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Understanding our situation
The four noble truths as the foundation on which the entire path can be both…
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Women in the sangha
Reflections on the First International Congress on Buddhist Women’s Role in the Sangha in Hamburg,…
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