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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.

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The first frost of snow falls on a Buddha statue in the garden amidst fall foliage.
37 Practices of Bodhisattvas

37 Practices: Verses 7-9

The relationship with our spiritual mentor is the most important one in our life. An…

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Vajrasattva statue
Vajrasattva Winter Retreat 2005-06

Discriminating wisdom

A discussion covering topics such as "bad friends," dealing with intense emotions, bad dreams, and…

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The first frost of snow falls on a Buddha statue in the garden amidst fall foliage.
37 Practices of Bodhisattvas

37 Practices: Verses 4-6

Verses describing the miseries of samsara, the importance of thinking about beginningless lives, giving up…

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Vajrasattva statue
Guru Yoga

Lama Tsongkhapa’s kindness

How Je Rinpoche brought immense benefit through his teachings on emptiness and lamrim, and how…

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Vajrasattva statue
Vajrasattva Winter Retreat 2005-06

Ignorance, anger, purification

Retreat discussion on topics such as the four distortions, how anger destroys merit, using pain…

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The first frost of snow falls on a Buddha statue in the garden amidst fall foliage.
37 Practices of Bodhisattvas

37 Practices: Verses 1-3

Making the lamrim personal, changing environments to change negative habits, and relaxing as we see…

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Ven. Chogkyi with other participants of the EML program.
Exploring Monastic Life 2005

Reflections on the first Exploring Monastic Life, 2005

The participants of the first EML course share how the program helped them look at…

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Vajrasattva statue
Vajrasattva Winter Retreat 2005-06

Panic fear, wisdom fear, and the adrenaline rush

Discussion with retreatants on the proper way to use the death meditation, the I that…

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Vajrasattva statue
Vajrasattva Winter Retreat 2005-06

Peeling away the view of permanence

Even though we die and are reborn so often, we think the experiences of this…

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Vajrasattva statue
Vajrasattva Winter Retreat 2005-06

Preciousness of the opportunity for retreat

The incredible rarity of meeting the Mahayana teachings and being able to do retreat.

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Tangkha image of Chandrakirti.
Three Principal Aspects of the Path

Profound view

How wisdom and compassion support each other. Ten ways to practice mindfulness of emptiness. When…

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Monk walking toward a transparent Buddha figure.
Three Principal Aspects of the Path

The self as a merely labeled phenomenon

Why understanding dependent arising precedes the realization of emptiness. The meaning of being merely labeled.…

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