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 
Happiness and pleasures
Analysis of what it means to truly love ourselves. What is happiness?
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Purification and non-negotiables
Clarification of what is being purified. Criteria we use to make decisions: how wise are…
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Physical prison versus samsaric prison
Watching the mind's reaction to food. Looking at attachment, seeing where it leads us. Examining…
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Relying on a spiritual teacher
The importance of the relationship between teacher and student and how to cultivate that relationship.
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Create karma, accumulate merit, apply antidote
Working on concepts of karma, emptiness, attachment in the retreat. An analytical meditation of what…
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Dealing with disappointment
Happiness begins with eliminating unrealistic expectations of ourselves and others.
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Questions about initiation and meditation
Rejoicing in receiving the Vajrasattva initiation from Lama Zopa. Clarifying various aspects of the meditation…
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Initial experiences of retreatants
Working through different states of mind and restless energy, changing the way we move in…
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A content and disciplined retreat mind
Using the retreat time to develop a healthier way of looking at our behavior. The…
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Prayers for Asian Tsunami victims
Advice to a Dharma student on prayers and practices that can be done to benefit…
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