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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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Om Ah Hum spray painted on bricks.
Buddhist Meditation 101

Purification meditation

How one can calm the mind by meditating on the breath, visualizing the Buddha, and…

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A man in black walking toward bright light.
Three Principal Aspects of the Path

Basis, path, and result: Discussion

Question and answer session on the aspects of the basis, the path, and the result…

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A man in black walking toward bright light.
Three Principal Aspects of the Path

Basis, path, and result

The aspects of the basis as the two truths, the path as the method and…

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Venerable chodron and other bhikshunis at Posadha ceremony.
Western Buddhist Monastic Gatherings

Renunciation and simplicity

For monastics of all traditions, renouncing worldly materialism and self-centeredness inspires the cultivation of genuine…

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The sun rises in an orange misty sky above trees and mountains.
Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat 2004

Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Verse 104-Conclusion

How things exist dependent on causes and conditions, they appear one way and exist in…

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The sun rises in an orange misty sky above trees and mountains.
Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat 2004

Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Verses 99-104

How we can grow in our Dharma practice through these courageous mind-training practices. Thinking about…

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The sun rises in an orange misty sky above trees and mountains.
Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat 2004

Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Verses 93-98

Taking on suffering of others without fear and having no doubt that self-cherishing is the…

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The sun rises in an orange misty sky above trees and mountains.
Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat 2004

Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Verses 81-92

Dharma friends, choosing teachers, and keeping Dharma practice alive.

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The sun rises in an orange misty sky above trees and mountains.
Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat 2004

Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Verses 72-80

Acquiring a precious human life and yet giving up opportunity to practice Dharma.

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The sun rises in an orange misty sky above trees and mountains.
Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat 2004

Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Verses 63-71

Actions and their results. Examining attachment, relying on the Three Jewels, and keeping good ethical…

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The sun rises in an orange misty sky above trees and mountains.
Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat 2004

Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Verses 50-62

Disadvantages and effects of self-grasping ignorance, self-cherishing and having insincere motivations when we act.

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The sun rises in an orange misty sky above trees and mountains.
Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat 2004

Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Verses 43-49

Cultivate contentment instead of greed, dampen our pride, subdue our self-centeredness. No external thing can…

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