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 Heart Sutra in Chinese carved on marble blocks in a garden in Korea.
Wisdom

Path of no more learning

Perceiving emptiness and conventional truth simultaneously. A discussion of the final verses of the Heart…

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The Heart Sutra in Chinese carved on marble blocks in a garden in Korea.
Wisdom

Path of seeing and meditation

We see attachment as something solid but actually we are only experiencing moments of attachment…

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The Heart Sutra in Chinese carved on marble blocks in a garden in Korea.
Wisdom

A solid concrete “I” does not exist

An examination of how phenomena are mere appearances, empty of inherent existence.

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The Heart Sutra in Chinese carved on marble blocks in a garden in Korea.
Wisdom

Path of accumulation and preparation

What is emptiness? Examining what emptiness means and what is meant when we grasp at…

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The Heart Sutra in Chinese carved on marble blocks in a garden in Korea.
Wisdom

Profound perfection of wisdom

A commentary on the Heart of Wisdom Sutra, covering the sequence of insights generated on…

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Statue of Avalokiteshvara
Texts to Recite and Contemplate

The Heart of Wisdom Sutra

Recording of the Sravasti Abbey sangha chanting the Heart of Wisdom Sutra, accompanied by the…

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Bhikshunis-to-be paying respect to their preceptors.
Full Ordination for Nuns

International full ordination ceremony in Bodh Gaya

A diverse group of monastics from around the world received full ordination, a major step…

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An angry young boy, appearing to be shouting.
LR13 Bodhisattva Ethical Restraints

Auxiliary bodhisattva vows: Vows 18-21

The auxiliary vows to overcome obstacles to the far-reaching attitude of patience and joyous effort.

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Monastic robes hanging on a clothesline.
Western Buddhist Monastic Gatherings

Colors of the Dharma

Representatives of a variety of monastic traditions discuss student-teacher relationships, practice, training, the Vinaya, monasteries…

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Venerable teaching to a group of young people in Bodhgaya.
Qualities of a Spiritual Teacher

Working for sentient beings

The many ways in which spiritual teachers work for the benefit of all sentient beings.

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Upekkha the cat sits on the teacher's table with his nose on the gooseneck microphone.
Dharma in Daily Life

How to benefit from Dharma talks

Pithy advice on how to bring forward what we learn from listening to Dharma teachings.

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