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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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Buddhist nun comforting a patient at Tzu Chi Hospital.
Helping the Dying and Deceased

Compassion through the dying process

Many issues surround the end of life for caregivers as well as the dying. A…

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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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Cover of the book Preparing for Ordination.
Preparing for Ordination

Suggested reading

A list of recommended books about ordination, the vinaya, and monastic life.

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Cover of the book Preparing for Ordination.
Preparing for Ordination

The sramanera/sramanerika precepts

The 10 and the 36 precepts.

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Cover of the book Preparing for Ordination.
Preparing for Ordination

Summary of the sramanera and sramanerika ordination ...

The ceremony of ordination in detail.

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Cover of the book Preparing for Ordination.
Preparing for Ordination

Waiting for the right time

Sometimes it is important to take one's time and develop true motivation before becoming ordained.

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Cover of the book Preparing for Ordination.
Preparing for Ordination

A letter to a friend considering ordination

Questions to consider before making the commitment to be ordained.

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Cover of the book Preparing for Ordination.
Preparing for Ordination

For the good of all beings

The sangha is crucial because it ensures the durability of the Dharma experience by understanding…

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Cover of the book Preparing for Ordination.
Preparing for Ordination

Being a monastic in the West

Practicing mindfulness leads us to the happiness that is the absence of ill-being.

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Cover of the book Preparing for Ordination.
Preparing for Ordination

Introduction

About the content of this series and the motivation to collect these texts.

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A nun stands by a lake with open meadow and trees.
Mind and Mental Factors

Lack of faith, forgetfulness, non-introspective aler...

How to be aware of mental factors that affect our practice and how to develop…

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A nun stands by a lake with open meadow and trees.
Mind and Mental Factors

Concealment, lethargy, laziness

How the afflictions related to ignorance impede spiritual progress and how to overcome them.

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