Popular Books

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.

Read Full Bio

View Posts

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…

View Post
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…

View Post
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…

View Post
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.

View Post
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…

View Post
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.

View Post
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…

View Post
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.

View Post
Cover of the book Preparing for Ordination.
Preparing for Ordination

Suggested reading

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

View Post
Cover of the book Preparing for Ordination.
Preparing for Ordination

The sramanera/sramanerika precepts

The 10 and the 36 precepts.

View Post
Cover of the book Preparing for Ordination.
Preparing for Ordination

Summary of the sramanera and sramanerika ordination ...

The ceremony of ordination in detail.

View Post
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.

View Post