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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Shantideva Teachings at Sravasti Abbey

The merits of bodhicitta

Answering questions and teaching on Verses 1.24-1.33 on the vast merits that come from generating…

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Kenryuu with his arm around his mother, both smiling and standing with Venerable Chodron.
On Taking Illness Onto the Path

My trip to the operating theatre and back

I recently had an infected cyst on my back. It had grown quickly, got infected,…

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Volume 2 The Foundation of Buddhist Practice

The death process

Teaching from the section "The Death Process" and starting the section "Helping Ourselves and Others…

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Shantideva Teachings at Sravasti Abbey

The bodhisattva ethical code

Giving commentary to Verses 15-23, explaining 8 guidelines that keep bodhicitta from degrading and teaching…

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An Open-Hearted Life

Self-compassion

What it means to have self-compassion and how it helps to cultivate compassion for others.…

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Volume 2 The Foundation of Buddhist Practice

Other life forms

Teaching from the sections "Other Life Forms" and "Fear or Hope at Death?" in Chapter…

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Shantideva Teachings at Sravasti Abbey

The benefits of bodhicitta

Meditating on equanimity and explaining the benefits of bodhicitta, covering various analogies that explain these…

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Shantideva Teachings at Sravasti Abbey

Why bodhicitta is so powerful

Finishing teaching on the ten fortunes of a precious human life and explaining why bodhicitta…

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How to See Yourself As You Really Are

Absorbing yourself in ultimate love

Teaching on understanding emptiness and training in methods to eradicate afflictive emotions and attain liberation…

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How to See Yourself As You Really Are

Subtle impermanence

Answering questions from retreat participants and teaching on understanding impermanence and generating love and compassion

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How to See Yourself As You Really Are

Reflecting on impermanence

Teaching on generating the sense of closeness with others and outlining the meditation to develop…

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How to See Yourself As You Really Are

Understanding our situation in samsara

Speaking on the importance of seeing sentient beings as precious and teaching on ten nonvirtues…

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