Students' Insights

Students share how they integrate the Dharma into their daily lives and to face challenging situations.

All Posts in Students' Insights

Women with arms around each other in support.
Dharma Poetry

The meaning of heart

A student reflects on the meaning of our heart connection to one another.

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Young man praying at sunset.
On Working with Afflictions

Finally freeing myself from being a prisoner of love

A student of Venerable Chodron's writes about the futility of attachment to others in our…

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Young man sitting on a skateboard, meditating.
On Refuge and Bodhicitta

A letter to my teacher

A young person reflects on the reasons he took refuge with Venerable Chodron.

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Inmate looking out from behind prison bars.
On Refuge and Bodhicitta

We are all prisoners

We are prisoners of our own minds. Ignorance, anger, and attachment are every bit as…

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Framed photos of family.
Dharma Poetry

Hold me close

A student's poem analyzes how our personal attachments hold us back from developing compassion for…

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The Buddha meditating under the Bodhi Tree.
On Emptiness

What is the truth?

What lessons can we take away from current politicians who bend the truth to fit…

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Chunks of coal.
On Working with Afflictions

Anger not nice

An 88-year-old father of one of Venerable Chodron's students writes a poem to explain what…

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Man walking through forest.
Students' Insights

With our thoughts we make the world

We can get lost in the bad news of the day. A student reflects on…

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Young man lying in hospital bed.
On Taking Illness Onto the Path

Learning from illness

A Dharma student contemplates his experiences while in the hospital.

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Father and son walking along a beach.
On Cultivating Virtue

A meaningful life

After a lifetime of looking for meaning in life, a student turns to the Dharma…

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Man with hand on head, looking into mirror.
On Refuge and Bodhicitta

Cultivating equanimity

How does one deal with one's own judgmental mind? A student examines the benefits of…

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Word cloud showing words like dicrimination and prejudice.
On Working with Afflictions

Clean up my act

A recent increase in hate crimes causes a Dharma student to reflect on where hate…

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