Monastic Life

A treasury of information about the joys and challenges of life as a Buddhist monastic.

Access Vinaya Teachings

If you’re a Buddhist monastic who would like to watch Venerable Thubten Chodron’s Vinaya teachings, send in a request via our contact form here. Please provide information on your level and length of ordination and the name of your preceptor.

Subcategories

A Nun's Life

What’s it like to be a Buddhist nun? Venerable Thubten Chodron and other nuns share about their lives.

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Becoming a Monastic

Monastics offer advice on what aspirants can do to prepare for ordination.

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Explore Monastic Life

Teachings from the annual Exploring Monastic Life program at Sravasti Abbey.

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Full Ordination for Nuns

Learn about why full ordination for women matters and different perspectives on how it can be revived.

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Living in Community

How monastic community life supports living in the precepts and brings other benefits.

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Western Monastics

Learn about the history and unique situation of Western Buddhist monastics.

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Related Books

Related Series

Venerable Thubten Chodron with monastics at Lama Tsongkhapa Institute in Pomaia, Italy.

Monastic Teachings (Italy 2017)

Teachings given to monastics at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa in Pomaia, Italy.

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All Posts in Monastic Life

A large group of Tibetan monastics gathered together.
Western Monastics

Establishing the sangha in the West

Transcript of a meeting with monastics on establishing a monastic community in the West.

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Western Monastics

Western Buddhist nuns in the Tibetan tradition

Venerable Chodron explores the history of Buddhist nuns in the West through her own experiences,…

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A Nun's Life

A life in the Dharma

A discussion that includes the journey to becoming a Buddhist nun and founding a monastery,…

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A group of shiksamanas in the Abbey library reading their precepts at the round table.
Living in Community

The benefits of living in community

Venerable Chodron talks with a monastic about what it means to take full ordination.

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Exploring Monastic Life 2021

Monasticism in the West

A question and answer session about Buddhist monasticism in the West.

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Exploring Monastic Life 2021

Taming the mind

The importance of taming our minds in relation to others we live with.

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Exploring Monastic Life 2021

Sustaining our monastic life

How a long-term bodhicitta motivation is essential to sustaining ordained life and the importance of…

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Exploring Monastic Life 2021

Living a happy monastic life

The key factors that lead to having a happy mind as a monastic and living…

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Exploring Monastic Life 2021

Monastic precepts and community life

How monastic precepts and community life are set up to help work with our afflictions…

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Exploring Monastic Life 2021

The five precepts

How the five precepts guide how we live and relate to each other for the…

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