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 to livestream [dot] sravasti [at] gmail [dot] com. 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 Series

Monastic Teachings (Italy 2017)
Teachings given to monastics at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa in Pomaia
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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 life in the Dharma
A discussion that includes the journey to becoming a Buddhist nun and founding a monastery,…
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The benefits of living in community
Venerable Chodron talks with a monastic about what it means to take full ordination.
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Monasticism in the West
A question and answer session about Buddhist monasticism in the West.
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Sustaining our monastic life
How a long-term bodhicitta motivation is essential to sustaining ordained life and the importance of…
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The value of a sangha community
The meaning of sangha and the benefits of living in a monastic community.
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Living a happy monastic life
The key factors that lead to having a happy mind as a monastic and living…
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Monastic precepts and community life
How monastic precepts and community life are set up to help work with our afflictions…
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The five precepts
How the five precepts guide how we live and relate to each other for the…
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Posadha at Sravasti Abbey
An explanation of the ritual known as posadha, during which monastics purify and restore their…
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