Explore Monastic Life
Teachings from the annual Exploring Monastic Life program at Sravasti Abbey.
Exploring Monastic Life Program
Venerable Thubten Chodron leads an intensive three-week training program in late July to August every year at Sravasti Abbey. It’s for people thinking about becoming a Buddhist monk or nun, and for newly ordained monastics. Learn more about the Exploring Monastic Life program here.
Subcategories
Exploring Monastic Life 2005
The Buddha's life story, the history of the sangha, and the value of monastic precepts and community life.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2006
The history of the sangha and the precepts, different Buddhist traditions, and the benefits of ordination.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2007
The purpose of monastic precepts and how to keep them in modern times, and the six harmonies of a sangha community.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2008
Why and how monastics keep precepts, cultivate contentment and concentration, and benefit society.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2009
Sutras on how monastic life fosters ethical discipline, concentration, harmony, and trust.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2010
The Buddha's life, what changes after monastic ordination, and monastic community life.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2011
The Buddha’s life, his advice to laypeople, and how to work with the afflictions.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2013
Changes that occur after monastic ordination and commentary on the seven Vinayas of the past buddhas.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2014
The foundation of monastic life, the qualities of a monastic mind, and how to relate to the world as a monastic.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2015
History of the Dharma and the Vinaya, and commentary on chapter 4 of Buddhism: One Teacher, Many Traditions.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2016
The purposes and benefits of monastic precepts, the conditions for ordination, and commentary on the Ratthapala Sutta.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2017
Commentary on the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya novice ordination ceremony.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2018
History of monastic lineages and how precepts benefit the individual, monastic community, and society.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2019
A detailed commentary on the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya sramaneri and shiksamana ordination rites.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2021
How monastic precepts and living in community help to tame the mind, and how to live a happy monastic life.
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Exploring Monastic Life 2022
What to consider when exploring the aspiration for monastic ordination and developing a realistic perspective on mona...
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Exploring Monastic Life 2023
What to consider when exploring the aspiration for monastic ordination and developing a realistic perspective on mona...
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Exploring Monastic Life Handbook
A collection of articles compiled by the Sravasti Abbey community to provide guidance for those interested in exploring their spiritual aspirations more deeply.
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Pravrajya and Shiksamana Ordination Rites
Rites for ordaining novice monastics and training nuns from the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya. This text is best read by Buddhist monastics and ordination candidates.
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All Posts in Explore Monastic Life
Venerable Thubten Chodron Confession prayer part 3
The conclusion of a multi-part teaching on the General Confession Prayer.
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Geshe Tenzin Chodrak (Dadul Namgyal) Faith and virtue
The different types of faith, five types of virtue, and Tsongkhapa’s secret advice.
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Ordination for women across traditions part 2
Q&A about Venerable Chodron's experience as a woman in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition continues.
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Ordination for women across traditions part 1
Q&A about Venerable Chodron's experience as a woman in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
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Disrespecting parents, spiritual mentors, & spi...
More on Ashvagosha’s General Confession.
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Venerable Sangye Khadro 
Transgressing precepts of individual liberation
Explanation of the line in the General Confession, “I have transgressed the precepts of Individual…
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Explanation of the general confession
The General Confession line by line, reminding us that there’s not a single day that…
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Freedom and suffering
Introduces the Seven Patriarchs and urges us to make effort in understanding karma and the…
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The Buddha’s life story part 2
Continues with the Buddha’s life story, and discusses the motivation for ordaining.
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The Buddha’s life story part 1
How the Buddha’s life story parallels our own story of spiritual yearning.
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