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 participants roll mantras together.

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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Early Sravasti Abbey residents stand on the deck of Ananda Hall.

Exploring Monastic Life 2008

Why and how monastics keep precepts, cultivate contentment and concentration, and benefit society.

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Exploring Monastic Life participants sit in a circle for a discussion in the Sravasti Abbey Meditation Hall.

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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Sravasti Abbey residents pile their hands in the center in a display of harmony.

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 participants pose with an excavator on the Chenrezig Hall construction site.

Exploring Monastic Life 2012

How monastic life helps us to subdue our afflictions.

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Exploring Monastic Life participants take a group photo in front of a painting of the eight Medicine Buddhas.

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 participants kneel to request for training from the Sravasti Abbey community.

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 participants wave and smile from the lower meadow in front of Gotami House.

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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Abbey trainees have a discussion with nuns from the Tibetan and Chinese traditions.

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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Monastics, lay trainees, and lay people sit in meditation at Sravasti Abbey.

Exploring Monastic Life 2017

Commentary on the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya novice ordination ceremony.

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Exploring Monastic Life participants circle up for a discussion in the Meditation Hall.

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 participants take a group photo in the Meditation Hall.

Exploring Monastic Life 2019

A detailed commentary on the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya sramaneri and shiksamana ordination rites.

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Exploring Monastic Life participants sit with khatas around their necks at the request for training ceremony.

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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Related Books

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.