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Venerable Thubten Chodron

Pioneering American Buddhist teacher and founder of Sravasti Abbey, co-author of The Library of Wisdom and Compassion book series with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

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The Power of Concentration

Watch Venerable Chodron’s most recent teaching in the series on Shantideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra (Engaging in the Bodhisattva’s Deeds, also translated as A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life)

Some of these teachings will challenge what you think. And that's good; the Buddha's teachings should challenge us. If they just reaffirmed our worldly way of seeing things then how would they lead to awakening?”

The self-centered mind likes to hear teachings that say you're wonderful. It's all about life, love, and bliss—just close your eyes and imagine, and you'll be a buddha in 45 minutes. If it was that easy, we'd already be buddhas.”

The more that I hear teachings about the Dharma, it becomes more evident to me how the whole path is based on ethical conduct. We cannot expect spiritual progress if we keep lying, stealing, and bad mouthing others.”

Featured Teachings

Check out highlights from Venerable Thubten Chodron's extensive teaching archive.

Hand trying to turn back time in clock

Reversing selfishness

Thoughts on David Brooks' "The Power of Altruism," emphasizing how…

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How to purify bad actions by means of the four powers

Explanation of the four powers of purification.

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Man kneeling before a cross and sunset

Going beyond self-centeredness

When we listen to the Buddha's teachings it should push…

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Tibetan nuns discussing physics experiments in class.

American professor teaches physics to Tibetan nuns

Physics professor Nicole Ackerman (now Venerable Thubten Rinchen) writes about…

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A Buddhist response to religious fundamentalism

A reflection on the similarities shared by fundamentalists and techniques…

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Shadow of a Hiker

A long obedience

Exodus isn't just about liberation from slavery, it's also about…

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Latest Posts

Keep up with recent teachings by Venerable Thubten Chodron and other Sravasti Abbey monastics.

How the buddha taught the dharma

Geshe Yeshe Thabkhe describes the different ways in which the…

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The boundless heart

The four immeasurable qualities and the benefits of cultivating them.

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The purpose of dividing the two truths

How the two truths are one entity but different isolates.

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Bodhisattvas are born from the universal vehicle

A teaching on how the universal vehicle scriptures should be…

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Mindfulness of the body

Reviewing the four mindfulnesses in general, and then explaining the…

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Summary of Chapter 24 and the two truths

Summary of the selflessness of phenomena.

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Go for great happiness; don’t attach to small happin...

Geshe Yeshe Thabkhe describes the wisdom of enduring small sufferings…

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Shared and specific characteristics

Covering a general description of the four establishments of mindfulness,…

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More on the emptiness of uncompounded phenomena

Why uncompounded phenomena are empty of inherent existence.

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Upcoming Live Teachings

Follow Venerable Thubten Chodron's teachings at Sravasti Abbey, online, and worldwide.

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Books

Learn more about Buddhist books written and edited by Venerable Thubten Chodron as well as other Sravasti Abbey teachers.

Book cover of Buddhism for Beginners

Buddhism for Beginners

An accessible and engaging introduction to some of the most commonly asked questions about the es...

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Book cover of Guided Buddhist Meditations

Guided Buddhist Meditations

This invaluable resource provides Dharma practitioners with clear explanations of the stages of t...

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Working with Anger

A variety of Buddhist methods for subduing anger, not by changing what is happening, but by worki...

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Front cover of "Driving the Dharma Home"

Driving the Dharma Home

Just as a driver’s manual steers us to travel safely, “Driving the Dharma Home”...

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The Key of Compassion by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron. A row of gray prison cells with golden flowers blooming through the bars of one cell.

The Key of Compassion

Evidence of the power of compassion in the lives of incarcerated people, from the experience of t...

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Book cover of Pearl of Wisdom I

Pearl of Wisdom, Book I

A compilation of prayers and practices commonly taught to people beginning to study and practice ...

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Cover of the book

Awakening the Kind Heart

Consideration for others helps make our relationships and interactions with others more satisfyin...

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Book cover of Appearing and Empty

Appearing and Empty

In this third and final volume on emptiness, the authors impart the Prasangika view of the ultima...

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Book cover of "Vajrayana and the Culmination of the Path"

Vajrayana and the Culmination of the Path

The final volume of the Library of Wisdom and Compassion by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Vener...

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