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THUBTEN CHODRON
"Venerable Thubten Chodron is someone whose life embodies the virtues of kindness, simplicity and clarity of vision, which lie at the heart of the
Buddha's teaching. It is these perennial qualities that shine
through her writings and touch the hearts of many readers all over the
world."—Thupten Jinpa, author and translator for the Dalai Lama
Thubten Chodron is an American Buddhist nun in the Tibetan tradition. A student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan masters, she became a nun in 1977. She has been resident teacher at Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore and at Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle. Active in interfaith dialogue, she also does Dharma outreach in prisons and teaches the Dharma worldwide. She is abbess of Sravasti Abbey, a Buddhist monastery in eastern Washington State. She is the author of several books, including Open Heart, Clear Mind; Buddhism for Beginners; Taming the Mind; Working with Anger; and How to Free Your Mind: Tara the Liberator. Ven. Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha's teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners.
2010 Monastic Conference: "Joyfully Swimming Upstream—Reflections on Renunciation: The Practice of Vinaya in the 21st Century"
Working with Anger by Thubten Chodron has been chosen for a
Spirituality and Health Award as one of "The Best Spiritual Books of
2001." Spirituality and Health is a quarterly print magazine covering the
people, the practices, and the ideas of today's spiritual
renaissance. Their website is http://www.spiritualityhealth.com.
VIDEOS
In the video to the right, Venerable Chodron addresses "social anxiety"—our fear of people not liking us—and how this might actually be good for us and helpful to our practice.
Each morning Venerable Chodron and her students offer The Bodhisattva Breakfast Corner, a short teaching from a classic Buddhist text or meditation for the day.
"Joyfully Swimming Upstream—Reflections on Renunciation:
The Practice of Vinaya in the 21st Century"
by Venerable Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
For centuries, Buddhists from the various Buddhist traditions seldom met each other due to geographic distance, different language, and different cultures. Now they can, and for sixteen years Western Buddhist monastics from the diversity of traditions have gathered together to learn about each other's practices, education, and communities. The result has been the development of beautiful friendships and mutual respect as we support each other in living the simplicity of monastic life in a society preoccupied by the complexities of consumerism. This year 36 of us from the Theravada, Ch'an and Zen, and Tibetan Buddhist traditions gathered at Vajrapani Institute, a Tibetan Buddhist center in California, for four days to share "Reflections on Renunciation: The Practice of Vinaya in the 21st Century."
Vinaya is the monastic discipline we pledge to follow when we take ordination. The code of monastic discipline was created by the Buddha and has been practiced and passed down to the present for over 25 centuries. Some Vinaya trainings such as to abandon killing, stealing, and so forth are universal ethical principles. Others apply to community life, monastics' relationship with the broader society, and how monastics receive the four requisites of life—food, shelter, clothing, and medicine. Because the Vinaya came about in ancient India, in a society that was very different from our modern Western one, the question arises, "How do we live precepts set up in one environment while living in a different one? What must not be changed, and what can be adapted?" Regarding this, two councils were held each day:
Bhikkhu Bodhi, from the Sri Lankan Theravada tradition, spoke on the meaning of Vinaya and the two kinds of precepts—those fundamental for the spiritual life and those regarding suitable conduct with others. He also discussed the various statements the Buddha made about changing the precepts.
Ajahn Anandabodhi, a siladhara from the Ahjan Chah Thai Forest Tradition, revealed the decision of the nuns at Aloka Vihara in California to leave the Ajahn Chah tradition in order to receive bhikkhuni ordination. She spoke with gratitude for the training they had received, and with sadness about the gender inequity that led to the parting. All the monastics at the conference expressed their support and encouragement for this brave step these nuns are taking in their Dharma practice. There was strong support for gender equality among the monks and nuns at our gathering. Many voiced their thought that Buddhism will not flourish in the West without gender equality and their appreciation for female Dharma teachers and leaders.
Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron from Sravasti Abbey discussed how Vinaya is practiced at this abbey founded by Westerners. She emphasized looking at the spirit of each precept—the mental state the Buddha was trying to subdue when he set up each precept—in order to determine how to put them into practice in Western culture.
Rev. Seikai Leubke, from the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, spoke about that organization's relationship with the Vinaya. In the Japanese Zen tradition, OBC monastics receive the 16 bodhisattva precepts and 48 great precepts plus celibacy, rather than the traditional Vinaya ordination. His talk sparked a discussion on how to deal compassionately with transgressions of fundamental precepts.
Bhikshuni Thubten Saldon gave a heartfelt presentation on the difficulties of living the monastic life in a society where monastic communities are few and far between. Her talk served as a springboard to an interesting discussion about the difference between regret and guilt, and the confusion that arises when we translate "sikkhaapada" as "vow" instead of as "training" or "precept." Many people expressed their gratitude for those monastics who live on their own and yet keep their precepts despite the difficulties they face.
Bhikshu Jian Hu, a Chinese monastic from the Sunnyvale Zen Center, spoke on what to preserve and what to change as Buddhism and monastic life encounter Western culture. He asked us to consider the current state of our own traditions in Asia, how Buddhism had adapted when it went from India to that place in Asia, and what we personally think is important to preserve and to change. This led to a discussion of the interface of Buddhism and science. While we all encouraged this dialogue as well as the practical application of Buddhist techniques in schools, hospitals, and so forth, we are clear that this will not ensure the continuity of the Dharma. Secular use of Dharma techniques benefits people in this life, but the heart of the Dharma is liberation, and for this the existence of monastics and serious practitioners is essential.
In addition to the councils, we meditated together and did chanting from our various traditions. In the evenings, we gathered to hear "Stories of the Great Masters"—i.e., of our teachers who worked so hard to teach and train us and to bring the Dharma to the West. These stories were inspiring and left many of us with tears of joy. Ven. Heng Sure led us in singing Dharma songs written to folk music melodies, and he and Bhikkhu Bodhi had us laughing with their stuffed animal puppets discussing the Dharma.
Our Annual Monastic Gatherings will continue in 2012. It is a cause for great rejoicing for everyone that the monastic Sangha from so many Buddhist traditions comes together in harmony and mutual support.
An American Woman Learning to Work with Anger by Thubten
Chodron
I came to Buddhism rather unexpectedly. As a child, I was curious about religion, and as a teenager, my mind teemed with spiritual questions: Why am I alive? What is the purpose of life? What happens after death? Why do people fight and kill each other if they want to live in peace? What does it mean to love others? Growing up in a reform Jewish family in a Christian suburban community in the USA, I asked my teachers and the religious leaders around me. Nevertheless, the answers that satisfied them left me dry.
Studying history at university, I came to learn that almost every generation, for hundreds of years, wars were fought in Europe in the name of God. Disillusionment with organized religion overcame me, for wasn't religion supposed to make people more peaceful and harmonious? In reaction, as a young person in the sixties, I took part in some of the social protests of the times, as well as turned to the various distractions offered to my generation.
As a young person, I had difficulty with anger. Afraid to express it outwardly, I followed the wishes of those who were in authority or appeared more powerful than I. Lacking any way to deal with hurt and anger, I kept them inside where they fomented. Sometimes the emotional turmoil of both my clinging attachment and anger led to depression.
I graduated from UCLA and, wanting to learn about life through experiencing it instead of reading about it, I traveled in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. I returned to the USA a year and a half later, wiser but still not understanding the meaning of life. Nevertheless since it seemed related to benefiting others, I decided to go into education, teaching elementary school in Los Angeles and pursing graduate studies in Education at USC.
One summer vacation, I attended a meditation course taught by two Tibetan monks, Lama Thubten Yeshe and Zopa Rinpoche. One of the first things they said at the course was, "You don't have to believe anything we say. You are intelligent people. Listen to the teachings; think about them logically; test them out in your own life experience. Use the teachings that help you in your life and leave those that don't make sense on the back burner."
"Whew," I thought. "Now I'll listen." If they had said they would tell us the Truth, I would have left. I liked Buddhism's open-minded approach and began to listen and to practice the teachings. As I did, I was surprised to find that what the Buddha taught over twenty-five centuries ago in ancient India applied to my modern American life. I wanted to learn more.
Instead of resuming my teaching post that autumn, I went to Kopan Monastery, Lama and Rinpoche's monastery in Nepal. My parents were hardly thrilled about their daughter once again putting on a backpack to go to a third world country. But for me, the spiritual urge was strong, and I had to follow it.
Once there I attended the teachings the lamas gave in broken English to the motley group of Westerners who turned up to listen. I reflected on the teachings, practiced them as best I could, and participated in community life. After some months, my wish to become a nun became clear. In the spring of 1977, in Dharamsala, India, I was ordained by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, the senior tutor of HH the Dalai Lama. Although I had never imagined my life going in this direction and although monastic life is not for everyone, it has turned out to be a good choice for me. Living in precepts has made me aware of my actions, words, and thoughts, helping me to evaluate them honestly and to make wise choices.
The Buddha's teachings that our mind-heart is the source of our happiness and pain appealed to me strongly. Through meditation, I began to see that the attitudes and emotions I brought to situations greatly influenced how I perceived and experienced them. In particular, I noticed how bad moods and anger colored and created my experiences. With the help of my teachers and the writings of ancient Indian sages, such as Shantideva, for years I've explored the role of anger, and its opposites - patience, love, and compassion. My book Working with Anger is the result. Sprinkled with personal anecdotes, the book is accessible, humorous, and provocative.
