Monastic Life
A treasury of information about the joys and challenges of life as a Buddhist monastic.
All Posts in Monastic Life
Venerable Thubten Chodron A monastic’s commitments & the benefits o...
Discussing the commitments that monastics make when ordaining and the benefits monasteries provide society.
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How precepts transform society
The other advantages of monastic precepts: to transform society, to bring about individual liberation, and…
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How precepts promote harmony in the sangha
The three kinds of precepts (pratimoksa, bodhisattva, and tantric) and how the first two reasons…
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The six harmonies of monastic life
The six harmonies of the Sangha described by the Buddha: physical, verbal, mental, keeping precepts,…
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Ten reasons for monastic precepts
Continuing the story of Sudina, where the Buddha explains 10 reasons for laying down the…
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The first monastic precept
The story of Venerable Sudina, a monk whose transgression occasioned the first monastic precept.
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Why ordain young?
The story of Venerable Ratthapala and his response to a king who asked why he…
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Resisting social pressure
The story of Venerable Ratthapala, a young man in the Buddha’s times who vowed that…
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The spread of Buddhism and monastic life
The Buddha’s life story and how monasticism adapted to different cultures.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama The joy of monastic discipline
Written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, these verses pay tribute to the ethical discipline…
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Buddhist monastics in the Inland Northwest
How Sravasti Abbey found a home in rural Washington and the purpose of a Buddhist…
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