Over the course of these Vibe with Venerables sessions, we have been incredibly fortunate to receive profound, practical, and accessible teachings directly from Venerable Chodron, together with Venerable Samten, Venerable Damcho, Venerable Tsepal, Venerable Lamsel, and Venerable Monlam.

In Ep 52 of Vibe with Venerables, Venerable Thubten Chodron closes the Three Higher Trainings series with the final higher training in wisdom. She works through three ideas of the self the Buddha refuted, from a permanent soul to a self that exists from its own side.

In Ep 51 of Vibe with Venerables, Venerable Damcho continues the higher training in wisdom (prajñā) with the Buddha’s very first teaching. She explains why Venerable Chodron calls them the Four Truths for the Noble Ones, and how the same teaching deepens as our goals grow, from seeking a good rebirth to awakening for the benefit of all beings.

In Ep 50 of Vibe with Venerables, Venerable Tsepal starts the higher training in wisdom (paññā). She talks about three kinds of wisdom: from hearing teachings, from thinking them through, and from meditating on them. She also shares why even senior teachers keep listening to the same teachings, and why our Dharma friends may teach us more than our teachers do.

Before the mind can focus, it needs a warm-up, the same way the body does before a run. In Ep 49 of Vibe with Venerables, Venerable Damcho takes the higher training in concentration (samādhi) back to basics.

In Episode 48 of Vibe with Venerables, Venerable Thubten Chodron leads the Higher Training in Concentration by clearing up a common misunderstanding: concentration (samādhi) is not a mystical state reserved for advanced practitioners. We all have it. The work is learning to sustain it.

Be honest: can you imagine holding your mind on a single object for four hours? In Episode 47 of Vibe with Venerables, Ven Tsepal opens the second block of the Three Higher Trainings by concentrating on, well, concentration. She talks about the concentration we already have then shows how far that sits from what the tradition actually means by samadhi.

Nobody wakes up in the morning thinking, “today I’m going to ruin someone’s day.” So what actually happens? In Episode 46 of Vibe with Venerables, Venerable Thubten Monlam closes out our Higher Training on Ethical Conduct by looking at one of the disturbing emotions that can drive harmful actions: anger. Not the abstract of it. The petty, still-replaying-it-at-3am version of it. She’s refreshingly honest about still getting angry, and having to work with it.

Ever told a small lie just to keep things smooth? Ever stayed quiet while someone trashed a person you know is decent? In Ep 45 of Vibe with Venerables, Venerable Thubten Samten presents these as examples of the ten non-virtues—a Buddhist roadmap identifying actions that plant negative karma and obstruct our spiritual path.

Ever wonder what “ethical conduct” actually means in real life? In Episode 44 of Vibe with Venerables, Venerable Lamsel explores the five lay precepts: not killing, not stealing, wise and kind sexual conduct, not lying, and not taking intoxicants.

Don’t be a jerk (the Buddha says so). Venerable Thubten Chodron discusses the Three Higher Trainings (Ethical Conduct, Concentration and Wisdom) — core practices across all main schools of Buddhism.

Was the Buddha a god, a legend… or simply a human being who walked through the same chaos we do? Roshi Joan Halifax talks about the Buddha as a human being born into instability, woke up in the middle of suffering, and died in a fractured political world.

Turns out the Buddha was about 2,600 years ahead of the rest of us when it comes to challenging norms about caste and gender while affirming equality. Venerable Ajahn Canda walks through the Suttas where the Buddha quietly dismantled the social ladder of his day.

What if everything AI will ever be is still nothing compared to what you already are? Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche unpacks the Three Kayas, draws a striking contrast between artificial intelligence and innate awareness, and shares the Three-Moment Method.

What did the Buddha actually teach, and why does it still matter today? Bhante Buddharakkhita, founder and abbot of ‪Uganda Buddhist Center‬ explains the Buddha not as a distant myth, but as a human being who awakened and showed what is possible for all of us.