Venerable Thubten Chodron on Ethics, Concentration and Wisdom | Vibe with Venerables Ep 43

by | Jul 25, 2026 | Buddhism.net Blog, Recording

Don’t be a jerk (the Buddha says so).

In Episode 43 of Vibe with Venerables, Venerable Thubten Chodron at Sravasti Abbey discusses the Three Higher Trainings (Ethical Conduct, Concentration and Wisdom) — core practices across all main schools of Buddhism. Here’s the thing: she doesn’t start with big cosmic wisdom talk. She starts with ethics, and keeps coming back to it.

Because, as she puts it, without behaving like a decent human being, nothing you build on top of that is stable.

What we get into:

  • How ethics isn’t just a starting point, but the basis for everything else.
  • What the three tiers of Buddhist ethics are, and how each one builds on the last.
  • How unethical conduct comes back to bite us in different ways.
  • How mindfulness and introspective awareness begin with ethics.
  • Why wisdom involves the correct understanding of emptiness.

Remember: the eightfold path is never separate from any of this. It unfolds through the Three Higher Trainings.

Donation

This series is freely offered by Buddhism.net. If you’d like to show your appreciation and gratitude to our teacher, Venerable Chodron and Sravasti Abbey, you may make a donation to Sravasti Abbey (https://sravastiabbey.org/donation/. We thank you for dāna, the practice of cultivating generosity.

Chade-Meng Tan

Meng is an award-winning engineer, international bestselling author, movie producer and philanthropist. His work has been nominated eight times for the Nobel Peace Prize. (Read Meng's story)

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