In Ep 52 of Vibe with Venerables, Venerable Thubten Chodron (@sravastiabbey) 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. Her view? Our sense of self is neither “I exist solidly” nor “nothing exists.” It is the Middle Way, which isn’t easy.
In this episode, learn about:
- The difference between wisdom of conventional truth and wisdom of ultimate truth
- Why emptiness doesn’t mean nothing exists
- Three layers of self the Buddha negated, from soul to inherent existence
- How names and labels shape what things “are”
- Why a conventional self still exists, and what non-self (anattā) really refers to
- What Buddha nature is, and what it isn’t
Plus: what’s the question her mother used to ask whenever she got in trouble? Venerable Chodron says the Buddha asks it too. 🙏
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