Pema Chodron is a name that is well known both within the Buddhist community and to those who are not Buddhist. Pema, or Ani Pema Chodron is a Tibetan Buddhist nun who is a teacher and author, and has written books such as Start Where You Are and No Time to Lose. Born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown in New York in 1936 and raised in a Catholic family in New Jersey, Pema went on to graduate from the University of California at Berkley with a master’s degree in education. After a second divorce she met with Lama Chime Rinpoche while she was traveling through the French Alps. She studied with him for years and then became a novice Buddhist nun in 1974. She then went on to receive her ordination in Scotland that same year.
Not long before that time, in 1972, she met her root guru Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who was a major figure in bringing Tibetan Buddhistteachings to the West, and she was encouraged by Lama Chime to work with Rinpoche. She made a strong connection with Rinpoche and studied with him from 1974 until his death in 1987. She received her full ordination in the Chinese lineage of Buddhism in 1981.
In the early 1980’sPema was appointed as director of the Boulder Shambhala Center in Colorado, then in 1984 she moved to Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and became its director. After the publication of her first two books, Pema became known worldwide as both a Buddhist teacher and a specialist in lojong teachings and tonglen meditation. Her compassionate attitude and down to earth wisdom makes her well-liked and respected by many people, and the teachings she speaks of can beeasily applied to the lives of both Buddhists and non-Buddhists.
Books by Pema Chodron:
- Start Where You Are
- The Wisdom of No Escape
- No Time to Lose- A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva
- When Things Fall Apart- Heart Advice for Difficult Times
- Comfortable with Uncertainty- 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion
- The Places that Scare You- A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times
- Practicing Peace in Times of War: A Buddhist Perspective
Audio by Pema Chodron:
- True Happiness
- Awakening Compassion
- Good Medicine
- Getting Unstuck
- When Things Fall Apart
- Comfortable with Uncertainty
- From Fear to Fearlessness
- Pure Meditation
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