Pema Chödrön (formerly Deirdre Blomfield-Brown, born 1936) is a fully ordained Buddhistnun in the Tibetanvajrayana tradition, and a teacher in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa. The goal of her work is the ability to apply Buddhist teachings in everyday life. She is one of the most successful interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism for westerners, noted for her approachable and down-to-earth teaching style.
Pema Chödrön has conducted workshops, seminars, and meditation retreats in Europe, Australia, and throughout North America. She is abbot of Gampo Abbey, a monastery in Nova Scotia.
Chödrön began to study with Lama Chime Rinpoche in the French Alps, and became a Buddhist nun in 1974 while studying with him in London. She first met Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1972, and at the urging of Lama Chime Rinpoche, she took him as her root guru. She studied with him continuously from 1974 until his death in 1987.
In 1984, Chödrön moved to rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and became the director of Gampo Abbey. There, she published her first two books to widespread critical acclaim. Pema Chödrön is currently working on a commentary on Shantideva's Bodhisattva's Way of Life that is due to be published in 2005.
Pema has two children and three grandchildren.
Works
Her books include:
Comfortable with Uncertainty (ISBN 1-59030-078-5)
The Places that Scare You (ISBN 1570624097)
Tonglen: The Path of Transformation (ISBN 1570624097)
When Things Fall Apart (ISBN 1570629692)
Start Where You Are (ISBN 0877738807)
The Wisdom of No Escape (ISBN 1-57062-872-6)
External links
Pema Chodron's site on Shambhala.org containing many public teachings (http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/pema/)
With the vibrant clarity, humor, and insight her students have come to expect from her, Pema Chödrön takes listeners step by step through the three elements of meditation – posture, breathing, and thoughts – delivering a complete, three-hour training course that is ideal for beginners and a welcome refresher for more advanced practitioners.
Since her ordination in 1974, Ane Pema ("Ane" is a Tibetan honorific for a nun) has conducted workshops, seminars, and meditation re-treats in Europe, Australia, and throughout North America.
The PemaChodron Collection: Pure Meditation: Good Medicine: From Fear to Fearlessness by PemaChodron (Unabridged Audio CD: Sounds True) PemaChodron is one of the West’s most beloved teachers of Buddhism, making the Tibetanvajrayana tradition accessible in today’s world.
Ane Pema served as the director of Karma Dzong in Boulder until moving in 1984 to rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to be the director of Gampo Abbey.
Pema is also very interested in continuing her work with western Buddhists outside the vajrayana tradition, sharing ideas and teachings.
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