Pema Chodron portrait

Pema Chödrön (formerly Deirdre Blomfield-Brown, born 1936) is a fully ordained Buddhist nun in the Tibetan vajrayana 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 resident teacher of Gampo Abbey, a monastery in Nova Scotia.

History

Pema Chödrön was born in New York City and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She previously worked as an elementary school teacher before converting to Buddhism. 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
• Gampo Abbey