Pema Chödrön - Why I Became a Buddhist

Pema Chödrön reveals her journey towards becoming a Buddhist nun and discusses the time-tested antidote to suffering.
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About Pema Chödrön
Ani Pema Chödrön was born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown in 1936, in New York City. She attended Miss Porter's School in Connecticut and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She taught as an elementary school teacher for many years in both New Mexico and California. Ani Pema has studied with Lama Chime Rinpoche and Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. At the request of the Sixteenth Karmapa, she received the full bikshuni ordination in the Chinese lineage of Buddhism in 1981 in Hong Kong. Ani Pema served as the director of Karma Dzong in Boulder, Colorado and as the director of Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She is interested in helping establish Tibetan Buddhist monasticism in the West, as well as continuing her work with western Buddhists of all traditions, sharing ideas and teachings. Her non-profit, The Pema Chödrön Foundation, was set up to assist in this purpose. She continues to teach in the United States and Canada.
She has written several books: The Wisdom of No Escape, Start Where You Are, When Things Fall Apart, The Places that Scare You, No Time To Lose, Practicing Peace in Times of War, How to Meditate, and Living Beautifully. All are available from Shambhala Publications and Sounds True.
Sounds True was founded in 1985 by Tami Simon with a clear mission: to disseminate spiritual wisdom. Since starting out as a project with one woman and her tape recorder, we have grown into a multimedia publishing company with more than 80 employees, a library of more than 1500 titles featuring some of the leading teachers and visionaries of our time, and an ever-expanding family of customers from across the world. In more than three decades of growth, change, and evolution, Sounds True has maintained its focus on its overriding purpose, as summed up in our Mission Statement.
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[@1961Gilda]

love her ongoing, fearless honesty

[@oneseeker2]

Pema's teachings can touch many lives, if you just be quiet and listen... She is a breath of fresh air. She exhibits warmth, honesty, integrity, a wise smart woman.

[@fooluvver]

In the midst of m own annihilation right now, I found this very comforting

[@marciwify]

I can totally relate to her. I had a negative encounter with my ex-husband of 3 yrs that made me drop everything and travel to a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery. I had to tame the anger I felt when he was around. The ability to understand myself and how to discipljne my thoughts and emotions and reactions and responses to his what I perceived his continuous self absorption and immaturity. He has become a lesson in how to have no expectations and on how to detach with grace and dignity.

[@jerry-mind-sky]

Hope you are happy 2021.

[@rossanaechevarria7858]

We need pure true people that has grown out of ego. Thank you for sharing

[@be1410all]

I honur and respect Pema Chodron's ability to, today, be able to speak clearly, calmly and coherently about sensitive material from her life. For many, I imagine, this ability remains elusive. Such progress, however slow or difficult, is quite profound.

[@elisabethlinadolfsdottir689]

😊😊

[@CasperGrady92]

May all beings be free from the illusions of samsara. May all beings be happy and peaceful :)

[@imakemusique]

Very interesting talk. I am finally starting to understand this concept about emotions and energy. All emotions are just energies and they are so fluid that they can be transformed into whatever else. Thus, feelings like anger and hatred can turn into compassion and love with the right technique. So powerful. She is an inspiration.

[@SoundstrueManyVoices]

Thanks for your comment! She has such profound things to say.

[@kevinharrison3265]

🙏❤👍

[@robertalipman1428]

I love her like a surrogate mother. I just lost mine and her genuineness gentleness humor and wisdom is calming healing and a great gift to coping with one's life. I love you Pema!

[@mindrunfree]

She's so for real, it's awesome.

[@darkkissajr4787]

Going through the same, just that I practiced buddhism already as I faced the same as her in my life. Im amazed to find this video now! I had no idea this was her experience! I can so relate! Now I'd love to really meet this nun in person!

[@deb2008andy]

She is wonderful.

[@JennifersEar]

10 dislikes?? Must be her ex-husbands. I have just discovered this amazing lady at 5 in the morning and can't wait to learn more from her calmness and wisdom. Thank you.

[@stevemarino5745]

I'm not an ex-husband of hers Andrew, but I find her pretentious and tedious. Not necessarily on this video, but after repeated attempts to read her books finally gave up. She and a few others are just popular, and that doesn't mean she knows anything you or I don't know. We...... you, I everyone...... need no other teacher than life itself. If we pay attention, it's all there.

[@Discordia5]

I hope to find this amount of strength in my lifetime.

[@EvaWright]

There are so few women to look up to for us aspirants. We are blessed to have her.

[@Natarwen]

I have read all of her books, she's amazing! I love her... Namaste

[@widynoto]

You are so great, Venerable. May you always live peacefully and happily.

[@leonoreugeniaestudillosanv1992]

Thanks a lot for your Teaching dearest Pema

[@OswestryVideos]

That's a really nice video. Thank you for sharing it and thank you Pema for your honesty and warmth.

[@motherofthemunchkins]

She is amazing! Thank you so much for posting this video.

[@rosiethebear300]

She ever down to earth! She is becoming one of my favorites!

[@BestaTonlistin]

I just had an aha-moment ;) So these past few days I've been doing some soul searching, and I've been interested in finding out what it means more than soul searching. I'm using active imagination, skillful imagination, mindfulness. Here I learned I'm changing obstacles into keys. They can be obstacles, until I look at them closely and turn them into something, into wisdom, knowledge, and into more power :)

[@serenitybloom008]

Thank you, Pema, for sharing your wisdom with us. Always before when trying to find peace or meaning in the words of buddhist teachers, I would become frustrated and say, " what do you know? It's easy for you to stay calm in your monastery, you don't know what it's like to be married and have kids. But Pema knows, she's been there, and I find her words an existence to be very helpful to me right now.

[@vasudhajha3009]

I love her easy & heart laugh

[@fumiyohirano8323]

🙏🙏❣️Pema Chodron has been my spiritual teacher/guide for my past 15 years. I am blessed and grateful for her teaching me “How to live beautifully and fully.”

[@SoundstrueManyVoices]

Thank you for your kind words Fumiyo, beautiful!

[@fumiyohirano8323]

Stevo Reno I am glad to know you are enlightened in becoming your own person just in one day without guru-teacher! For me, when you are discovering the awakeness, it is not about finding/attaching to something, someone to hold your hand wipe your tears ( that's not bad either, ha ha.) To me, it's about a joy of discovering your own basic goodness and in others, appreciate yourself wholeheartedly and engaging with life as it comes. What Pema Chodron is to me? She is the sound of bell, the sound of emptiness, and of awakened energy of love and compassion ~~ all that and beyond is manifesting waking me up. I have not seen her nor talked, but am deeply grateful that she is my teacher. She loves me and I love her.

[@fitnisfrk]

I love this woman. She is so real.

[@rajveercreation9629]

Great buudhist nun ven pema cordon I love buudhijam 🙏🙏

[@interwoven222]

that is awesome has me smiling, I wish I could have trained under trungpa

[@poussieredetoiles]

Wonderful talk.........

[@TheGreeny38]

thanks for this video. i like how everyday experiences are used. i think they are great dharma teachings in there own right.

[@morethanlyf1]

You're a tough being. Thanks for sharing.:) I love your words.

[@theasianwitch]

What a powerful person and example for all...

[@califgirl101]

What an intresting and inspiring video this is! I would like to say that she really is a wonderfull down-to-earth young lady! In reading different kinds of material there are some or almost ever type of personality that asks themselves "Why Did I Become A Buddhist" and the comment at the start of the video said, "because I hated my husband" or alot of the time they'll mention they have lead different or abusive lives at some time or another. Honestly, to become a buddhist takes great faith!

[@laurasbotanicals]

I enjoyed this. I found it interesting that she was a nun first. She has a nice sense of humor. Being able to laugh at ourselves is very important... but when others laugh at us before we can it kinda smarts.

[@MyAllaboutyou]

i love you, Pema, so very very human.

[@mindrunfree]

I am glad you posted it. I have benefitted greatly from this video. I have recommended it to friends and they also have found value in Pema's ability to be the bridge for her audience.

[@jerry-mind-sky]

13 years gone, hope you have happy life.

[@aperezNWO]

I share the same feeling with you. Here in my country, Colombia, Dalai Lama visited us in a unpreceded way. At first visiting a Buddish temple was a matter of curiosity. On that time a member of the congregation recommended me the book "The Places That Scare You". As you; nothing had real sense at first. After the beggining a financial trouble, each word of the book came so deep to me, and I realize, a single reading is not enough...

[@Be1More]

second time i've heard this video... very helpful

[@JonahS87]

Ah, Pema, you're really awesome:)

[@nieceypiecey100]

This is great!!!! 😊

[@clairejohnson7809]

Love how we can use our pain to transform ourselves into awakening. Same with Glennon Doyle who experienced infidelity but sank into her emotions and feelings and used them to become free ❤

[@markstevenfuller]

Very nice!

[@drmnaga78]

Great, thankyou..

[@Boomhilda]

Phenomenal.

[@nicolareddwooddforest4481]

There are good Buddhists and bad Buddhists just as there are good people or bad people of any religion or any view. Not everybody understands the message of the Buddha. The Buddha himself tried to teach us loving kindness.

[@BuddhaShop]

Excellent

[@sunilsai6271]

Thanks for sharing this great Video! I was a very harsh speaker and people used to hate me because of my speech. I loved the concept so much that, I started practicing it regularly and i used the "BuDhamma" mobile app to help me on this. Now, I speak gentle and my people are very happy with me. Lot of things I get easily done now!

[@titabell360]

Thank you Very much.eish you goodness

[@catchersmitt0]

Wonderful. You CAN make a difference in your own life and live a better life. The Four Seals get pretty heavy; but if you live a better life, fine.

[@dhead64]

I love your perspective(?) or phrasing of this. It comes across as...koan-ish. Totally not a real word but it seems to apply.

[@gaylasuemendez6360]

She's so beautiful.

[@gaylasuemendez6360]

+Koushik Ghosh ...I'm not sure what you mean and I take offense. I have a great respect for Pema Chodron and her teachings. She IS beautiful...inside and out.

[@Souldivided]

I love to hear her lectures.

[@kamwrites]

I like her!

[@thelamalama7399]

we are proud of her.

[@SoundstrueManyVoices]

We are too! She is an amazing teacher!

[@AtenRa]

I thought Trungpa threw himself into a decadent Western lifestyle when he came over here in order to experience how Buddhism might be better received and adapted here. It may just be a positive spin on his story, I dunno. But if anyone's concerned that Trungpa destroyed himself, consider that wonderful Pema was his student, and her lifestyle wasn't crazy. She didn't follow his extravagance, she respected him otherwise, and she uses some of his teachings with her own. Is she "better" than him?

[@hongkongluna]

"I couldnt entertain myself out of this feelling.." that's where the door is :)

[@sardendubhushanbauddh1365]

Nice

[@nancymartinez4133]

One Love thats Nice~

[@Srindal4657]

This is what buddhism needs in the west. Teachers of buddhism that have lived and experienced the culture of the west. This does many things for westerners. For one it breaks the language barrier. Secondly it opens the teachings to many many more people. I hope that there are more westerners who are training to spread the message of buddhism. Our societies desperately need it.

[@roncephil5021]

😊🙏

[@rbourdillon]

Of course the irony here is those judging Pema Chodron for judging. LOL It's obvious it piqued your interest enough to comment. I personally like Pema. She is a well appreciated teacher and is quite capable of evoking some effect.

[@nicolareddwooddforest4481]

There is a dog with the name Otis in the LA animal shelter. Can anybody rescue this dog? He is on KZbin, extremely cute bandog puppy. I wish so deeply that he lives with a kindhearted person in a warm house.

[@nuculearbazooka]

*Shrug* I'm a Buddhist and I eat meat. I love me some Catfish. Fish in general really. Very healthy for you. As a Buddhist, I find it more pertinent to be wary of telling other people what is and isn't the Buddhist way, than I do not eating fish.

[@RantVideos]

Ditto. Try reading Socrates and Plato they will put you to sleep. But I kept reading and it all started to make sense. I read one of her books from a friend, I forgot the title and it was like reading the long version of the Four Agreements. about how we are conditiond to act and think and respond from our mothers,fathers, teachers, society etc. and there is a better way to be. I do not stay mad at someone over and over days after they pissed me off and they wonder how I can not be mad . HA.

[@nuculearbazooka]

Oh- sorry, I totally agree with you. My reply was meant for William Knox.

[@africaRBG]

what does that mean exactly, that there are no shoulds in buddhism??

[@margaretek5350]

🙏🙏🙏🙌🙌🙌💙

[@SebowTube]

I love this. I'd love to become a monk too and for very similar reasons actually but then I went on the plum village's website and there, I read I was too old to become a monk (I'm 38). I was very disappointed at first I must say. Then I eventually realized that one doesn't have to become a monk to do the practice and get onto the path but still... I'd love to join a Sangha and become a monk. So my question is : can one become a monk at any age ? What is the limit ?

[@SebowTube]

Thank you Brandon for your time and advices. Yes, you're right, I've checked and it seems like lots of great places would offer great possibilities. Thanks again. A big smile to you.

[@mnalaka5068]

Piotr Petrowiek There is no age limit, Even you can do the same things as monks do as a ordinary person. Even you are married and having children, you can also be monks, but not allow two way together, you need to choose one, if not you can practice some monthly monk's hood program etc.. If you like to become a monk, then try monastery/ forestry monk, it is more worthy & spiritual than any other commercial world. You will live with nature; animal (like birds, deers,rabits even more elephants in some occasion),plants, flowers, mountain, water springs etc but less human.. If you want to find a place, I can guide you, if not there a lot in South Asia, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Tibet etc.. I know particularly in Sri Lanka/Ceylon. All the Best..

[@dorjeekessang4656]

There is no age limit to become a monk.Monk means living a life for others and loving all sentient beings .

[@wimalasirinawarathna8441]

Buddha taught about the mind of the human beings.. not the physical aspects of the things.He warns 'no killing' not because animals have life or senses.but because violent mentality that occurs when killing is practiced will harm oneself. That is unavoidable..He asked to keep our mind pure and uncorrupted or unspoiled.

[@deplanfabriek]

@rucia60 Contact them thru their website. KZbin won't allow to post links here, but google ' gampo abbey' and you'll be alright.

[@yesheynidup3732]

its was gr8 of you to be in the rit direction and hop u could find the answers of that article you are talking of....i am sure you have catch a hold of clue.......go ahed and ATB.

[@yogmaya09]

they can atleast try can't they?who knows how they may transform!courage is what can be generated by all of us it just not been tapped.

[@izaaguilo]

Tashi Delek🙏

[@boipelopee]

The part about running away from life😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@trivenisatyanarayana877]

she looks so powerful and enigmatic, Thanks i am not a buddhist by birth , but i practice 8 noble path using "BuDhamma" mobile app by lokesh and it has helped me a lot

[@deplanfabriek]

@rucia60 Contact them thru their website.

[@nieceypiecey100]

Why does this video look like it’s from 1962?

[@Carolsw1]

Eckhart Tolle might call the negativity the "pain body"

[@joshuagibb4322]

Buddhism is real

[@rybpo7]

She's just telling the truth. By your name truthformeandyou, it seems you would value that. She hated her husband. She told the truth as it was for her at the time. Grow up.

[@TheAleph74]

That was before she became a buddhist.

[@IvyRoad]

Life is "rife with abuse and typical human frailties." There is no place, save maybe a tiny patch of Deer Park once upon a time, where we completely transcend our humanness; it's what we have to work with. That's fine. This life stuff is a tricky business. Trungpa Rinpoche was a practitioner of Crazy Wisdom and, despite all of your and my disbelief, it worked! Pema, Naropa University... who knew?! Maybe Trungpa Rinpoche knew; could be. I don't know.

[@eechuanseng7891]

One day , a boy met " Buddha" and said to Buddha..." Buddha, I want to be like you ...please tell me how ".................. "Buddha" said " Well , if you want to be me .....you will see white line appear on the floor ...and things will appear on the side of the line ...collect it and bring it to me ...the more things you bring to me , the greater chance you be me "....... So one day , the boy wanted to be Buddha and saw white line and things appear on the floor .....................he is so excited and follow the white line and collect things and carry it on his back ........ as he travel , his desire to be Buddha increase , his love to be Buddha increase , his greed for more things increase , his fear of losing things that he collected and carried on his back increase .... his ego of to be Buddha increase ... and as he collected more and more items and it became more and more heavy .........and he is getting more and more suffer .............at one point , as he turn his head ...he was shocked and saw , white line are everywhere ......and there are countless of item on the floor ...and there are no one beside him ... he is always alone ...no one going to take away the things he collected on his back ......... he recognize he is like someone watching a movie acted and directed by him .............his desire to travel decrease , his love to be Buddha decrease , his fear of losing the things he carry decrease , his greed / ego of holding on his will decrease ........and his will to move on decrease .......and as the hold on his will and the things on his back decreases ........ all things slowly , gradually and naturally drop from his back ... and as more and more things drops from his back , he is more and more at ease ........and finally there is no more things on his back ...there is no more holds on his will ...his will to travel decreases ...he is moving slower and slower ....he finally stop as he no longer with any will to travel.....and he is arrived ... he is free ...he is peace ....he is Buddha ....... The words of Buddha is only about YOU not a guide of who you should be . . All Buddhist Teacher are using Buddha's words as a guide for you to be " someone ".... leading you to be " there "....but you are always " here " ...is you that suffer struggling to be " there ".... all Buddhist Teacher are like someone giving you muddy water to wash your clothing and let you expect it to be cleaned while they relaxing drinking cappuccino at Starbucks and let you pay the bill. In the current mind of me all Buddhist Teacher are robber that robbed Buddha's words....a parasite that feeding on Buddha words for fame and recognition and a TERRORIST OF MANKIND for transforming perhaps the greatest discovery of mankind into a factor for human to suffer ... I am not a spam or a troll and is here with my identity card name and a face on my profile.....I cordially invites all Buddhist Teacher to debate with me as to challenge this mind of me

[@Andythenurse]

I have no doubt that there are some Buddhist teachers like that. I have met a few that don't talk to me much because I am not the typical Buddhist in the west. I have a beard, motorbike and work in a violent environment (treating people who struggle to manage their emotions). At the same time I have met Buddhist teachers who are willing to talk and discuss Buddhism with me and don't care about my background, my ability to pay towards the monastery or anything. To those teachers, teaching is free. To the ones that don't speak to me it seems their words have a price.

[@ShaktipatSeer2]

Good talk except I would have asked if she wasn't running away from the trauma of her divorce a little bit also?

[@Snowland_Man]

It's not running my friend actually it's facing the reality

[@clairejohnson7809]

She faced it and transformed it. Running away from it would of been staying in ignorance

[@bostonpaul123]

Her teacher, and founder of their organization, chogyam trungpa rinpoche, died of drug addiction and alcoholism. He was extremely arrogant in his approach to students, behaving like a king, dressed in military outfits, and often sleeping with students. His next in line, died of aids, and it was proven that he knew he had aids when he infected a student who died from aids also. western Buddhism ihas much to offer but it has been rife with abuse and typical human frailties.

[@yogmaya09]

Pema Chodron is a Beautiful woman,except she shouldn't be bothered why other people join the monastry no matter how "weried" the reason and who does she meanwhen she says that"we do not encourage to do that"if she is a true practioner of Bhuddism then she would not sit in judgement of other folks joing the monastry,no matter how unfullfilled thier lives are,they have as much right as her to seek solace and wisdom.She should more compassion and do some more tonglen.

[@Iamnickdude09]

You should work on your comprehension skills.

[@Mapacha73]

There are no 'shoulds' in Buddhism.

[@bostonpaul123]

interesting how she went from a husband who had a sexual addiction to a teacher who had one. From one person who violates trust to another.

[@firedevilz97]

That is the wrong way of Buddhist. Buddha never teach anyone to hurt or killing others. Buddha said "You can hate me , but i will not hate you" Buddha never said other religion is wrong , but its just another way for teaching yourself , like Buddhist too. We are all the same.

[@1marmit]

We respect everyone is free to choose what they believe. But as 2 plus 2 is four there are truths that cannot be denied. Jesus is the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father but by him. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. There is a testimony of a buddhist monk that died and came back to tell others that he saw Buddah, his master and others in hell and Jesus pulled him out. He became a christian even after others threatening his life. There is proof the King James bible is the preserved word of God. God spoke through the men who wrote the bible. There is historical and archeological proof too. We have information on our liked videos that shows all of this. This is for those that love the truth. We love you anyway. It's your choice. Love Mitch and Mary.

[@joshuagibb4322]

The Bible

[@joshuagibb4322]

I was riding a bicycle around on the freeway and somebody yelled

[@joshuagibb4322]

The State Patrol told me I wasn’t in any trouble

[@excusesbegone7251]

working with negativity

[@shawnmartin6210]

Pema herself is an inspiration, but I find her teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpooche was ultimately uninspiring. From what I know, he was a womanizer and a alcoholic. Strange that he could write or say very wise things, but seem to gain any lasting wisdom from them himself. I still don't know why Pema Chodron often speaks of him in high regard?

[@marlexpez880]

If she is a student of Trungpa's why is she wearing that ridiculous uniform ? Spiritual materialism right there.

[@Iamnickdude09]

Marlex Pez know your role, pawn.

[@jkweddingentrancesux]

is she a lesbian ?

[@gregrichardson6533]

Peter North Nope. She is a nun who has been celibate for about forty years and the haircut was prescribed by Buddha for monks and nuns to help renounce attractiveness and the self-importance that so often accompanies style (among other reasons).