Ask A Monk: How I Became a Buddhist Monk

Pema Chödrön reveals her journey towards becoming a Buddhist nun and discusses the time-tested antidote to suffering. Visit Sounds True for more of Pema Chödrön’s teachings: http://bit.ly/2iglZka Get two free gifts from Sounds True: http://bit.ly/2hNCPur 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. FREE Introduction to Pema’s Online Course, “The Freedom to Choose Something Different” http://bit.ly/1EJV1WV