About Pema Chödrön
& the Pema Chödrön Foundation
Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist teacher, author, nun, and mother who inspires millions worldwide with her down-to-earth message of practicing peace in turbulent times.
The Pema Chödrön Foundation is dedicated to preserving and sharing Pema’s teachings as well as supporting many charitable organizations dear to Pema’s heart.
Join Pema for special live talks. Learn More
Founded in 2006, The Pema Chödrön Foundation strives to ensure that Pema’s work is sustainably supported into the future.
The focus of The Pema Chödrön Foundation is the creation of an endowment to hold and generate the funds needed to help share Pema’s teachings of how to ‘practice peace’ and to support those who choose to lead a contemplative life.
The royalties from all of Pema’s books and tapes are held by the Foundation. In addition, gifts and honoraria generated by Pema benefit The Foundation.
You can help to make Pema's dream of sharing peace in the world a reality. Any help that you could offer would be tremendously helpful and greatly appreciated.
Pema Chodron Foundation is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax-deductible, as allowed by the law.
Pema Chödrön's Biography
Daughter, Sister, Mother
Long before she became a Buddhist nun, a world-recognized meditation teacher or a best-selling spiritual author, Pema Chödrön was simply Deirdre Blomfield-Brown. She was born in 1936 and grew up with her brother and sister in a Catholic family in New York City. Pema married at age 21. She divorced in her mid-twenties. She remarried and then divorced a second time eight years later. Pema has two children and three grandchildren.
Elementary Teacher
She obtained a bachelor's degree in English literature from Sarah Lawrence College and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education from the University of California, Berkeley. She taught as an elementary school teacher for many years in both New Mexico and California.
Novice Nun
In her mid-thirties, Pema traveled to the French Alps and met Lama Chime Rinpoche, with whom she studied for several years in London. In 1974, she became a novice Buddhist nun under His Holiness Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa. Pema first met her root teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972 and she studied with him from 1974 until he died in 1987.
Full Monastic Ordination
Pema didn’t think she would ever take the bhikshuni vows that would make her a fully ordained nun because full ordination is denied to women in the Tibetan tradition. The Karmapa encouraged her to seek out someone who was authorized and willing to perform the ceremony. In July 1981 she became the first American in the Vajrayana tradition to become a fully ordained nun.
Director of Gampo Abbey
Pema served as the director of Karma Dzong, in Boulder in the early 1980s. Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche asked her to work towards establishing a monastery for Western monks and nuns. In 1984 Pema moved to rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and in 1986 she became the director of Gampo Abbey, the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in North America for Western men and women.
Author, Teacher, Speaker
Pema published her first book, The Wisdom of No Escape, in 1991. In 1994, she published her second book, Start Where You Are, and in 1996, When Things Fall Apart. Throughout her career, Pema has published over 20 books. Her books, teachings, and retreats have been turned into audiobooks and online courses.
"Readers were moved by her earthy, insightful teachings, and her retreats were suddenly full to overflowing. She was now constantly being asked to give talks and to take part in media events." – Andrea Miller author of article, Becoming Pema, Lion's Road (2017)
Philanthropist
The Pema Chödrön Foundation was initially inspired to support Pema’s home monastery, Gampo Abbey, well into the future. As the years have gone by, the Foundation evolved to support a wide range of charitable organizations that are dear to Pema’s heart.
Present Day
Pema teaches in the United States and Canada and plans for an increased amount of time in solitary retreat under the guidance of Venerable Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche.
Pema Chödrön's Books
When you purchase Pema’s books, you help share her books and teachings to underserved individuals and the organizations that serve them, free of charge. Learn About The Book Initiative
Another Kind of Freedom - Pre-Order Now!
Pema Chödrön shows how real freedom comes from meeting discomfort with mindfulness and compassion.
