Pema Chödrön, Renowned Buddhist Nun, On Her One Non-Negotiable Happiness Strategy

Chödrön also talks about how to deal with difficult people, set boundaries, and keep a sense of humor in the face of our human foibles and failings.

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Pema Chödrön was born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown in New York City. In her mid-thirties, Ani Pema met and studied with Lama Chime Rinpoche, becoming a novice nun in 1974 in London. She received ordination from His Holiness the Sixteenth Karampa during that time. Pema first met her root guru, the teacher with whom she had the most profound connection, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972, and she studied closely with him until his death in 1987. In 1984, at the behest of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Ani Pema moved from Boulder, Colorado to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to be the director of Gampo Abbey. She currently teaches throughout the United States and Canada and continues her studies and meditative retreat under the guidance of Venerable Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche.

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In this episode we talk about:

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• How to deal with difficult people and set boundaries
• Having a sense of humor about our own foibles and failings 
• Keeping a sense of ok-ness in the face of whatever happens 
• Why coming from a place of love doesn’t preclude us from getting angry or standing up for what we believe in
• Keeping a sense of humor when we’re setting intentions or taking a vow so we don’t set ourselves up for failure
• The actual language of the Bodhisattva vow and why admitting how vast and impossible it is to achieve can actually be empowering
• Why putting others first doesn’t mean leaving yourself out of the equation 
• How healing yourself can affect your relationships with other people and create a virtuous circle 
• Taking a "one person at a time" approach to suffering

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Related Episodes:

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The Dalai Lama’s Guide To Happiness

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Additional Resources:

• Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/install